Midday Madness to Showcase GTCC Athletes on October 29

MIDDAY MADNESS TO SHOWCASE GTCC ATHLETES

JAMESTOWN – Meet athletes from Guilford Technical Community College during the college’s inaugural Midday Madness event 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 at the Ragsdale YMCA, 900 Bonner Drive, Jamestown.

Hosted by Manard “Busta” Brown of WXII 12, Midnight Madness will consist of a skills challenge, three-point challenge and dunk contest, each highlighting the talents of our men’s and women’s basketball teams. The event will also showcase student athletes from GTCC’s volleyball and baseball teams.

Media will have an opportunity at the event to interview team coaches (Bobby Allison – Women’s Basketball; Kirk Chandler – Men’s Basketball and Athletic Director; Sabrina Johnson – Volleyball; John Barrow – Baseball) and this year’s top athletes including:

Women’s Basketball

• Nyla Allen (Smith High School) – A great athlete who can shoot, handle the ball and rebound very well. Nyla was MVP of the TIMCO Invitational during her senior year at Smith and is currently garnering scholarship attention.

• Selena Lozada (Western Guilford High School) – A dominant low-post scorer who was selected to play in the area All-Star game during her senior year at Western. She is also garnering scholarship attention.

• April Kelly (Southern Alamance High School) – A dominant scorer on the block who came from one of the best high school teams in the Triad-area.

• Mikayla Moore (Rockingham County High School) – The all-time leader in three-point shots (199) in Rockingham County

Men’s Basketball

• Andre Saunders (Western Alamance High School) – A returning point guard from last year, excellent ball handler with great court vision.

• Ryan Passini (Northern Guilford High School) – A returning center who worked hard in the off-season adding size and strength and has improved at all aspects of the game.

Women’s Volleyball

• Brandi Robinson (Ben L. Smith High School) – A dominate middle hitter who has the ability to play other positions when needed and will be continuing her volleyball career at a four-year institution, while pursuing a degree in culinary arts. She was named All Conference player and MVP at Ben L. Smith.

• Blair Johnson (West Montgomery High School) – An outstanding setter who has led the team the last two years in assist. Blair is pursuing a degree in Dental Hygiene. She was named All Conference player and MVP during her junior and senior year at West Montgomery.

• Caity Kerr (Ragsdale High School) – A very versatile outside hitter who was more than willing to transition into a middle hitter when adjustments had to be made due to injuries. She was named All Conference player at Ragsdale.

• Ciara Norris (Andrews High School) – A dominate middle hitter and blocker with the ability to play all around. She was named All Conference player and MVP her senior year.

• Regina Ritter (Eastern Randolph High School) – A setter, who did a fabulous job transitioning into an outside hitter when the team lost a few players early on in the season due to injuries and health issues. Regina was named All Conference player for three years, MVP, and made the All-County Team her senior year at Eastern Randolph.

Baseball

• Matt Kaplan (Northern Guilford High School) – A returning sophomore and versatile left-handed pitcher with good command of fastball and change-up. He made 14 appearances last spring, including eight starts.

• Matt Orth (Southwest Guilford High School) – A redshirt freshman transfer from UNC- Chapel Hill. Matt is a left-handed pitcher with plus command of fastball and breaking ball and a left-handed bat that projects to hit for power. He’s ranked among the Top 500 players in the country by Perfect Game, tabbed as the No. 26 player in the state of North Carolina by Perfect Game, played in the East Coast Showcase, earned PG Underclass High Honorable Mention in 2011 and 2012, earned 4A All-State honors and named the Piedmont Triad Player of the Year.

• Kennan Lynn (Ragsdale High School) – A hard-throwing right-handed pitcher that has topped 90 mph and has a devastating power curveball. He will anchor the Titan bullpen as the closer this spring.

• Avery Hodges (Ragsdale High School) – An excellent defensive catcher with tremendous arm strength and a solid hitter who will compete for a starting job behind the plate this spring

• Dillon Cox (Northwest Guilford High School) – A solid first baseman and left-handed bat that projects to hit for power – should be a force in the middle of the Titans’ lineup this spring.

• Jorden Zamrik (Northwest Guilford High School) – A right-handed pitcher that will compete for innings out of the Titan bullpen this spring. Jorden has good command of fastball and flashes a very good 12-6 curveball.

GTCC’s athletics program offers basketball, baseball, women’s volleyball and women’s basketball and is affiliated with National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Division I.

GTCC premiered its new athletic program in 2006 with men’s basketball and women’s volleyball. Later in 2008, the college added women’s basketball and baseball to the roster of sports.

For more information, visit www.gtcc.edu/athletics.
Guilford Technical Community College is the third largest of 58 institutions in the NC Community College System. GTCC serves more than 40,000 students annually from five campuses and a Small Business Center. Learn more at www.gtcc.edu.

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