Greensboro Sports Council Announces 2019 Bill Lee Scholarship Winners:Taneija Baldwin(Dudley HS), Jayla Harris(Northern Guilford HS), Carson Lomax(Northern Guilford HS) and Cason Pierce(Greensboro Day School)

GREENSBORO SPORTS COUNCIL AWARDS BILL LEE SCHOLARSHIPS TO FOUR GREENSBORO STUDENTS

GREENSBORO, N.C. – With just two weeks remaining until the 44th annual HAECO Invitational tips off, four Greensboro high school seniors received the Bill Lee Scholarship, the Greensboro Sports Council announced today. The Council began awarding these $2,000 scholarships during its annual high school basketball tournament in 2001. The 44th annual HAECO Invitational is set for Dec. 26-28, 2019 at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.

The Bill Lee Scholarship is awarded to four HAECO Invitational participants each year. All eight participating schools are invited to nominate student athletes; winners are the most-qualified applicants regardless of which school they represent. Including the 2019 winners, who are listed alphabetically below, 77 student athletes have won the Bill Lee Scholarship since the program’s inception. The following students received their scholarships during today’s annual HAECO Invitational pairings announcement and will be recognized during the HAECO Invitational championship games on Saturday, Dec. 28:

Taneija Baldwin represents Dudley High School; she is ranked seventh in her class of 251 students. Her club activity includes the National Honor Society, the National Technical Honor Society, the student council, the National Society of Black Engineers and the Spirit of Praise Dance Ministry. She volunteers with Anytown USA, Autism Walk, Breast Cancer Walk, Homeless Matts and serves as an elementary school volunteer. She is considering attending Howard University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte or the University of Miami and is interested in pursuing a career in either architectural engineering or interior design.

Jayla Harris, from Northern Guilford High School, is a team captain and a two-time state champion. She is in the National Honor Society, the Beta Club, the National Technical Honors Society and the Robotics Club, for which she is the Skills USA president. Other leadership activities include National Honor Society peer tutoring, the 2018 NCHSAA Leadership Conference representative for Northern Guilford and Skills USA Robotics camp leader. She volunteers with the Lil’ Nighthawk Camp, National Beta Club Highway Cleanup and as an elementary school greeter. She is considering attending NC State University, Virginia Tech University or Clemson University and is interested in a career in either engineering or architecture.

Carson Lomax also represents Northern Guilford High School. He is a student section leader of the Spirit Club, a member of the Beta Club and was recognized for having the highest average in calculus class. In addition, he made three live rescues this past summer while working as the head lifeguard at the BurMil Pool. He was named most valuable player and honorable mention all-area last year and is a two-time MVP of his AAU team, NC Spartans West. He volunteers at the Lil’ Nighthawk camp, Eco Club, Grace Community Church, the YMCA, the Beta Club, Red Dog Farm Club, Salvation Army, Allen Tate Help Elderly Move and Northern Elementary School. He is considering attending Clemson University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or NC State University and is interested in a career business finance or commercial real estate with a focus on entrepreneurship.

Greensboro Day School’s team captain, William (Cason) Pierce, was nominated for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship, named most-outstanding student in Math in 2017 and ’19, most-outstanding student in history in 2017, most-outstanding student in science in 2018 and Cum Laude in 2019. A three-time state champion in basketball, he is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Club, the Student Council and is student body president. He is president of the math club, a member of the Science Olympiad Club and a leader and co-founder of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He volunteers with Breakfast Buddies, Hot Dish and Hope, Anytown and coaches with Future Basketball Stars. He is interested in attending Duke University, Princeton University or the University of Pennsylvania and is considering a career in business management in the scientific/technological field or as a physicist.

Bill Lee was a Greensboro native and resident who was a major supporter of local sports. The Bill Lee Memorial Scholarship was established by the Greensboro Sports Council following Lee’s death in 2001. Recipients are nominated by the schools participating in the HAECO Invitational each year, and the Greensboro Sports Council awards the scholarships. Each nomination is considered with the following criteria: 40% academic, 40% athletic and 20% civic.

The HAECO Invitational presented is an annual high school basketball tournament in Greensboro, N.C. Founded in 1976 as the Little 4 Invitational, the tournament features men’s and women’s teams representing eight Guilford County high schools playing at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Tournament proceeds are donated to local charities and the participating schools; the HAECO Invitational is planned and implemented by the Greensboro Sports Council. For more information, please visit www.HAECOInvitational.com and follow the event on Twitter: @HAECOinvit.

Courtesy of Rob Goodman, 3-G Sports, LLC/HAECO Tournament Director of Media