CHAPEL HILL — Tainasha Vines of Bunn High School and Chazz Surratt of East Lincoln High School have been named winners of the 2015 Athlete of the Year awards by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA).
These are the top athletic awards given by the NCHSAA to honor the most outstanding male and female high school athletes in the state. They were presented at the Dean E, Smith Center on the University of North Carolina campus during the NCHSAA’s Annual Meeting on Thursday.
Both of the winners were selected by a special panel that includes media representatives from across the state. They were each presented with the Pat Best Memorial Trophy, named for the former Goldsboro High principal and president of the NCHSAA who died unexpectedly in 1988.
“On behalf of our Board of Directors and the entire membership of the NCHSAA, we congratulate these outstanding student-athletes on their tremendous achievements during their high school careers,” said Davis Whitfield, commissioner of the NCHSAA. “Both have extremely impressive credentials which are in the same vein as previous winners of this award, and we certainly wish them well in their future pursuits.”
Surratt has been an amazing two-sport star, leading East Lincoln to almost unprecedented success as the Mustangs football team went 16-0 and won the NCHSAA state championship and then the basketball team was unbeaten until it lost to four-time champ Kinston in the championship game.
Surratt, football Player of the Year in the Southern District Seven for the second consecutive year, was the Most Valuable Player in the state football final and finished the season with the third-best all-time record for touchdown responsibility with 73, including 51 TD passes and 22 rushing touchdowns. He threw for 4,338 yards and had 5,621 yards in total offense, giving him 11.657 for his career.
In basketball, he averaged 20.0 points per game, 6.7 rebounds, 8.0 assists and three steals a game this season. He was also Player of the Year in the SD7 in basketball and was the Most Valuable Player in the Western Regional. He did all of this during the season on a torn meniscus in his knee, suffered early in the football season, and had surgery right after basketball ended.
He has committed to Duke University to play football.
Vines has had a remarkable high school career in a variety of sports, including earning state championship last spring in the long jump and triple jump in outdoor track and is an excellent possibility to repeat.
In volleyball, she was a four-time all-conference selection and was the Northern Carolina Conference Player of the Year in that sport as a sophomore. She is the school’s all-time leader in kills in that sport and led her team to the third round of the playoffs. And in basketball, she is a two-time Player of the Year in the conference and earned all-league honors four times. This year she averaged 20.7 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game, and also posted a quadruple double, only the fourth one ever in NCHSAA history.
She will attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on a track and field scholarship.
This is the 30th year in which awards have been given to the top overall male and female athletes. Previous winners of the award include:
NCHSAA ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
Winners of the Pat Best Memorial Trophy
Female Male 1985-86 Pam Doggett, Dudley Patrick Lennon, Whiteville 1986-87 Andrea Stinson, North Mecklenburg Robert Siler, Jordan-Matthews 1987-88 LeAnn Kennedy, Trinity Chester McGlockton, Whiteville 1988-89 Danyel Parker, Clinton Ethan Albright, Grimsley 1989-90 Karen Davis, Forbush David Inman, Terry Sanford 1990-91 Christy Cagle, Hayesville Mike Kendall, Albemarle 1991-92 Wendy Palmer, Person Rusty LaRue, Northwest Guilford 1992-93 Holly Hill, Southwestern Randolph Tyrone Westmoreland, South Iredell 1993-94 Jamie Parsons, Millbrook Brian Roseboro, T.Wingate Andrews 1994-95 Aedrin Murray, Chatham Central Na Brown, Reidsville 1995-96 Shea Ralph, Terry Sanford Titcus Pettigrew, West Forsyth 1996-97 Jackie Houston, Kings Mountain Tyrell Godwin, East Bladen 1997-98 Clifeteana McKiver, East Duplin Julius Peppers, Southern Nash 1998-99 Anna Tharrington, Southern Nash Nick Maddox, A.L. Brown 1999-2000 Courtney Willis, Terry Sanford Manny DeShauteurs, Brevard 2000-01 Molly Pyles, Hendersonville Derrele Mitchell, R.J. Reynolds 2001-02 Katrelle Armwood, Durham School of Arts A.J. Davis, Northern Durham 2002-03 Anna Evans, Lumberton Drew Williamson, Cummings 2003-04 Eva Baucom, Forest Hills Jim Ollis, Polk County 2004-05 Jessie Sims, West Henderson Terrell Hudgins, Rocky Mount 2005-06 Megan Zullo, Farmville Central Kendric Burney, Southwest Onslow 2006-07 Gabby Mayo, Southeast Raleigh Dee Bost, Concord 2007-08 Jannetta Robinson, Pender E.J. Abrams-Ward, Thomasville 2008-09 Ali Ford, Freedom Tyler Shatley, East Burke 2009-10 Leah Mackley, Pender Kareem Martin, Roanoke Rapids 2010-11 Courtney Melvin, East Bladen Romar Morris, Salisbury 2011-12 Lindsay Simpson, Franklin Tevin Hester, Granville Central 2012-13 Hailey Cook, Hendersonville T.J. Logan, Northern Guilford 2013-14 Blake Dodge, West Carteret Marquavious Johnson, Knightdale 2014-15 Tainasha Vines, Bunn Chazz Surrratt, East Lincoln
About 200,000 athletes compete in the NCHSAA’s 23-sport program.