NCHSAA Performance of the Week

STUDENTS FROM PANTHER CREEK, CHASE EARN PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK AWARDS

CHAPEL HILL — Sammi Smith and Jordan Strickland of Cary’s Panther Creek High School and Nube Jimenez of Chase High School in Forest City have been named winners of the NCHSAA Performance of the Week awards, powered by Time Warner Cable Sports Channel with Jersey Mike’s Subs®.

Each week one male and one female athlete in North Carolina High School Athletic Association competition are selected for this award from nominations received from media and school administrators.

The female performance award is appropriately shared by Smith and Strickland, who captured their fourth consecutive doubles state championship in the NCHSAA women’s tennis tournament at Millbrook Exchange Park in Raleigh.

Smith and Strickland clinched their fourth and final state title with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Lizzie Galush and Jenna Knors of Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons in the championship match, after the Panther Creek duo did not drop a single game in the semifinals earlier that day.

The only time that feat of four straight titles has been accomplished in doubles was by Lisa and Margit Monaco of Fayetteville Terry Sanford back in 1977-80, when the tournament was an open event.

Smith will attend Penn State while Strickland is headed to Western Carolina.

Jimenez is a junior on the Chase men’s soccer team who has led his team to a conference championship in the South Mountain Athletic Conference with a perfect 16-0 league record. He helped his team to a critical 2-1 overtime win over Shelby last week and then scored six goals in a 9-0 triumph over Valdese Draughn.

Jimenez has tallied 33 goals to go with 10 assists on the season.

TWC Sports Channel typically announces the winners of the awards during its Tuesday night SportsNight show and will recognize the winners throughout the week. Weekly recipients will also be recognized via Twitter and Facebook.