It’s was a whirlwind year for athletics at First Presbyterian Christian Academy, and one that remembered and honored Monday during the annual fall and spring sports ceremony at First Presbyterian Church.
It was a year that saw the Highlanders play their first season of football and the Lady ’Landers earn their first state title in soccer.
It was a year in which the boys’ basketball team was the state runners-up for a second year in a row; the baseball team got to play on a newly constructed home field; the golf team, made up mostly of fifth- and sixth-graders, competed neck-and-neck against high-school kids; and the track team sent five athletes to state, with all of them placing well.
Also, the entire school pulled together to win the Under Armour Finding Undeniable Challenge, which will feed the school’s sports program with $140,000 in uniforms and equipment.
On Monday night, the administration and coaches honored their athletes. One by one, the athletes were awarded certificates and each coach introduced their selection for most improved, most valuable player and the highest honor, the Highlander Award.
The Highlander Award is given to the athlete who best represents his or her team in spirit, camaraderie, morale and the school’s Christian values and sportsmanship.
FPCA 2012-13
Sports Awards
Boys’ Basketball
MVP: Chris Guilfo
Highlander: Richard Smith
Most Improved: Ahman Muhammad
JV Boys’ Basketball
MVP: George Mitchell
Highlander: Simon Steele
Most Improved: Cleveland Dargan
Girls’ Basketball
MVP: Brooke Standard
Highlander: Asyria Daniels
Most Improved: Dazya Ingram
Cheer
MVP: Megan Gillon
Highlander: Nada Nelson
Most Improved: Emmaline Menger
Boys’ Tennis
Captain Award: Cody Smith
Highlander: Joey Cannon
Most Improved: Ben Chapman
Girls’ Tennis
MVP: Stephanie Scavo
Highlander: Vanessa Bauer
Most Improved: Anne Zhang
All-Region: Stephanie Scavo
Golf
MVP: Joey Cannon
Highlander: Palmer Whitney
Most Improved: Jacob Cardinale
Track
MVP: Asyria Daniels
Highlander: Trevon Harris
Most Improved: Dazya Ingram
JV Track
MVP: Hannah Burkett
Highlander: Hannah Burkett
Most Improved: Isiah Dickey
Swimming
MVP: Kathleen McGovern
Highlander: Kelcey Hoover
Most Improved: Ji Su Cha
JV Swimming
MVP: Maria McGovern
Highlander: Mariana Foster
Most Improved: Mariana Foster
Baseball
MVP: DeShaun Collins
Highlander: Matthew Lormis
Most Improved: Kyle Hill
All-Region: Richard Lovelady, DeShaun Collins and Philip Swindell
All-Region honorable mention: Matthew Lormis
Boys’ Soccer
MVP: Rickey Gilliard
Highlander: Stanford Graham
Most Improved: Robert Abrams
All-State: Stanford Graham, Tyler Causer, Clark Sukaratana, Tareak Barnes and Rickey Gilliard
All-Region: Stanford Graham, Tyler Causer, Clark Sukaratana, Tareak Barnes and Rickey Gilliard
JV Boys’ Soccer
MVP: Cleveland Dargan
Highlander: Matthew Smith
Most Improved: Ryan Hadley
Girls’ Soccer
MVP: Brooke Standard
Highlander: Kelsey Higgason
Most Improved: Myesha Robinson
All-State: Hope Armstrong, Brooke Standard, Kelsey Higgason, Elaina Peterson and Summer Mehalko
All-Region: Hope Armstrong, Brooke Standard, Kelsey Higgason, Elaina Peterson, Summer Mehalko, Megan Higgason and Asyria Daniels
JV Girls’ Soccer
MVP: Cecilia Graham
Highlander: Madison Buckley
Most Improved: Haley Stuart
Senior Award for Athletic and Academic Excellence: Tommy Cai