2018 WNC Sports Awards Banquet

Four of the top high-school athletes in Western North Carolina were honored with Player of the Year awards at the 57th WNC Sports Awards Banquet presented by Ingles.
A capacity crowd of 901 packed the Grand Ballroom of the Omni Grove Park Inn to see the 124 high school athletes and teams honored.

Plaques were given to 22 award winners and 16 student-athletes received $1,500 scholarships presented by the John and Darlene McNabb Charitable Foundation.

Tykel Landrum of Hendersonville High was named the McNabb Division I Male Player of the Year. The football standout holds four WNC career records for receiving and interceptions.

Kloyee Anderson of Enka won the Asheville Citizen-Times Division I Female Athlete of the Year after being named conference Player of the Year three times in her career, twice in softball and once in volleyball.

Trey Robinson of Mountain Heritage was honored as the Division II Male Athlete of the Year. The senior quarterback set seven WNC career offensive records in a four-year career.

Emma Pindur of Swain County was selected as the Division II Female Athlete of the Year. A distance runner, Pindur has won seven state titles.

Conducted by the Mountain Amateur Athletic Club, the banquet also serves as the induction ceremony for the WNC Sports Hall of Fame presented by Dixon Hughes Goodman.

The Class of 2018 included three retired legendary high-school coaches – Bobby Poss of Reynolds (football), Cindi Simmons of Smoky Mountain (basketball and volleyball) and Jan Stanley of West Henderson (basketball and volleyball).

Poss won 241 games and five state 4A titles – including two at Reynolds – while winning 241 games in a 28-year career.

Simmons won a combined 897 games and four state titles over 30 seasons.

Stanley won a combined 980 games and six state championships in 35 years with the Falcons.

Long-time Erwin High statistician and scorekeeper Gene McClure received the MOOG/Gene Ochsenreiter Lifetime Achievement Award for more than a half-century of service to his school.

Sarah Male of Mars Hill received the Pamfilis/Roden Special Olympics Award. She has won gold, silver and bronze medals in various sports. Her Madison County chapter of Special Olympics received a $1,000 grant.

The complete list of award and scholarship winners include:

  • Wells Fargo Division I Female Athlete in a Major Sport – Jessica Beckner, Murphy basketball.

  • Carole Martin/Northwestern Mutual Division II Female Athlete in an Olympic Sport – Rachel Kuehn, Asheville School golf and tennis.

  • Homewood Suites Division II Female Team in a Major Sport – Asheville Christian Academy volleyball.

  • Mills Manufacturing Division II Female Team in an Olympic Sport – Carolina Day cross country.

  • Merrill Lynch/Keller Ferrell Division II Male Athlete in a Major Sport – Tye Mintz, Cherokee football and basketball.

  • White & Williams Division II Male Athlete in a Major Sport – Kevin Snyder, Christ School track and field.

  • Skyland Automotive Group Division II Male Team in a Major Sport – Cherokee football.

  • EmergeOrtho Division II Male Team in an Olympic Sport – Robbinsville wrestling.

  • Dr. Lary & Jan Schulhof Division I Female Athlete in a Major Sport – Abby Krueger, Roberson volleyball.

  • First Citizens Bank Division I Female Athlete in an Olympic Sport – Elise Wright, Roberson.

  • HomeTrust Bank Division I Female Team in a Major Sport – Hendersonville soccer.

  • Nat & Carolyn Arthur Division I Female Team in an Olympic Sport – Brevard cross country.

  • Goforth Builders Inc. Division I Male Athlete in a Major Sport - Izaiah Vignali, Reynolds soccer.

  • Massasoit of North Carolina Inc. Division I Male Athlete in an Olympic Sport – Phil Daub, Enka wrestling.

  • McKinney/Nationwide Insurance Division Male Team in a Major Sport - Roberson baseball.

  • Rodeway Inn & Suites Division I Male Team in an Olympic Sport – Brevard tennis.

  • Blue Ridge X-Ray Female Student Athlete Academic Award – Anna Newnam, Roberson swimming.

  • Beverly-Hanks Realty Male Student Athlete Academic Award – Reid Arwood, Roberson.

  • Apollo Flame Division II Female Athlete of the Year – Emma Pindur, Swain County.

  • Young Transportation Division II Male Athlete of the Year – Trey Robinson, Mountain Heritage.

  • Asheville Citizen-Times Division I Female Athlete of the Year – Kloyee Anderson, Enka.

  • John & Darlene McNabb Division Male Athlete of the Year – Tykel Landrum, Hendersonville football.

Scholarship winners

  • Dan Hill Jr. Memorial sponsored by Darlene & John McNabb Charitable Foundation – Nathan Richards, Franklin

  • Dan Hill Jr. Memorial sponsored by Darlene & John McNabb Charitable Foundation – Izzy Garcia-Perez, Asheville High

  • Dan Hill Jr. Memorial sponsored by Darlene & John McNabb Charitable Foundation – Micaiah Darity, Hendersonville

  • Arby’s – Zaria Joyner, Carolina Day

  • Brenda and C.P. Medore – Tykel Landrum, Hendersonville

  • Buncombe County Commissioners - Corey McVay, Reynolds

  • Charles. D. Owen/Bill Owen Memorial – Tanner Gilliam, Hendersonville

  • Ingles – Elizabeth Liner, Pisgah

  • Mountain Amateur Athletic Club – Coltin Marlowe, Mitchell

  • M.B. Haynes – Tye Mintz, Cherokee

  • Park Ridge Hospital – Jessie Pittman, Mitchell

  • Reid & Pauline Jarrett Memorial – Brody Smith, Mitchell

  • Sandra and George Beverly – Chloe Profitt, Reynolds

  • Thomas and Connie Rogers-Newcome/Ronald Rogers Memorial – Jessica Beckner, Murphy

  • Dr. David & Trudy Cappiello – Jaden Woods, Madison

  • Dr. David & Trudy Cappiello - Kaleb Woods, Owen