Asheville, Hendersonville – Newly-graduated Evangelia Paulk of Asheville High School made the mountains proud with her recent all-star basketball performance.
Paulk said she feels quite honored to play in the prestigious N.C. Coaches Association’s East-West All-Star girls’ game, held July 19 in Greensboro. She nearly registered a “double-double.” She tallied eight points, eight rebounds, three blocks and a steal for the West. The East won 74-68, then West male star thrashed East boys 111-86. Paulk was the sole WNC female to play for N.C. in the Carolinas Classic in Wilmington on March 25.
Wofford College-bound Paulk averaged 18 points for Mountain Athletic Conference co-champion Asheville (24-3; 11-1 MAC), a season after helping Asheville Christian win a 2A state private school hoops title. Area coaches in the N.C. Coaches Association chose the athletic six-footer as WNC’s best female player in 2022-23. Paulk is also the Mountain Athletic Conference (MAC) player of the year in basketball. She also excelled in volleyball.
Softball Supremes
Many other newly-graduated locals wrapped up their careers with exceptional performances and post-season honors. T.C. Roberson’s three-sport, all-MAC star Tymber Thompson is the league’s softball player of the year. She batted nearly .600 and stole 20 bases, also earning 4A WNC all-region honors.
Locals dominated the 3A all-region softball team. They are West Henderson’s Megan Broome, pitcher Mellany Garcia, Kayden Lyda, Deana McMinn, Lashea Morlu, and Camryn Smith; Enka’s pitcher Abigail Brewton, Averi Coggins, Rylee Locklear, and Peyton Wise; and North Buncombe’s pitcher Kiersten Gosnell, catcher Juliana Mendoza, and Peyton Whitson. Some are active in summer travel ball.
NBHS Lady Hawks were state runners-up in 2022. Pitching sensation Karlyn Pickens led them. Pickens was spectacular as a Tennessee Lady Vols freshman this year.
Hoops, Track, Tennis
North Henderson’s three-sport standout Lexie Gunter was all-WNC in basketball, averaging 19 points. She smacked eight softball homers. Gunter and NBHS’ Mendoza will play softball for North Greenville (S.C.) University.
The all-MAC basketball first team consists of co-champion Reynolds’ 6-foot-3 Jenna Barnes, Landyn Stewart and Peyton Harvey; Asheville’s Kirsten Watt and Aleysha Hill, and E.P. Sluder of TCR.
Barnes was even better in track. The superb leaper and long strider was sixth in the state in the high jump, and the 100-meter and 200m MAC sprint champ. She said that she will “walk on” in track at N.C. State.
State champion female squads include Hendersonville in tennis, West Henderson in track and field, and Asheville Christian in volleyball. West track star Emma Hall won the state 100-meter hurdles and 300m hurdles.
Lady Bearcats won their fourth straight state 2A team tennis title. Top seeds Eliza Perry and Ramsey Ross also won the doubles title in non-team play, for Perry’s third in a row. Perry was 46-1 in singles and 40-0 in doubles in her career. They return for more crowns this fall.
Soccer Superstars
Marianne Maxon is coming off of two remarkable seasons for herself and her West Lady Falcons. She scored 57 goals as a sophomore when she and teammate Emma Chavez were both all-state, then 41 as a junior. Hendersonville in 2A featured Julia Ledbetter, juniors Maggie Bish, Aubrie Retzbach, and other scorers.
Local 4A returning stars include Roberson playmaker Kelly Gordon and forward Shayne Pratt, and Asheville’s Lily Foo and then-freshman Peyton Case. Reynolds’ gutsy Katie Purnell, a 2023 grad, led the MAC with 30 goals.
Volleyball Blasters
The two-county area is also a volleyball haven. North Henderson Lady Knights advanced furthest among local squads. They reached the 3A fourth playoff round, tied arch-rival West Henderson for the Mountain Seven title at 11-1, then beat West in the league tourney.
Knight stars include ‘23 grads Ty Case (401 kills) and M7 tourney MVP “libero” defender Lily Marsh (258 digs), Bailey Rowe (388 kills, 169 digs) who was league MVP as a junior, Peyton Taylor (177 kills), and Brittany Knox (872 assists).
West’s Leading hitters were then-sophomores Emma Bryson (372 “kills”/slams) and sky-scraping jumper Isabella Baylor (305), and ‘23 grads Carley Raleigh (159), Payton Brown (125) and Jen McNamara (101). East Henderson seniors Liv Brown and Mollie Moore both had nearly 100 kills. Top slammers for Hendersonville were then-seniors S.J. Shaffer (224) and Lola Sultenfuss (103) and junior Ellie Calhoun (105).
MAC champ Roberson was led by then-sophomore leaper Karlie Henning with 424 kills. Thompson had 203, junior Amelia Novak had 170, and then-freshman Carolina Peterson made 160 kills.