Asheville – Roberson and West Henderson are among the few larger-populated mountain schools that have recently achieved state championships in major sports, giving them an advantage in team awards.
The Mountain Amateur Athletics Club designates larger schools as Division I for its WNC Sports Awards, while smaller schools are classified as D-II. The 63rd annual banquet took place on May 25 at the Omni Grove Park Inn, co-hosted by WLOS News 13 Sports Director Chris Womack and iHeartMedia executive Brian Hall.
Master Blaster
Six-foot-two Bryson led West to its sixth state volleyball title, and the first under newly named NCHSAA Female Coach of the Year Tiffany Lowrance. Bryson recorded 324 “kill” slams in 2024, achieving a success rate of 56 percent on attempts and 47 percent on overall attacking shots. As State Finals MVP, Bryson made 15 winning slams and four blocks in the four-set title match victory. She will continue her volleyball career with the Georgia Lady Bulldogs.
Bryson received awards for the top D-I female overall athlete (Schulhof award) and best in a major sport (Brandis award). She expressed her gratitude to the Tribune, sharing how honored she felt to win individual awards, especially as West Henderson (26-2) received the HomeTrust Bank major sport award.
Major sport finalists included West volleyball defensive specialist (libero) Allyson Garcia, Karlie Henning, and NBHS sophomore pitching star Sadie Jo Hunter. The impressive leaper Henning set Roberson volleyball records for most kills in a match, season, and career.
Princeton-bound runner Caroline Barton of Carolina Day School won three individual awards, including D-II overall female athlete and D-II female academics. Barton also earned a national indoor mile gold medal.
Roberson swimmer Taylor Goodwin won the First Citizens Bank award as the best D-1 female Olympic sport athlete. Goodwin was a finalist for overall top female athlete alongside winner Bryson, West basketball and softball star Kayden Lyda, and Jaylee Monteith of ACR track.
Diamond Rams
Roberson has won the past three 4A state baseball titles, with the latest victory occurring on May 31. The Sports Awards are determined before the conclusion of the most recent spring season and were awarded for Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Winter 2024-25. TCR has the potential to achieve a three-peat as the McKinney Insurance award recipient for best D-1 male major sport team in 2024, ‘25, and ‘26.
Micah Simpson, Roberson’s all-state pitcher and cleanup hitter, won the (Goforth Builders) D-1 award for a male in a major sport. He surpassed A.C. Reynolds RB-QB Max Guest, baseball pitcher Truitt Manuel—who led West Henderson and is now at N.C. State—ACR leading basketball scorer Declan Brown, TCR leading tackler (LB) Cohen Bohanon, and Erwin’s Lawson Reynolds.
Lawson Leaps Past Rivals
Erwin football star, long jumper, and sprinter “Law” Reynolds won the premier D-1 male (Logan) award as the best overall athlete for his junior year. He long-jumped over 22 feet and participated in the 4×100 sprint relay race at the Adidas Track Nationals from June 20-22.
Reynolds caught 71 passes from Caden Ingle for 1,118 yards and 15 touchdowns, ran for four scores, and accumulated 1,510 all-purpose yards. “He never comes off the field,” said his head coach, Rodney Pruett. The defensive back led Erwin with six interceptions and over 100 tackles. His official 40-yard dash time is 4.47 seconds, and he has an adjusted GPA of 4.2. He also plays basketball.
Coach Pruett told the Tribune, “He will be the best football player in WNC this fall.” Erwin football was a finalist for best major sport team. MAC champion Erwin’s ten wins matched a program record.
Logan award finalists included ’23-4 three-sport star Manuel, Guest, and Enka’s Graham Cannon.
Cannon Boom
State 3A shot put champion Cannon shared the Massasoit award as the best Olympic sport D-1 athlete with Pisgah’s Kane Bryson.
Christ School’s state title-winning basketball team received the Fields Auto Group award as the best major sport D-II team. Cherokee’s state champion basketball squad repeated as the best D-II major sports female team.
Academic awards were presented to North Buncombe’s state mile and two-mile champion runner Michael Ferguson (4.69 GPA) for D-1 and Hendersonville soccer’s Michael Swing (3.9 unweighted) for D-II. Twenty student-athletes each received $1,500 scholarships.
USA Special Olympian Stephen Foster earned the Special Olympics Award. The 2018 Reynolds graduate won bronze in the giant slalom in Italy in March.
The Riley Howell Courage Award was given to Reynolds football coach Bryan Craig and the Fairview “Craig Town” community where he grew up. He tragically lost a dozen family members, including his parents, when Helene swept away their homes. Life there will “never be the same,” Craig said.
Rocket head coach Shane Laws referred to Craig as the “best defensive coordinator in the state.” Laws shared with the audience how Craig continued to mentor players after Helene, reflecting the mountain area’s “resilient, tough and loving people.”