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Greater Raleigh Sports Council Announces Evening of Champions
Posted: 02-08-2010 : RALEIGH, N.C.
RALEIGH -- The Triangle is gearing up to host its most exciting sports event of the year – the Evening of Champions!! Hosted by the Greater Raleigh Sports Council, the event will be Tuesday, Feb. 23 from 5 – 9 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Raleigh-Durham/Research Triangle. It includes a silent auction of sports memorabilia, an awards dinner and headlines by Dave Olsen, who serves as chair.
The Sports Council today announced award winners in nine categories, including Charlie Adams of the N.C. High School Athletic Association for the Lifetime Achievement Award and Durham Bulls Manager Charlie Montoyo for the Sports Person of the Year Award. Tickets for the event are still available.
“Here in the Triangle, we are fortunate to be in one of the most exciting sports market in the country. Year after year, whether you attend games in person or watch them on television, you’re treated to outstanding sports moments that display the passion and determination of athletes, the expertise of their coaches, and the enthusiastic support of their fans,” said Olsen.
The keynote speaker is David Cutliffe, who has been head football coach at Duke University since 2007. Jim Goodmon, President and CEO of Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc., is serving as honorary chair, and Adam Gold, radio personality from Sports Radio 620 the Buzz, will be the guest interviewer. The host for the evening will be John Forslund. The evening is presented by SunTrust in partnership with 99.9 The Fan and 620 The Buzz.
The awards will be as follows:
CARQUEST AUTO PARTS MALE HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Matt Frongello is a senior at Middle Creek High School, where he participates in soccer, football and baseball. He has been named Academic All-Conference in all three sports and helped lead his football and baseball teams to conference championships. Matt plans to attend Wofford College.
CARQUEST AUTO PARTS FEMALE HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Julie Doran is a senior at Holly Springs High School where she participates in diving. She has been the 4A state, regional and conference champion for three years. She also has been named to the Academic All-Conference team for three years. Julie hopes to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
JOHN FREEHAFER SPORTS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD
Chris Underwood has made a huge splash with Special Olympics athletes in Wake County. Despite working close to 60 hours most weeks at his full-time job, Chris runs swim practices two nights a week and attends numerous Special Olympics competitions on weekends. He also is working on software that will collect team members’ data and evaluate their improvement. He admits the most rewarding moments of his volunteering are the little things that make the athletes happy – mastering a flip turn or winning a medal.
BACKYARD BISTRO AMATEUR ATHLETICS AWARD
NC State junior golfer Matt Hill completed what may be remembered as the greatest season in the history of college golf when he capped off an eight-win year with a two-stroke victory at the NCAA Championship. The Ontario native became only the second college golfer to win his conference tournament, NCAA Regional and NCAA Championship in the same season. He won the 2009 Haskins Award presented to the most outstanding college golfer and the 2009 Jack Nicklaus award presented to the top collegiate golfer in all four NCAA divisions. He was named Golfweek’s Player of the Year.
CAROLINA SCHOLASTIC HOCKEY LEAGUE COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD
The North Carolina Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association (NCEWHA) was created in 2003 with the mission of developing a quality hockey program for people in North Carolina who require the use of an electric wheelchair in daily life. The Association was founded by Jonathan Greeson, who is afflicted with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The NCEWHA provides disabled people of all ages the opportunity to play hockey. The Association’s goal is to build the confidence of disabled people by offering them an avenue to become more physically active and more involved in their communities.
TOUCHSTONE ENERGY COURAGE AND CHARACTER AWARD
Nathan Baker’s time of 24:49 in his final high school cross-country race may not get the attention of college coaches, but it captured the hearts of his family and teammates. Nathan was born mostly deaf and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of nine months. After surgery on his heels in 2001, Nathan was selected to participate in a study to determine if more physical activity could help improve the motor development and coordination problems common in people with cerebral palsy. As he progressed, doctors recommended he practice with the cross country team when he entered high school. Nathan was prone to falls during his freshman year but he didn’t let that keep him from running every day. His coordination and stamina continued to improve and eventually he was beating other runners at the races!
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
In his 25-year tenure as Executive Director for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, Charlie Adams created a program that became a model for other states. Under his leadership, the NCHSAA developed a corporate sponsorship program to enhance Association programs, created a Hall of Fame, and “opened up” the Association to more involvement by members. One of his biggest legacies is the NCSHAA Endowment, which helps ensure that certain athletic opportunities for student-athletes will always be available. Prior to becoming executive director, Charlie spent 17 years with the Association as assistant executive director and supervisor of officials. He is a graduate of East Carolina University, inductee into the East Carolina University Sports Hall of Fame, and a charter member of the Cary High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Sue, reside in Chapel Hill. Their children are Charles, Robbie and Michelle, and their late son, Scott.
CAPITOL BROADCASTING COMPANY SPORTS PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARD
Durham Bulls Manager Charlie Montoyo has spent 24 years in professional baseball, including 10 years as a player and 14 years as a minor league manager. In just his third year with the Bulls, Charlie led them to their first national championship. While contending with his two-year-old son’s continuing issues with Ebstein’s anomaly, Charlie also faced a season of massive turnover on the Bulls roster. Despite his challenges, he managed the Bulls to their third straight division championship. The Bulls went on to sweep Scranton Wilkes-Barre to win the Governors’ Cup International League Championship and then defeated Memphis to win the AAA National Championship. Charlie was named Baseball America’s 2009 Minor League Manager of the Year, and won the 2009 Mike Coolbaugh Award.
Tickets and tables are still available for the Evening of Champions. For more information about the award winners or the event, call Alison Barnwell at 919.664.7070.
Contact:
Alison Barnwell
919.664.7070
abarnwell@raleighchamber.org
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