Area athletes honored for championship seasons
Those Lions were just a few of the athletes recognized at the Knox County Night of Champions on Tuesday, June 16.
The event — hosted by Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs — recognized each state championship team and individual, as well as the Guardian Foundation Players of the Week.
“This was the brainchild of Jane Jolly in my office,” Jacobs said. “We just wanted to do something to celebrate the Knox County high school students who won state championships. It’s quite an achievement, and it’s really just about celebrating them and their accomplishments.”
Area state champions recognized in this event were: Farragut baseball (which won its fifth straight state title);
Webb girls cross country (which won its third straight team title); Hardin Valley unified flag football; Hardin Valley boys golf; Christian Academy of Knoxville girls golf; Bearden girls soccer (fourth in last five years); Webb girls basketball (back-to-back); CAK’s Owen Fulford, who won three individual championships in the ninth title for the for Fulford family; Knox Catholic’s JR Fowler, who won state championships in discus and shot put;
Concord’s Kohbe Ward in the 400-meter dash; CCS girls 4x400 relay team; CCS mixed 4x400 relay team; the CAK girls 4x800 relay team; Catholic girls 4x200 relay (third in a row) and the Webb girls’ track state team title, their 13th as a program and sixth in a row.
Attendees snacked on pizza, popcorn, donuts and cookies, then sat in the upper deck of Neyland Stadium as Jacobs and keynote speaker Michelle Marciniak imparted advice to the athletes.
Marciniak, a Final Four MVP as part of the Lady Vols’ 1996 national title run, recently returned to Knoxville as the CEO of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
She shared stories about her own upbringing, which included the famous tale about Pat Summitt’s in-home visit while she was nine months pregnant with her son, Tyler.
On a more serious note, Marciniak encouraged the athletes to go the extra mile in everything they do.
“I feel very fortunate that Mayor Jacobs asked me to be here and was the person I got to speak with,” she said. “What an amazing ambassador for our city and county. I loved being able to speak to these champions.
“They’re the best of the best in their age group, and it really doesn’t matter how old I get. I experienced the same things they experienced, and it’s still the same mentality to have what it takes to become a champion and sustain that.”
Meanwhile, Prince reflected on what the night meant for his CCS athletes and the group as a whole.
“This is absolutely amazing, beyond words to look around at all these other state champions,” he said. “I just thank Knox County for doing something like this. It’s wonderful. Now they’ll go back and tell their friends, ‘When they ask you to come out for track, this is what you might get one day.’ Not only a state medal but to come to Neyland Stadium and have a big party.”
