Coker Honors 2009 Athletic Acheivements

by Christian Stryker, SID Coker College
4/22/2009

Hartsville, S.C. - For the second year in a row, senior Shelly Catlett took home the biggest award of the night, while freshmen Brinley Griffin and Alyssa Blanchard received the second highest honors at the 2009 Coker College Athletic Awards Ceremony held Tuesday night in Coker's Watson Theater. Catlett was once again named the C.G. Timberlake Athlete of the Year Award, while Griffin and Blanchard each received Freshman of the Year honors.

Shelly Catlett is a native of Orangeburg, S.C., and has been a four year starting pitcher for the Lady Cobras Softball team. She was named the First Team All-Conference in 2009 and was named the Heritage Community Financial Services Athlete of the Month for April 2009. In 2008, she was named Conference Carolinas Softball Player of the Year, was First Team All-Conference selection and was named Second Team All-Region; while in 2007 she was named Second Team All-Conference, was an All-Region Selection and was named the MVP of the conference tournament. This season Catlett has a record of 15-11, with a 2.05 ERA and 164 strikeouts.

Off the field, Shelly is a Biology Major, a three-time Academic All-American, President of the Senior Class for 2008-09, President of the Coker College Science Club, a four-time member of the Dean's List and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa. After graduation she plans to attend the Medical University of South Carolina to study dentistry.

Brinley Griffin is a native of Port St. John, Fla., and he is the first baseball player to ever receive the Male Freshman of the Year award at Coker. Griffin was an All-Conference nominee, playing in all 42 games this season, a first for a true freshman at Coker since 1993. Griffin was a team leader in almost every offensive category this season including being fourth on the team in batting average (.335), first in doubles (9), second in hits (55), third in RBIs (22) and tied for the team lead in stolen bases (12).

Alyssa Blanchard is a native of Columbia, S.C. and a member of the Lady Cobras tennis team. She was named First Team All-Conference, the first ever such selection for a player under Coach Alvin Cheng, and was named the March 2009 Heritage Community Financial Services Athlete of the Month. Blanchard played No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles, posting a record of 10-2 in doubles and 9-3 in singles. She helped lead the Lady Cobras to their best finish under Coach Cheng, in the Conference Carolinas Regular Season (4th) and in the Conference Carolinas Tournament (5th).

In addition to the Athlete of the Year and the Freshmen of the Year awards, Coker also recognized award winners from each team, along with the Finalists for the C.G. Timberlake Athlete of the Year. Team MVP's from each team included Dennis Gonzalez for men's soccer, Kathryn Friedmann for women's soccer, Kelsey Carlson for volleyball, Michael Murphy for men's cross country, Kendyl Seawright for women's cross country, Nequita Bracey for cheerleading, Mason Ambler for men's basketball, Henna Koponen for women's basketball, Blanchard for women's tennis, Mark Vial for men's tennis, Kyle Walker for baseball, Catlett for softball and Chris Marsh for golf. Finalists for the Athlete of the Year were Jesse Hatchell (baseball), Ambler (men's basketball), Koponen (women's basketball), Carlson (volleyball), Lindsey Crighton (women's tennis), Shannon Townley (women's cross country) and Marsh (golf).

2009 Athletic Awards Photo Gallery

Winners Named at Gov’s Conference on Tourism & Travel

Hilton Head Island, S.C. – Horse racing, bass fishing and fence mending were recognized as the state’s top travel and tourism honors were presented on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the 44th annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism & Travel.

Set at the Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa, the conference, titled “Sustainability: Tourism’s Timeless Trend,” focused on sustainable efforts in the tourism industry and featured leading experts in consumer trends and marketing.

During this year’s awards luncheon:

Rodney Grant, a maintenance technician at Springmaid Beach Resort, received the Hospitality Employee of the Year Award. His nomination from the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce said, “Rodney is a dedicated individual not only to his job but to the family of Springmaid Beach Resort and to the guests that visit. He is outstanding with attention to detail and willing to do all jobs, from assisting a guest with their room key to helping to build a fence.”

The Bundy Award for contributions to the travel and tourism industry in rural South Carolina was presented to the Marion du Pont Scott Colonial Cup Steeplechase Races held in Camden. The fall event draws more than 80,000 people and is a major national event for its sport as well as a key fundraiser for the Kershaw County Medical Center.

The Governor’s Cup went to the Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board for its work with the Forrest Wood Cup, the major national bass tournament championship event held on Lake Murray and at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center last August. According to the board’s executive director, Miriam Atria, the event generated a total economic impact in the area of more than $46 million.

Students in hospitality and tourism studies at colleges across the state received scholarships from the Fred Brinkman Memorial Fund, an effort sponsored by the South Carolina Association of Tourism Regions (SCATR). This year’s winners were Chris Wheeler of the College of Charleston, Maddie Stoddard of Clemson University, Lindsay Fertig of Coastal Carolina University, Jett Douglas of the University of South Carolina, Renata Dos Santos of the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College, Oxana Rotmistrova of Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Adam Hall of Greenville Technical College, Chesnee Kathleen Fly of USC-Beaufort.

Middleton Place received a special Sustainability Award. One of the nation’s leading historic landmarks was recognized for its extensive, leading-edge efforts in modern sustainability, conservation and eco-friendly practices. That includes protecting scenic view shed along the Ashley River and placing thousands of acres of woods and swamp into conservation easements, expanding its nature-based recreational opportunities, and maintaining membership in major “green” hotel, wildlife and other nature groups.

The late John Curry, a key figure in the sustainable development of Hilton Head Island in his leadership roles with the Sea Pines Company, Heritage Foundation and other civic and business ventures, also was recognized in a special tribute by Director Chad Prosser of the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism.