Snead State Athletes Honored

May 6, 2009
Family, friends, coaches, and supporters of Snead State Community College met last week under the Pines on the Boaz campus to honor athletes who have excelled both in academics and athletics.

“Credit must go to these wonderful coaches,” said Athletic Director and Men’s Basketball Head Coach Rodney Hampton. “It was such a tough decision for us to decide the Scholar Athlete of the Year and the Athletes of the Year with these coaches instilling in all of our athletes how important one’s character is and helping our athletes understand what athletics at Snead State is truly about.”

Athletic coaches and staff met to vote on the awards for Scholar Athlete of the Year and the Athletes of the Year. Both grade point average and athletic accomplishment were considered in selecting the Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Kaddee Frye, a sophomore tennis player from Killen, received the Scholar-Athletic of the Year Award. Brandi Crump and Josh Noble received the Female and Male Athletes of the Year Award, respectively. Crump is a freshman volleyball player from Cleveland, Tenn., and Noble is a sophomore basketball player from Brooklyn, NY.

“I want to thank the coaches again for teaching our athletes the concept of thinking beyond themselves,” said Hampton. “You have taught them that community service is more important than athletics, and I must commend you for that. I want to say thank you to each team for their hard work this year.”

Each team was recognized for the community service projects taken on by the athletes throughout the year.

Coach Hampton and the men’s basketball team, including its two managers, participated each Friday in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program in Albertville. Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jarrod Plummer and the women’s basketball team spent 90 minutes every Friday morning visiting and exercising with the residents at Branchwater Village in Boaz. They also worked with the Douglas Special Olympics practicing with the children and being mentors as they prepare for their state games this spring.

The softball team, led by Coach Lisa Murray, began visiting residents at Golden Living Center in Boaz on Friday mornings in October. The baseball team and Coach Gerry Ledbetter traveled to Boaz Elementary School on Mondays and Wednesdays to read to students. The baseball team also sponosored a baseball camp in conjunction with the Hospice Walk/Race to Remember. All proceeds from the camp were donated to Hospice of Marshall County.

The dance team participated in community service in a different way – a kissing booth at the United Way Day of Caring, held in November in Sardis. The dancers gave a kiss on the cheek for each can of food donated for families in need. Afterwards, the team boxed food and assisted in the distribution of it to families in Marshall and Etowah Counties.

Snead State volleyball players visited Guntersville Elementary School on Fridays to read with the students, and the Snead State cheerleaders, along with Coach Adam Rhoden, participated with the Circle of Friends at St. Paul Methodist Church by throwing the group an Alabama vs. Auburn tailgate supper. The squad also adopted four angels from the Snead State Angel Tree, which went towards helping children associated with the Marshall County Christmas Coalition.

The tennis team, led by Coach Steve Machen, assisted local church First Baptist of Boaz, in their presentation of “Judgment House” in October. The play was presented to young people from the local communities to stress the importance of making good choices. Over 2,200 visitors came to the presentation. The production required approximately 250 participants, and the tennis team contributed 140 hours on the project in a six-day time frame.

Academic Excellence Award Certificates were given to athletes who had a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Those receiving the award were:

BASEBALL – Andrew Guilbert of Clay, Beau Dahlke of Albertville, Jordan Teal of Ashville, Devin Roberson of Cherokee, Joe Margavio of Clay, Justin Kuhnert of Albertville, Eric Kuykendall of Rainsville, Charles J. Ford of Hackleburg, William Brumbelow of Boaz, Tyler Ramsey of Sardis, and Will Wright of Sardis.

DANCE – Tiffany Locke of Clay, Amanda Cochran of Boaz, Jazmen Greer of Sardis, Brittany Bearden of Sardis, and Lauren Marion of Arab.

MEN’S BASKETBALL – Josh Noble of Brooklyn, NY, Charles Smith of Springville, Anthony Phillips of Boaz, and James Anacreon of Bronx, NY.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – Megan Glover of New Hope, Emily Jones of Albertville, Shalitha Swain of Piedmont, Latarial Williams of Gadsden, and Kaley Godwin of Albertville.

CHEERLEADING – Kendra Green of Ider, Anna Land of Albertville, Meaghen Kelley of Huntsville, Megan Allen of Albertville, Tasha Hanson of Gaston, Gabe Roman of Atlanta, Ga., Michelle Hamilton of Boaz, Stephanie Philips of Ider, Megan Perry of Boaz, and Cameron Mitchell of Rainsville.

SOFTBALL – Marah Bonds of Douglas, Jessica Carr of Lee, Kayla Coats of Ashville, Lani Daniel of Douglas, Katie Mason of Brindlee Mountain, Hannah Morgan of Jacksonville, Angelia Ray of Walnut Grove, and Cassie Sanders of Huntsville.

TENNIS – Nancy Machen of Boaz, Cevannah Cox of Trussville, Jane Bohlman of Turssville, Emily Jennings of Albertville, Whitney Harget of Killen, and Kaddee Frye of Killen.

VOLLEYBALL – Haley Beasley of Boaz, Meg Beasley of Hammondville, Ashlei Buttram of Arab, Jessica Cooper of Grant, Brandi Crump of Cleveland, Tenn., Leigh Ann Hornbuckle of Morgan City, Michel Jarrett of Joppa, Cassy Norton of Anniston, Felicia Turner of Crossville, and Lauren Walker of Arab.

The tennis team was honored with an award for having the combined highest GPA, a 3.5. The team has also been back-to-back conference champions and is currently competing in the national competition in Arizona.

“We have faced some difficult decisions in our athletic department this year,” said Snead State President Dr. Robert Exley. “We were given the choice of either reducing our athletic scholarships by 20 percent or eliminating a sport, and we chose to reduce our scholarships. When funding allows, we are planning to reinstate these scholarships. I thank you for all your support and hard work and ask that you continue to be proud supporters of Snead State Athletics.”

“The future is bright for Snead State athletics. There is a lot to be excited about,” said Coach Hampton. “We’re on the move, and we’re headed in the right direction. In the next year, we will have a newly renovated baseball field and a brand new softball field. Credit goes to the leadership of Snead State, especially President Dr. Robert Exley and Chief Financial Officer Mark Richard.”