CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association is proud to announce the Male & Female Athlete of the Year for 2015-2016. This year, the award is given to two seniors and three-sport athletes who have distinguished themselves over their four-year careers at their respective high schools. Nick Coe from Asheboro High School is the male winner, and the female winner is Haylie Shope from Hiwassee Dam High School.
The winners received the 31st annual edition of the Pat Best Memorial Trophy. The awards were presented as a part of the NCHSAA’s Annual Meeting at the Dean E. Smith Center in conjunction with the conclusion of the NCHSAA’s Spring Board of Directors meetings in Chapel Hill.
Nick Coe – Asheboro High School
The 2016 NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year is a three-sport star, playing football, wrestling, and track for Asheboro High School. Nick Coe has grown himself into a 4-star football prospect and had offers from Florida State, Alabama, North Carolina, Miami, Virginia Tech, NC State, and Auburn at the end of his senior season as the 4th ranked defensive end in the country, according to 2-4-7 sports.
After his father passed away, his family moved from Richmond, Virginia, to end up in Asheboro in the sixth grade. As a seventh-grader, Nick took up wrestling and football, becoming one of the most successful athletes ever to walk the halls of Asheboro High.
He is a two-time selection to the Mid-Piedmont All-Conference Team, 3 Time selection for 1st team All-Randolph County. 1st team all-Area by the Greensboro News & Record in 2015, 4-year Varsity letter winner, team captain, 1st team All-State by the Associated Press for 2015, and was selected to play in the Shrine Bowl.
As good as he is on the football field, he is equally as talented on the wrestling mat, winning back-to-back heavy-weight wrestling state titles at the 3A level while posting an unbeaten 21-0 mark on the season this year. In the state tournament, he went 4-0, with three of those victories being pins and one a forfeit. He was named the 3A Most Outstanding Wrestler this year at the individual tournament. He is a 4-year letter winner in wrestling, a 4-time All-conference performer, a 3-time regional champion, and placed at the state tournament all four years. He was 4th in his freshman season, 2nd as a sophomore, and back-to-back first-place finishes his junior and senior year in his weight class.
Nick was recently featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd segment for his accolade in football and track. He has committed to play football at Auburn University in the fall.
Haylie Shope – Hiwassee Dam High School
The NCHSAA’s Female Athlete of the year is Haylie Shope from Hiwassee Dam High School. Hailey has had a phenomenal career as a three-sport star for the Eagles, playing Volleyball, Basketball, and Softball.
In basketball, Hailey was Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year; she was All-Western North Carolina, 1A All-State Team, and a team captain achieving all-conference in each of her four years at Hiwassee Dam. She had more than 16 hundred career points and more than one thousand rebounds, and 103 career wins.
In Volleyball, she was Smoky Mountain Conference player of the year in back-to-back seasons, 2014 and 2015. She led the Eagles in blocks and kills.
Her softball career has been phenomenal as well, all-conference honors each of her three years, and she was named last year’s Smoky Mountain Conference Pitcher of the Year. This season she is well on her way to all-conference honors and possibly more this season. Earlier this season, at the time of the awards selection process, Hailey had 29 career home runs and led the Eagles this season, with 27 runs driven in for the season.
In the classroom, she carries a 4.0 unweighted GPA and a 4.5 weighted GPA. She is in the top 5 of her class at Hiwassee Dam, and her coach Ray Gutierrez has described her as a lifelong learner.
2015-2016 Finalists for the NCHSAA’s Female Athlete of the Year
Haylie Shope – Hiwassee Dam High School – Volleyball, Basketball & Softball
Tia Cappuccio – Bishop McGuinness High School – Basketball & Volleyball
Lacey Suggs – East Bladen High School – Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer & Softball
Chanin Scott – Myers Park High School – Basketball & Volleyball
Kelley Suggs – Fuquay-Varina High School – Soccer & Basketball
2015-2016 Finalists for the NCHSAA’s Male Athlete of the Year
Nick Coe – Asheboro High School – Football, Wrestling & Track
D.J. Daniels – Fike High School – Football, Basketball & Baseball
Chazz Surratt – East Lincoln High School – Football & Basketball
Jacob Gass – Smoky Mountain High School – Baseball, Football & Wrestling
Ian Boyd – Apex High School – Football & Basketball
