CHARLOTTE — Jessie Sims of West Henderson High School and Terrell Hudgins (pronounced tuh-RELL) Hudgins of Rocky Mount High School have been named winners of the 2005 Athlete of the Year awards by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA).
These are the top athletic awards given by the NCHSAA to honor the most outstanding male and female high school athletes in the state. They were presented at the Charlotte Coliseum during the NCHSAA's Annual Meeting.
Both of the winners were nominated and selected by a special panel of media representatives from across the state. They were each presented with the Pat Best Memorial Trophy, named for the former Goldsboro High principal and president of the NCHSAA who died unexpectedly in 1988.
"We congratulate these fine student-athletes on their great achievements during their high school careers," said Charlie Adams, executive director of the NCHSAA. "Both Jessie and Terrell have tremendously impressive credentials along the lines of the previous outstanding winners of this award, and they are also excellent students. We certainly wish them the best in the future."
A three-year starter in football, Hudgins passed for 1, 687 yards for the Gryphons this year, who posted a 12-1 mark and tied the school record for the most wins in a season. He threw 22 touchdown passes and had only five interceptions. The Big East Conference Football Player of the Year, he set school records for career passing (5.524 yards), touchdown passes (61) and touchdown responsibility (77).
He was also the Big East Player of the Year in basketball, leading the conference in scoring (20.6 points per game) and rebounding (12.0 per game). He shot an amazing 68.8 percent form the floor and is fifth on the Rocky Mount all-time scoring list. Hudgins paces the Gryphons in most offensive categories in baseball, playing first base, third base and pitching. He is batting over .400 and was an all-conference player in this sport a year ago. He has already earned four pitching victories on the mound his season. Hudgins has signed a letter-of-intent to play football at East Carolina University.
Sims has been a star at West Henderson in volleyball, swimming and track. She earned Most Valuable Player honors in the NCHSAA state 2-A volleyball championship won by West Henderson. In fact, West is the two-time champion and was dominant this year, posting an incredible 36-0 mark. The Western Highlands Conference Player of the Year in volleyball, she played literally every position for coach Jan Stanley’s champions.
In swimming, she was an integral part of the team that finished second in the state 1-A/2-A meet, and in track she has been a standout sprinter and hurdler, winning an individual state championship in 2003 in the 300 intermediate hurdles with a strong chance to repeat.
Also a great student, Sims has accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis where she will play volleyball for Navy.
