Softball star stands out on field, in classroom
(Midway, Ky.) – Following the completion of the high school softball season, Midway University and the KHSAA presented the Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award to Hannah Blair Skaggs, a senior at Magoffin County High School. The award caps a season in which Skaggs was named to the East Senior All-Star Team and the 15th Region All-Star Team. She also earned Player of the Year Honors in the 15th Region.
Away from the softball field, she is a gifted student who has maintained strong grades throughout her high school career. “Hannah is an outstanding student and athlete,” said guidance counselor Sarah Beth Howard. “She is ranked in the top of her class with a 4.0 GPA and a 30 on the ACT.”
Skaggs also finds time to regularly give back to her community. She volunteers in the emergency room at Pikeville Medical Center, gives pitching lessons to players in her county’s softball league, and actively participates in service projects that include litter pickups and tutoring.
“Throughout her high school career, Hannah has shown that she is a gifted athlete and well-rounded individual,” said Tripp Swisher, head softball coach at Midway. “It can be difficult to balance academics, athletics and extracurricular activities, but she has done so with tremendous success. I know she has a bright future ahead of her.”
About the Midway University/KHSAA Female Student Athlete of the Year Awards
Nomination Process:
School administrators and/or coaches can nominate any qualified female high school student-athlete. Players can be nominated and win in more than one sport and are eligible to be nominated and win in multiple years of competition.
Judging Criteria
A panel of judges selected by Midway University and the KHSAA will review all nominations and make the selection of each individual sport Female Student-Athlete of the Year. The nominations will be judged on 60 percent weighting of overall athletic achievement, 20 percent academic achievement and 20 percent community service/leadership. In the event of a tie, the judges will have the discretion to select the final winner. Individual winners in each sport will be eligible for the overall Athlete of the Year Award, which will be presented in May 2017.
Nominees must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher to qualify and be academically eligible to play in the season in which they are/were nominated.