The fourth annual Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year program has concluded and for the first time since the award was introduced, male student-athletes were included as a total of 28 student-athletes were honored spanning 19 sports over the 2019-20 academic year.
For the first three years, a ceremony was held on campus to honor the student-athletes and their families, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event was held virtually.
It was announced during the ceremony that Lee Ann Gordon (Field Hockey) of Assumption High School was the Female Student-Athlete of the Year and Michael Chou (Men’s Tennis) of Trinity High School was the Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
A 2020 graduate of Assumption High School, Gordon helped lead the Rockets to two state championships, while earning First Team All-State honors in 2018 and Second Team All-State honors in 2017.
On the national level, Gordon is ranked top-10 nationally by MAX Field Hockey. She’s made multiple appearances with the USA Field Hockey Futures Program, was a MAX Field Hockey Preseason State Player of the Year and was also named to the All-American watch list.
Gordon maintains a high GPA, while she is a member of FCA, Beta Club, ACE Club, Varsity Club and National Honor Society. She has logged countless hours at the Nazareth Nursing Home, while coaching aspiring young female student-athletes at a local camp.
Chou, a 2020 graduate of Trinity High School, left a lasting mark during his time with the Shamrocks. He was named 2020 Mr. Tennis by the KHSAA and helped lead his team to the state championship as a junior, while he also earned All-State honors and was a State Doubles finalist as a sophomore.
As impressive as he is on the court, Chou is just as impressive, if not more, with his work in the classroom. He maintains a perfect GPA and carded nearly a perfect score on the ACT, while he takes multiple AP courses and has been named to the Principal’s List multiple times.
Because of his achievements in the classroom, Chou is a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club, while he also participates in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Math Honor Society, Speech and Debate Team and the Kentucky United Nations Assemble (KUNA).
Along with the help of his brother and two cousins, they started ‘Serve It Up’ tennis clinic with St. Joseph’s Orphanage where they run tennis clinics for residents. He also helps with the BuddyUp program and has volunteered the last four summers in South Bend Ind. working 25 hours per visit working with various food banks and nursing facilities.
The Midway University/KHSAA Female Student-Athlete of the Year award is based upon overall athletic performance (60%), academic achievement (20%) and community service (20%). Students must possess an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better to qualify and must be academically eligible during the season in which they are nominated. School administrators, coaches and athletic directors nominate student-athletes online at KHSAA.org, and the nominees are voted upon by a closed panel consisting of representatives from Midway University.
2019-20 Award Winners (May 2019 through April 2020)
- 2019 Women’s Golf – Libby Gilliland (Presentation Academy)
- 2019 Men’s Golf – Logan Liles (Lewis County)
- 2019 Women’s Soccer – Eliza Kelly (Sacred Heart Academy)
- 2019 Men’s Soccer – John Cogbill (Fort Campbell)
- 2019 Field Hockey – Lee Ann Gordon (Assumption)^
- 2019 Volleyball – Elena Scott (Mercy Academy)
- 2019 Women’s Cross Country – Ann Rupp (Lexington Christian Academy)
- 2019 Men’s Cross Country – Harrison Booher (Pikeville)
- 2019 Football – Ian Sexton (Frederick Douglass)
- 2019 Competitive Cheer – Sophia Shoemaker (Greenup County)
- 2019 Dance – Felicity Bryant (Frederick Douglass)
- 2020 Women’s Wrestling – Anayah Rivas (North Bullitt)
- 2020 Men’s Wrestling – Klemmer Nicodemus (Ohio County)
- 2020 Women’s Swimming & Diving – Taylor Albrecht (Paul Laurence Dunbar)
- 2020 Men’s Bowling – Ryan Gatton (Apollo)
- 2020 Women’s Bowling – Hana Hackworth (Johnson Central)
- 2020 Men’s Basketball – Taylor Spurlock (Harlan County)
- 2020 Women’s Basketball – Addison Sutton (North Hardin)
- 2020 Women’s Archery – Hannah Craft (Knott County Central)
- 2020 Men’s Archery – Charles Thompson (Anderson County)
- 2020 eSports – Brenden Hughes (Boone County)
- 2020 Softball – Madison Nichols (Ballard Memorial)
- 2020 Women’s Tennis – Emily Hibbs (Union County)
- 2020 Men’s Tennis – Michael Chou (Trinity)*
- 2020 Men’s Track & Field – Jacob Kehoe (Oldham County)
- 2020 Women’s Track & Field – Isabella Copher (Bath County)
- 2020 Bass Fishing – Gabriel Blair (Mercer County)
- 2020 Baseball – John Lawrie (Covington Catholic)
^Overall Female Winner
*Overall Male Winner