County athletes honored
The Greater Augusta Sports Council recently announced the winners of the first trimester 2002 G.A.M.E.S. Awards and three Columbia County standouts were among those recognized.
Also, each honoree became a finalist in the overall G.A.M.E.S. Awards for 2002, which will be presented during the Greater Augusta Sports Awards Gala in December.
The G.A.M.E.S. Awards recognize athletes in the following categories: Amateur Star; Rising Star; All-around Male; All-around Female; Outstanding Male Athlete; and, Outstanding Female Athlete.
Athletes are chosen from throughout the CSRA.
In case you're wondering, G.A.M.E.S. stands for "Great Augusta Medal for Excellence in Sports."
The bottom line - this is a major honor for local athletes.
The Columbia County winners were:
Abby Alexander (Augusta Preparatory Day School) - Rising Star: While she has just completed her freshman year at Augusta Prep, Alexander is already a three-sport standout for the Lady Cavaliers.
This spring she captured a state title in the 1,600-meter event at the Georgia Independent Schools Association track and field championships. In the process, she posted the best time of any prep athlete in the CSRA this season, and that includes both the public and private school ranks.
Alexander also led the Augusta Prep cross country team to its best-ever finish (second place) in the GISA Class AAA meet last fall.
Not surprisingly, Alexander was named Augusta Prep's Most Valuable Runner. She also has talent in basketball. Last season she was a starting guard for the Lady Cavs, and led the squad in rebounds, steals and assists.
Roy Cheney (Evans High School) - Outstanding Male Athlete: I recently featured Cheney in this column, and I was amazed at some of his achievements in track and field.
The Clemson University signee capped his high school career by winning Class AAAAA state championships in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdle events.
In fact, throughout his senior season this spring, Cheney set new school records in just about every meet. Once he'd set a personal-best time, Cheney would then break his own records.
In addition to his high school track dominance, Cheney has won prestigious track titles at national events, and is good enough to dream of one day competing in the Olympics.
Sarah Madebach (Augusta Christian School) - All-around Female Athlete: Madebach will be a junior at Augusta Christian this fall, but despite having two full years left to pad her prep resume, she already has earned three GISA state championships.
Madebach captured crowns in the 3,200-meter run the past two years, and added a GISA cross country championship during her sophomore year at AC. She also has finished second at state in the 1,600, and is a three-time all-region and all-state selection in track.
Between the cross country and track seasons, Madebach contributes as a starter for the AC basketball team.
The three Columbia County standouts have now gained some G.A.M.E.S. recognition, and we're sure to hear their names in the future as well.