Panther athletes and coaches were recognized at a statewide level for their efforts on and off the field this season. In the Greensboro Coliseum June 14, athletes and coaches from around the state gathered for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s annual Awards Ceremony, honoring the state’s finest participants and contributors of the 2022-23 school year.
Following another stellar season for Panther volleyball, basketball and softball, senior Tori Ensley earned the NCHSAA’s Heart of a Champion Award, given to athletes who display uncommon sportsmanship in competition. In addition to Ensley, Panther cross country and women’s track and field head coach Melissa Ward earned the Homer Thompson “Eight who Make a Difference” Award, given to one coach in each of the NCHSAA’s eight regions who “exemplify sportsmanship and serve as positive role models for students.”
On Saturday, June 17, Ensley added to her already-massive trophy case at the High School OT Honors in Raleigh, where the statewide high school sports news outlet named her its Female Athlete of the Year. The publication cited her 243 kills, 266 digs, 64 blocks and 10 aces for Panther volleyball; 16.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 4.4 steals per game for Panther basketball; and .558 batting average, 51 runs scored and 29 runs batted in for Panther softball. Ensley will join her older sister, Taylor, on the N.C. State softball team next spring.