The Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame held its 2019 Ambassadors Event Saturday night at Brunswick High.
The Hall of Fame honored 24 outstanding senior student-athletes from Brunswick High, Glynn Academy and Frederica Academy at the annual event.
Each local high school was represented by eight student-athletes who have excelled both academically and athletically during their prep careers.
“It was another great night for the Hall of Fame and also our local athletic community,” said Hall of Fame president Kevin Price. “Our board of directors appreciates all those who came out and all those who have supported this particular event. And this group of student-athletes that was honored Saturday was without question an impressive group.”
The Hall began the Ambassadors program in 2014 and has been presenting scholarships to deserving student-athletes from each of the schools since 2015. A $1,000 scholarship to be used toward college expenses has been awarded to one athlete per school.
This year, the sports hall increased the scholarship allotment so that it could award a $1,000 scholarship to a boy and girl from each school.
The scholarship winners were Mia Colucci (cross country/track) and Trace Insalaco (wrestling) from Brunswick, Sam Wagner (football) and Chmaiya Miller (basketball/track) from Glynn and Armani Johnson (soccer/cheerleading) and Harry Veal (football/basketball/baseball) from Frederica.
All of the Ambassadors and their guests were invited to a reception prior to the ceremony in the school auditorium.
The featured speaker for the occasion was former Virginia Tech head basketball coach and current ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg who spoke to the student-athletes about what it will take for them to succeed beyond high school and overcoming the adversities, hard times and difficult situations that life will surely throw at them.
He made his points using real-life situations that he has encountered in his professional career as a coach and also pointed to this year’s Final Four in college basketball to note the challenges each of those teams faced and overcame to reach the marquee event in men’s college hoops.
Greenberg was thoroughly impressed by the accomplishments of all the Ambassadors and praised their parents for instilling in them the qualities that have made them standouts among their peers.
“Coach Greenberg was great. His speech was spot-on and well done,” Price noted.
The Hall of Fame began the Ambassadors program as a community outreach initiative to recognize the senior athletes who are closing out their high-school careers, but also wants the younger middle-school and high-school athletes to attend and hear the message by the guest speaker in hopes that they will be inspired to strive for individual and team success the rest of their careers locally and possibly beyond.
The Hall board of directors will continue to encourage the local schools and coaches to get their athletes to the event in future years while honoring a new senior group each year.
“We’re going to keep working to make this a nice event, and we are going to keep talking to the coaches and the kids and try to keep the crowd size growing,” Price added. “We are going to keep trying to bring in quality speakers like Coach Greenberg and want the room full of young people to hear their message. We hope the administrators, coaches and teachers who work with the kids on a daily basis will support this event going forward and help us fill the seats. That’s the goal.”
Below you can read the bios of the 2019 Ambassadors which include their accomplishments and future plans after graduation.
2019 HOF
Ambassadors
Glynn Academy
Harrison Akridge
Harrison has been a member of the GA cross country for four years and he also ran track his sophomore year. This fall as a senior, he won the GPA award for having the highest GPA as a male runner.
Since Harrison’s freshman year, he has maintained all A’s in his Honors, Dual Enrollment and AP classes. His classes include AP World History, AP US History, AP Physics, AP Language and Composition, and AP Biology. He currently is taking AP Statistics, AP Macro Economics, Intro to Philosophy, American Literature and Human Communications at the College of Coastal Georgia.
Harrison’s academics achievements include a certificate of achievement in Biology and Spanish, a nomination for the Governor’s Honors Program and membership in the National Honor Society.
Harrison holds a 4.26 GPA.
Henry Jamieson
As a freshman at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Henry was awarded the Best Hitter award for the school baseball team. In his junior year, when he returned home to Georgia, he attended Frederica Academy where he was named to the All-Region Team and was awarded Defensive Player of the Year.
Henry then transferred to Glynn Academy for his senior year. He has been playing in competitive summer baseball tournaments throughout his high school years and has previously earned High School Underclassmen All-American Honorable-Mention honors from Perfect Game.
Outside of baseball, Henry is involved in the National Honor Society and has volunteered for Manna house, Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels and his little brother’s Boy Scouts troop. He has been playing piano for the last 13 years and received a black belt in karate at the age of 12.
Next fall, Henry will be attending Bates College where he will play baseball. He currently has a 3.85 GPA.
Jaquarius R. Middlebrooks
Jaquarius is a two-sport athlete for the Red Terrors. He played tight end for the football team, lettering three years while also lettering four times in wrestling.
During his prep wrestling career, Jaquarius qualified for the state meet three times and placed twice. This year, he finished second in his weight class at the Georgia High School Association Traditional Meet. Jaquarius ended his senior season with a 36-1 overall won-loss record.
Jaquarius plans to attend Emmanuel College where he will continue his wrestling career. He has a 3.0 GPA and has earned a 23 on the ACT. He enjoys working out and watching wrestling videos.
Chmaiya Miller
Chmaiya has been a standout in basketball and track and field for the Lady Terrors during her high school career.
In basketball, she played on the junior varsity for two years, but was a member of the varsity team all four years. She played every position on the JV Team and won team MVP honors as a freshman.
As a junior, she helped the Lady Terrors to a runner-up finish in the region tournament and a berth in the state tournament. This past season, Chmaiya was an integral part of the Glynn team that won the program’s first region championship in 24 years and advanced to the Elite 8 in the Class 6A state tournament while going 26-5 for the season.
Chmaiya was named to the All-Region team after finishing fourth in Region 2 in scoring and also ranking high in several other statistical categories.
In track, she qualified for the state meet last year in the high jump, 400-meter run and both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. She hopes to qualify for the state meet again next month.
Chmaiya has participated in several community service projects with the basketball team which focused on visiting senior citizens, feeding the needy and hosting youth camps.
Chmaiya plans to enroll at Allen University in South Carolina this summer to continue her academic and athletic career. She plans to major in physical therapy. Chmaiya has made all A’s and B’s while taking Honors and Dual Enrollment classes and currently holds a 3.41 GPA.
Rebecca Riden
Rebecca has been a member of the Glynn girls cross country for two years, but has also earned four varsity letter awards for basketball and two for track and field.
Rebecca was the varsity captain for cross country her junior and senior years and competed in the state championship race both years. Rebecca has won several awards and honors in cross country. As a senior, she won All-Region honors after placing 4th overall at the Region 2 meet. She also was awarded the “Cheetah Award” for the Glynn girls team, making her the fastest girl on the team with a personal record of 20 minutes, 36 seconds. She was also named the Brunswick News’ Cross Country MVP this fall.
Rebecca holds a 4.2 GPA and has made all A’s throughout her high school career. She scored a 1520 on the SAT, and has been named an AP Scholar for her mastery of the AP course material. During her junior year she was a semifinalist for the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program for Spanish. Also, during her junior year, she was inducted into the National Honor Society as well as the Spanish National Honor Society.
Rebecca is involved in a number of other organizations. She has been with the Glynn Academy Yearbook staff for two years, holding the position of Sports Editor for two years, and Copy and Graphic Design Editor for one. She won the Most Promising Journalist Award for 2018.
Rebecca is also Glynn’s senior class representative for the Glynn County Student Advisory Board. She has clocked in over 40 hours of community service through National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society and volunteer tutoring.
Rebecca will further her education at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Marlon Taylor
Marlon has been a standout athlete for the Glynn football and track and field teams during his high school career.
On the football field, Marlon was a dominating force on the defensive line for the Red Terrors the last two years as he helped them to region championships both seasons and state playoff berths including a run to the state semifinals as a junior. He was named to the All-Region team as both a junior and senior and was named the Region 2 Defensive Player of the Year this past fall.
For the GA track and field team, Marlon qualfied for state the last two years, finishing seventh in the shot-put as a sophomore and fourth as a junior. He is considered one of the top contenders for the state title in the event this season.
Marlon is an A-B Honor-Roll student and currently holds a 3.5 GPA. He signed a letter of intent to play football for University of Tennessee-Chattanooga back in February.
Sam Wagner
Sam is a four-year letter winner for the Glynn football team. He started at wide receiver for the Red Terrors this season before taking over as the starting quarterback midseason and helping Glynn to the City Championship, Region 2 championship and an appearance in the second round of the Class 6A state playoffs.
After the season, Sam was named to the All-Region team and was named Glynn’s Offensive Player of the Year by 912 Sports.
Sam has taken Honors and Advaned classes throughout high school, earning a 4.2 GPA and a1240 on the SAT. He will have earned 30 college credits by graduation through the Dual Enrollment program at the College of Coastal Georgia.
This fall, he will attend Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and plans to major in Exercise Science. He plans to become a strength and conditioning coach working with high-school or college-level athletes to help them become the best athletes they can be.
Outside of academics and sports, Sam can be found working at a local restaurant or involved in different activities. He enjoys playing the guitar each week at Frederica Baptist Church, helping each summer in vacation bible school as well as participating in a week-long youth missions camp each year.
He leads a high school guy’s bible study and participates in Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Sam also volunteers with the youth football camp at GA, and has helped in various charities such as Habitat for Humanity and International Seafarer’s Center.
Shane Wells
Shane is a standout Glynn football player and one of the area’s top offensive linemen.
He was named All-Region as both a junior and senior and also was named to the Coastal Georgia All-Area team by the Brunswick News both years. As a junior, he was named Glynn’s Offensive Player of the Game against Effingham, and as a senior, Shane was recognized as the Academic Player of the Month in September with a 3.7 GPA.
The individual awards were nice, Shane says, but he is most proud of Glynn’s team accomplishments while he was a varsity player, including three straight City Championships and also three consecutive region championships.
Shane has been very involved in the community during high school,having been on two mission trips in Virginia and Tennessee. He signed a football scholarship with Lenoir-Rhyne in February.
Brunswick High
Mia Colucci
Mia has been the captain for both the girls cross country and track teams and was named Most Valuable Runner for both the 2017 and 2018 cross country seasons with the Lady Pirates.
In her 2018 track season, she qualified for the state meet in the 3,200-meter run and the 1,600-meter run. Mia holds a school record for the girls’ 1,600, with a personal-best time of 5 minutes, 27 seconds.
Mia is a member of the National Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America . She is also the principal cellist in the Golden Isles Youth Orchestra and a member of the Chamber Ensemble. She has signed a scholarship to run cross country and also track at Georgia Southern University and plans to study Sports Management.
Jonathon Kirkland
Jonathon is a Cross Country and Track runner for Brunswick High School. He was a varsity runner for the cross country team all four years and competed in the state competition his sophomore, junior and senior years. His personal record for the 5-kilometer race was 18 minutes, 10 seconds at the region meet in Richmond Hill this year.
Jonathon ran varsity track for all four years as well and qualified for the sectional meet his sophomore and junior years and plans to race at region for a sectional spot this year. He has specialized in the 3,200-meter run and his personal record was 10:54 at the Ware County Invitational Meet. Jonathon also ran the 1,600 race this year and earned a personal record of 4:56 at the Richmond Hill Invitational Meet.
As a junior, he ran the 3,200 race at both Brunswick High’s and Glynn Academy’s home meets and won both. This year, Jonathon ran the 3,200 at the Brunswick High meet and then two days later ran the 1,600 at Glynn Academy, winning both.
Jonathon is also the current valedictorian of his class and has an ACT score of 33. He was accepted to the Georgia Institute of Technology and plans to study Civil Engineering.
Trace Insalaco
Trace transferred to Brunswick High for his senior season after previously attending high school and wrestling in Florida.
A four-year letter winner and multiple-time state qualifier, he put together the most impressive season ever by a local wrestler this season, winning the 145-pound weight class in the Class 6A state meet. He became the first-ever state wrestling champion in Glynn County and his 56 career wins is the most ever by a Glynn County wrestler.
Trace is also a multi-time AAU Wrestling All-American. He served as the Pirates’ team captain this season. He also helped Brunswick to its first-ever appearance in the State Duals where the Pirates finished fifth overall.
Trace is on track to graduate with Honors and currently holds a 3.6 GPA while holding a perfect 4.0 GPA as a senior. He recently signed a full academic and wrestling scholarship with Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Ga.
Warren McClendon Jr.
Warren has experienced a great amount of success as a student-athlete at Brunswick High and will graduate with Honors this spring.
He earned varsity letters in football, basketball and track. A three-year letterman for the track and field team, he specialized in the shot put and discus events. He was a two-year letterman for the BHS basketball team, helping the Pirates reach the Elite 8 and play for the state championship in 2017.
Warren had the most success on the football field as a four-year starter for the Pirates and starting in 39 of 41 games in his prep career. He was First-Team All-Area and First-Team All-Region four consecutive years and First-Team All-State twice.
He was named the top offensive lineman while competing in Orlando and qualified for the Nike Open in Dallas, where he finished among the top 10 linemen in the nation. Warren was rated the 25th best player in the state and was rated among the top 230 in the country as a senior.
He was an active member of Leadership Glynn with the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce and was named the Rotary Club Student of the Month this past October.
Warren signed a football scholarship with the University of Georgia during the early signing period in December and early enrolled in Athens in January. He is currently participating in spring practice with the Bulldogs in Athens.
Nyree Moody
Nyree has been a member of the Brunswick High girls basketball program for four years and has been a member of the school track team for three years.
This past basketball season, she helped the Lady Pirates to another state tournament berth as she was named Second-Team All-Region.
As a junior, Nyree finished third in Region 2 in the discus throw at the region meet.
She currently has a 3.5 GPA.
Taylor Palmer
Taylor is a standout member of the BHS girls golf team. Last year, as a junior, she was the Region 2-6A champion while competing for the Lady Pirates. While playing competitive golf outside of high school, she also has earned several accolades on the Hurricane Tour and in other Junior PGA tournaments.
A strong leader and worker, Taylor also volunteers with the First Tee program of the Golden Isles, where she teaches golf and promotes the game among aspiring young players in the community. She also makes sure to find time to work at her church.
Taylor has already signed a scholarship to play for the women’s golf team at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina.
Dalton Pender
Dalton was the cross country team captain this fall for the Pirates and is now the current track and field team captain. His achievements include wining the Region 2-6A meet in cross country this past fall while leading the Pirates to a third-place team finish that got them a spot in the state meet. He also set a school record of 4 minutes,43 seconds in the 1,600-meter race last spring while running track.
Dalton has also previously qualified for state and sectional competitions, reaching the state cross country meet last year after finishing fifth overall in the region race. He also qualified for the Class 3A state meet as a sophomore at Pierce County.
He holds a personal record time of 17 minutes, 6 seconds in the 5K distance race and 2 minutes, 3 seconds in the 800-meter.
In addition to his athletic endeavors, Dalton is heavily involved in Future Business Leaders of America and has won several awards in competitions. He also takes part in the drama department at the school and has landed lead roles in productions the past two years.
Dalton has signed a scholarship to join the Valdosta State cross country team this fall.
Carri Sturm
Carri is a three-sport athlete for the Lady Pirates. She is a three-year starter on the varsity soccer team and was named First-Team All-Region in both her sophomore and junior years. Carri leads BHS this season with 15 goals and 7 assists while serving as team Co-Captain.
She is also a member of the varsity girls tennis team and plays No. 1 doubles for the Lady Pirates. She was also a member of the BHS girls cross country team, finishing as the second-fastest runner on the team this past fall.
Carri is in the top 5 percent of the 2019 BHS graduating class and is currently ranked 13th in the senior class. She is a member of the National Honor Society and BETA Club and is President of the Peer Tutoring Club.
She plans to attend the University of Florida in the fall.
Frederica Academy
Alastair Campbell
Alastair has been on the Frederica varsity Tennis team since eighth grade and is currently the captain of the team.
As a eighth-grader, he was a region doubles champion and won All-State honors. He won the region singles championship as a freshman, sophomore and junior and will contend for that title again this spring. Alastair is 46-0 in region singles matches and he finished as the state runner-up as a freshman.
He also is a member of the boys cross country team. He is a member of the United Community Bank Junior Board of Directors and also is a member of the school’s Model U.N. team, Science Bowl Team, Chess Club, World Language and Culture Club and the Clemson University Summer Scholars Program.
Alastair has earned recognition as an AP Scholar with Distinction and also has earned the Eagle Scout Bronze Palm Decoration. He has been named a Wofford Scholar, has been named for the Head of School Award and is a member of the National Honor Society. He currently has a 4.2 GPA and will attend the Naval Academy after graduation.
Riley Derrick
Riley has been a member of the Lady Knights basketball team for four years. She was team co-captain this past season and was named All-Region as a point guard.
She serves as vice president for the Cultural Awareness Club, is a member of the Teen Board of the Humane Society South Coastal Georgia, volunteers for Second Harvest Food Bank, works as a Tutor in the school Academic Center and also serves as a counselor for Camp Knights.
Riley is a member of the National Honor Society, has been named for the Head of School Award and the AP Scholar Award.
She currently holds a 4.2 GPA and will attend Texas Christian University this coming fall.
Armani Johnson
Armani is captain of the Frederica girls soccer team and was named All-Region last spring while helping the Lady Knights to the region championship and GISA state Final Four.
She also is a member of the FA track team, cheerleading squad and Competitive Cheer Team. Armani played basketball up to her junior year.
She is currently a member of the Cultural Awareness Club, varsity math team and Future Business Leaders of America. Armani has been named an AP Scholar and has been named for the Furman Scholar Program. She also has been named to the Head of School list and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Armani holds holds a 4.3 GPA. She plans to attend either the University of Georgia, UNC-Charlotte, Davidson, Villanova or Duke after graduation.
Ryan McHugh
Ryan is a standout player on the Frederica golf team and currently serves as team captain. He has won both All-Region and All-State honors and has been a member of the school’s last three state championship teams.
Ryan was the medalist at the Frederica Golf Invitational earlier this season. He also has been on the school’s swim team.
He is a member of the Model U.N. team, captain of the varsity Science Bowl Team and plays guitar in the Upper School Ensemble.
Ryan is a member of the National Honor Society, has earned AP Scholar with Distinction, has won a U.S. History award and had the highest score on the FA Science Bowl test while also being on the Head of School List. He has a 4.2 GPA and will attend Notre Dame in the fall.
Jadyn Scott
Jadyn was a standout player for the Frederica girls basketball team, serving as team co-captain this past season. She earned All-Region and All-State honors and played in the GISA All-Star game after the season. She also runs track for the Lady Knights.
Jadyn is a member of the Model U.N. team, Chess Club, Singing Club, Cultural Awareness Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, has been named for the Head of School Award and has won a World History Award.
Jadyn has a 4.1 GPA and will attend the University of Cincinnati, where she will play basketball along with her sister Jada.
Michael Tindle
Michael is a member of the Frederica football and golf teams. He was voted the Region Lineman of the Year as well as earning All-Region and All-State honors while helping the Knights to the GISA Class 3A state championship this past season.
He has voluteered at both the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic and the prestigious Jones Cup Invitational hosted by Sea Island. Michael also volunteers with the Special Olympics and with Children’s Ministry.
He has been on the FA Honor Roll every year and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Michael currently holds a 3.5 GPA and will attend Auburn University or Georgia College and State in the fall.
Harry Veal
Harry has been a standout three-sport athlete for the Knights, playing football, basketball and baseball. He has been named All-Region in baseball, twice in basketball and three times in football. This past season, he was an All-State linebacker for Frederica’s GISA Class 3A state championship team.
Harry also played in the GISA Football All-Star Game after the season and also was voted to play in the GISA Basketball All-Star Game this season.
He volunteers with the Special Olympics, RSM Classic, St. Marks Church and with his church youth group. He has been on the FA Honor Roll every year, is a member of the National Honor Society and has been named a Presbyterian College Junior Scholar.
Harry will attend Auburn University and play football for the Tigers in the fall.
Kate Worthley
Kate is a standout for the Frederica swim team and has served as team captain the last two years. She has qualified to compete in the state meet every year since the sixth grade. Kate has won numerous medals and awards in the pool including a third-place finish in state in the breast stroke.
She also is a member of the cheerleading and tennis teams and helps the varsity baseball team as a manager.
She is a member of the Model U.N. team and 707 Bible Study Group, enjoys photography and serves as a fundraiser for various projects and teams.
Kate is a member of the National Honor Society, has been named for the Head of School Award and Presbyterian College Fellow Award and is an AP Scholar. She also received a House of Representatives Resolution for saving a 3-year-old who was drowning.
Kate holds a 4.3 GPA and will be attending the University of Georgia in the fall.