WILSON, N.C. — January 28, 2019 — Barton College is pleased to host its Ninth Annual Celebration of Girls and Women in Sports Day on Thursday, Feb. 7. The event will feature keynote speaker Que Tucker, Commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, as well as remarks by Caroline and Kathryn Adkins, Jackie Williford Copeland, Janae Cunningham, Amy Jones, and Annie Wilson. The event will begin at 11 a.m. in Hardy Alumni Hall and conclude by Noon. There is no charge for the event, and the community is invited to attend.
Tucker will also receive the distinguished Carole McKeel Award, named for McKeel in honor of her leadership as the first coach in women’s basketball and volleyball at Barton College. The awardee is recognized as an individual who has made significant contributions to the participation of girls and women in sports.
About the speakers —
Tucker was named Commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association in 2015, following a 25-year tenure with the Association. She is a native of Rockingham County and graduated from Stoneville High School. She completed her baccalaureate degree in physical education at Mars Hill College, where she also played basketball and was later inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame. Tucker completed her master’s degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, while serving as a graduate assistant coach in women’s basketball and volleyball on campus. She coached in McDowell County and in Reidsville before serving as assistant women’s basketball coach at North Carolina State University under the late Kay Yow. During her professional career, Tucker has also served as a game official in basketball, softball, and volleyball.
The Adkins sisters, Caroline and Kathryn, attend Elm City Middle School and participate in soccer and tennis under the coaching staff of Jeff Autry and their father, Greg Adkins. They are the daughters of Kristi and Greg Adkins and the granddaughters of Susan Adkins of Wilson and the late David Adkins, and Judy and Richard Dean of Morehead City. The Adkins sisters are members of the youth tennis teams for the Lake Wilson Racquet Club and Wilson Country Club. And, they also serve as volunteers in a variety of capacities for the Upward Basketball Program at Peace Church.
Copeland currently serves as the Head Girls Tennis and Head Softball Coach at Bertie High School, where she previously served as Head Girls Basketball Coach. A 1991 graduate of Barton College, Copeland was an outstanding basketball player on a championship team coached by Wendee Saintsing. The daughter of Edith and Jack Williford of Windsor, she played high school sports at Lawrence Academy.
Cunningham is a junior at Barton who participates as a shot, discuss, and hammer, weight and javelin thrower for the indoor and outdoor track and field teams under Head Coach Chad Balentine. She holds several school records in these events, and she has been named to the All-Conference Carolinas Team. Cunningham lives in Hubert and attended Swansboro High School, where she was coached by Barton College Hall of Famer John Liles.
Jones, a 1991 Barton College graduate, is from Richmond, Va. She was a member of the Cheerleading Team under Head Coach Lindsey Wilkinson during her Barton Experience, and she currently serves as the Head Cheerleading Coach at Deep River High School. Jones is a Certified Official and serves as a judge for cheerleading competitions in the Virginia High School League. She also serves on the Barton College Alumni Council and on the leadership team for Barton’s Richmond Area Alumni Chapter.
Wilson, a 1998 Barton College graduate, played goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team for the first four years of its existence. She also played on the softball team at Barton. A native of Raleigh, Wilson served as goalkeeper for state championship teams at Broughton High School. She now resides in California, when not serving as a sports-related missionary. Her most recent assignment took her to the African nation of Chad for three years. In June, she will begin an assignment in Mexico.
For additional information about this event, please contact Gary Hall at 252-399-6517 or ghall@barton.edu.
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