Richard Bland Honors Student-Athletes At 2018 Athletics Banquet
SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- Richard Bland College Athletics announced its annual award winners at the 2018 Athletics Banquet on Monday night at The Barn Theater. An evening of celebration with the Statesmen marked the successes of our student-athletes achieved during 2017-18. The highlight of the night was former Director of Athletics and Men's Basketball Head Coach Chuck Moore presenting this year's Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year awards to sophomores Ashley Fritz/Chesterfield and Jamie McAvoy/Ayr, Scotland, respectively.
Ashley Fritz is an outfielder on the softball team and has started 33 of 35 games this season for the Statesmen, currently 26-13 overall, 15-9 in Region 10, and the number five seed for the upcoming Region 10 Tournament. She is hitting .387 (4th on team) with six home runs (1st on team, including four in her last three games), seven doubles (5th on team), four triples (T-2nd on team), 33 runs (3rd on team) and 28 RBIs (4th on team) for a .698 slugging percentage (3rd on team). A Statesman Scholar in the Honors Program, Fritz attained a 4.0 GPA during the fall semester. Ashley is undecided on where she will continue her education and softball career.
Jamie McAvoy is a midfielder on the men's soccer team and started 19 of 19 games last fall for the Statesmen, who finished a school-record 17-3 overall, including 13-1 as Region 10 Regular Season Champions and Tournament Runners-Up. He scored one goal with nine assists (T-1st on team), totaling 11 points, while earning Honorable Mention All-Region 10. A transfer student-athlete from Newberry College in South Carolina, McAvoy attained a 4.0 GPA during the fall semester. Jamie is considering Delta State University in Mississippi to continue his education and soccer career.
Chuck Moore, who announced his end-of-year resignation back in late February, served as guest speaker. He led Richard Bland to the 2015 NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship among two Final Four appearances (2015, 2017), while advancing to three National Tournaments (2015, 2017, 2018). Statesmen Athletics claimed three Region 10 Tournament titles as well as three Region 10 regular season championships during his five-year tenure. Richard Bland student-athletes have garnered numerous honors, including the two All-Americans, as well as Region 10 players of the year in men's basketball and softball, along with a combined 59 All-Region selections, while four golfers have qualified for their respective National Tournaments. RBC student-athletes excel in the classroom, as a record 36 Statesmen attained a GPA of 3.0 or higher during the 2017 Fall Semester. Coach Moore completed his Richard Bland coaching career with an overall record of 126-42 (.750), including 71-24 (.747) in Region 10, while 64-10 (.865) at home in Statesman Hall since 2013-14.
Micah 'Bam-Bamm' White, who has spent over 20 years in the entertainment industry as a stand-up comedian, host, and philanthropist, served as guest emcee. White's talents have led him to perform for 40 corporations, 30 non-profit organizations, and 20 colleges doing everything from stand-up to hosting and delivering the commencement address. He is also the Head Girls Volleyball coach at James River High School.
Below is the complete list of honorees, including the Most Valuable Player, Best Defense and Coach's Award winners for all sports at Richard Bland.
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Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Ashley Fritz, Softball
Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Jamie McAvoy, Men's Soccer
Men's Basketball
Most Valuable Players: Tim Bing Jr., Stanley Taylor
Best Defense: Tre' Patterson
Coach's Awards: Ricky Hicks, Ryan Jones
Cheerleading
Coach's Award: Michelle Berrios
Men's Golf
Most Valuable Player: Frankie Lin
Coach's Awards: Alex Hemstock, Matt Hemstock
Men's Soccer
Most Valuable Player: Davi Girardi
Best Defense: Vandyke Gyau
Coach's Award: Dusan Stankovic
Softball
To be announced after conclusion of the season
Women's Volleyball
Most Valuable Player: Alexis Lyons
Coach's Award: Sarah Gardner