Three Local Athletes Honored at Victory Awards Dinner
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CHARLESTON -- All the hard work put in by athletes from around the state paid off on Sunday as they were recognized for their efforts at the 74th Victory Awards Dinner at the Embassy Suites in Charleston. Three local athletes made the trip to the state capital to receive awards as Wheeling Park's Graceylyn Hanna won West Virginia Girls Soccer Player of the Year while classmate Coleman Meredith won West Virginia Boys Soccer Player of the Year. Zara Zervos was selected as the winner of the Doug Huff Award.
All awards were voted by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
Hanna put together a fantastic senior season for the Patriots. While she put tallied 15 goals and 27 assists this year, it was her confidence in her teammates that was a contributing factor in Wheeling Park's state championship run.
She scored the lone goal in the Class AAA state title game against Parkesburg South and she was able to cap her prep career with a storybook ending.
"It really feels amazing. I've been waiting to receive this award just like I've been waiting for that state championship this year," Hanna said. "It's really amazing to have it and get to thank everyone for the award and everyone that supported me for it because I couldn't have done it without anyone else."
While Meredith had a stellar season as a junior for the Patriots, his senior season was arguably his best. After losing nine seasons from 2019's OVAC championship squad, Meredith made it a challenge to make sure the Patriots were a force to be reckoned with. Mission accomplished as they were able to go 15-4-1 in 2020.
As a midfielder, he scored 28 goals and had eight assists.
"Truly, I'm honored," Meredith said. "After all these years playing soccer, being the W.Va. state Player of the Year has always been a dream of mine and to finally be able to stand up there and receive this award, it feels great. It feels like after all this hard work and everything we've been through with COVID and injuries that I've fallen upon, I'm just honored to be here.
"I wouldn't be able to do it without my parents. They push me the best every day to be the best I can be. I was blessed to have amazing coaches and amazing teammates along the way."
Both Meredith and Hanna always knew soccer was their passion. And in middle school, they always talked about playing in high school and they were there to support one another every step of the way. Their dreams came to fruition.
"Cole and I always talked about in middle school getting to play in high school together," Hanna said. "We were just always excited about it. But to actually get to play for Wheeling Park and get to support each other through the years and then for us to receive this award, he definitely deserves it. He led his team so much, was a great leader and left a legacy behind, too, just like I hopefully did for my team. It's a great honor, he deserves it and I'm proud of him for it."
Meredith had similar thoughts on both of their work ethics.
"It's amazing. Graceylyn and I go way back to middle school," Meredith said. "We played soccer together pretty much any day at recess. Being able to be here and sit at the same table as her and both be awarded this, it's amazing. It's so cool that both of our hard work has paid off at the same time."
For Zervos, it was her heart, hustle and determination that stood out while being a four-sport athlete. She received all-state honors in cross country and soccer and qualified to the state swim and track meet throughout her prep career. However, the most impressive thing is she was accomplishing all of these honors while dealing with Vocal Cord Dysfunction.
"It really is a big honor, especially since I got here and I read in the program just the embodiment behind the award," Zervos said. "How it's the Heart and Hustle Award just focused on determination. That means so much to me."
She was not only a standout on the field, but she was a standout in the classroom as she has a 4.57 GPA, scored a 1490 on her SAT and named a 2021 U.S. presidential scholar.
She will pursue her career at West Virginia University and will study aerospace engineering along with running cross country and track,
After school, she said she hopes to work for NASA, SpaceX or some private corporation.
"Aerospace engineering came about because I have a love of space," Zervos said. "At John Marshall, I'm taking engineering classes and I just learned how much I like it. And combining the two, it seemed like the logical option to go into."