Four Coffee County Alumni Honored at Martin Methodist

The Martin Methodist University Athletic Department celebrated its commitment to character at its 18th annual Champions of Character Convocation Monday morning.   In one of the longest-standing traditions within the Athletic Department, the RedHawks handed out several pieces of hardware as they presented their annual Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award, Team of the Year and Servant Leader of the Year awards.  And as to be expected, Coffee County Central High School alumni attending the Pulaski university were honored

Former RedHawk Women’s Soccer standout Katie Reid was honored as the Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Reid was a standout both on and off the pitch for the RedHawks and in the classroom. Reid scored goals at multiple national tournaments for the RedHawks and earned All-American status, but also earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete achievements and spoke as the Student-Athlete Academic Representative at the SSAC Women’s Soccer Awards Banquet last November.  Reid was a 4 year letterman for Coffee County and is the all-time leading goal scorer in Lady Raider history.  Reid was a member or the 2014 graduating class at CHS.

Former RedHawk Men’s Golf member Kyle Johnson was honored as the Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Johnson accepted his award via previously recorded acceptance speech as he is currently enrolled in the Duncan School of Law at Lincoln Memorial University in Knoxville, Tennessee. As a RedHawk, Johnson captained a team that finished runner-up in the 2018 SSAC Men’s Golf Championship. Johnson also earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete distinction during his academic career.  Johnson was also a member or the 2014 graduating class at CHS.

The Martin Methodist Clay Target team was given the Team of the Year award for the team’s commitment to Sportsmanship, one of the “five core values” of the NAIA’s Champions of Character program.  Coffee County alumni Mikayla Dickson and Travis Dickson were members of the honored team.  The Dickson twins are 2014 graduates of Coffee County and each earned All-American honors during their prep career from the American Trapshooting Association(ATA).

“I received two independent pieces of correspondence about the character of our Clay Target team,” RedHawks Executive Director of Athletics Jeff Bain said. “The sportsmanship displayed by our program and head coach Chad Whittenburg was extremely impressive. While virtually every other team had already returned home after their performance, our young men and women stayed behind to show respect and sportsmanship to the eventual national champions. That composure under pressure is something we preach to our coaches, student-athletes and staff members on a daily basis. To see it play out on a national stage was truly impactful.”

The convocation came just days after Martin Methodist was named a Gold Champions of Character Institution by the NAIA for the first time in the department’s history. The distinction came as a byproduct of the NAIA’s Champions of Character Scorecard, which is filed annually.