November 2015 Athlete of the Month
Isiah Smith, Football
It doesn’t matter how Madison County gets the ball in Isiah Smith’s hands. Only that they do it, and do it as often as possible. This season, Smith finished with 540 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 24 catches while rushing for another 801 yards and eight scores on 116 touches. That’s a huge performance for Smith and a big part of Madison’s offense.
October 2015 Athlete of the Month
Rashawn Turner, Cross Country
It’s not often that Madison County cross country runners make a lot of postseason noise, but Rashawn Turner changed that this fall with a fourth place finish in the Conference 37 championships. His time of 16:54 at Central Woodstock’s home course qualified him for the Region 2A East championships. Turner’s breakout campaign may open the door for more Madison runners in the future to make even more of an impact in the postseason.
September 2015 Athlete of the Month
Gabe Farmer, Football
Madison County didn’t get off to the start it was looking for in 2015 as the Mountaineers stumbled out to a 0-3 record before ending the skid with a 26-13 win over Warren County late in the month. But Gabe Farmer gave the Mountaineers reason to be excited about the next six weeks of the regular season as he emerged as a tackling machine for the Mountaineers. Farmer piled up 29.5 tackles to lead Madison while also forcing a fumble, one of just five caused turnovers by Madison. Farmer has set the tone defensively so far and if everyone gets behind the senior, the Mountaineers should improve quickly.
August 2015 Athlete of the Month
Gaines Swink, Golf
Madison’s Gaines Swink, put together a 44 for the Mountaineers in a tri-match with Orange County and Liberty-Bealeton, a pair of much larger schools than Madison in late August, helping boost the Mountaineers to a second place finish ahead of Bealeton and just behind Orange.
July 2015 Athlete of the Month
Dylan Berry, Baseball
Madison County’s Dylan Berry played for Albemarle Post 74’s Legion baseball team and helped spark the Post 74 squad to a third straight Virginia state title.
June 2015 Athlete of the Month
Katie Berry, Girls track and field
Placing in one event in the state track and field championships is tough enough, but senior Katie Berry capped a strong spring with a pair of top eight finishes at the Group 2A state championships. Berry finished fifth in the 300 hurdles and also took seventh in the 400.
May 2015 Athlete of the Month
Megan Shifflett, Softball
Madison softball’s Megan Shifflett faced a tall task this year, replacing three-year starter Lauren Seale in the circle. The Mountaineers’ hurler proved up to the task, leading Madison to a Bull Run District championship in May, striking out eight in the district title game while also knocking in a run in the 3-1 victory.
April 2015 Athlete of the Month
Kenyon Smith, Football
Kenyon Smith had a big-time fall for Madison’s football team with nine sacks and a 66 tackles in his third year as a starter. But his spring may have been even better as he firmed up plans to play college football, signing a letter of intent to play for Glenville State in West Virginia. Smith, who checks in at 6-foot-2 and 288 pounds was a critical part of the Mountaineers’ line over the last three years. He chose Glenville over a host of other Division II offers and he’s slated to play defensive tackle for the Pioneers as well.
March 2015 Athlete of the Month
Jayln Simms, Wrestling
Jayln Simms is just a junior in a sport that rewards experience but the Madison grappler wrestled beyond his years at the Group 2A meet, taking third place in the state. That third place finish came on the heels of a third place finish in the Region 2A East tournament, a loaded region that includes a lot of the state’s top title contenders.
The great thing is, Simms gets a chance in 2016 to see if he can improve on that big time campaign.
February 2015 Athlete of the Month
Kara Morgan McHaney, Girls Swimming
Kara Morgan McHaney put together an unbelievable run at the Group 2A state championships this year, winning two individual event state championships. McHaney won the 200-IM and 100-fly in her final high school meet, with the 100-fly becoming her second straight state championship in that race. She also set a pair of state records with those swims.
McHaney also swam legs of a pair of third-place relay squads for the Mountaineers, capping a Herculean effort by the senior.
January 2015 Athlete of the Month
Isiah Smith, Boys Basketball
Isiah Smith isn’t letting the fact that he’s a sophomore being thrust into the point guard role bother him too much. Smith has put together a brilliant 10th grade campaign so far and had a strong January as he continues to settle into the spot for the Mountaineers. Smith leads Madison with 84 assists and, a clip of 5.1 assists per game which is good for No. 2 in that category in Central Virginia. He’s also posted a team-high 31 steals and he’s the squad’s third-leading scorer. He’s also a big reason the Mountaineers are battling it out for third place in the Bull Run District.
December 2014 Athlete of the Month
Gabe Farmer, Wrestling
Gabe Farmer is off to an electric start this winter for Madison’s wrestling team, posting a 13-1 record to start the year according to mchsnation.org. Farmer, who wrestles in the 182-pound class, got his season started with a pair of pins and three wins in the Orange quad before going 5-0 at the Hornet Duals at Wilson Memorial and 2-0 at the Rappahannock tournament. With that strong start, Farmer should continue to be a key part of the Mountaineers solid core on the mat this year and make some noise when the postseason rolls around.
November 2014 Athlete of the Month
Bailey Colvin, Volleyball
When Bailey Colvin touches the ball, good things seem to always happen for Madison County’s volleyball team. Colvin is now the Madison County school record holder in assists per season as she put together 727 assists on the year as the Mountaineers’ setter. Colvin also proved to be a dangerous server with 96 aces and a tremendous defender with 234 digs. She was also crafty on the attack too with 52 kills on the year. Colvin led the Mountaineers to a Bull Run District title and the Region 2A East tournament. Congratulations on a tremendous year!
