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NCHSAA awards Pat Best Memorial Trophy to Male and Female Athlete of the Year for 2016-17

CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association is pleased to announce the winners of the Male and Female Athlete of the Year for the 2016-17 School Year. In its 32nd year, the award and winners receive the Pat Best Memorial Trophy, presented at the NCHSAA’s Annual Meeting in Chapel Hill.

This year’s winners are two very accomplished performers at the high school ranks, both with full scholarships to the “Big Four” Universities here in the state of North Carolina. The winners are Mikayla Boykin from Clinton High School and Sage Surratt from Lincolnton High School.

MIKAYLA BOYKIN – CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL

NCHSAA FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Boykin is a basketball standout for the Lady Dark Horses, who returned to the court this season after missing her sophomore and junior seasons with two separate knee injuries.

Not only did MiKayla return to play, but she also shined in her senior season, leading her Lady Dark Horses to the 2A State Championship, and was named the Kay Yow State Championship MVP. Boykin tied the state record for career quadruple-doubles with three in the season, accomplishing the feat in just one calendar month. In the history of NCHSAA Women’s Basketball, there are only 13 quadruple-doubles that have been reported to the state office; three of them are hers.

Boykin also broke state scoring records. She set a new record for points in a single game scoring record, scoring 62 and then 63 points in games this year, surpassing Fayetteville’s Shea Ralph, who held the previous record of 61. She also broke the single-season scoring record with 1,159 points and the record for made field goals in a season with 428. Other records she shattered include; the record for consecutive 50-point games, setting that mark at three, and the most 50-point games in a season, setting that mark at five.

She was the NCBCA Player of the Year, Gatorade Player of the Year, and MVP of the prestigious John Wall Holiday Invitational Tournament. Next year, she will continue her academic and basketball career as she will join the Duke Blue Devils on a basketball scholarship.

SAGE SURRATT – LINCOLNTON HIGH SCHOOL

NCHSAA MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Surratt is a two-sport star at Lincolnton as a wide receiver on the football team and shooting guard for the Wolves basketball team.

This year in football, Surratt led the state with 129 receptions totaling 2,104 yards and 28 touchdowns. His senior year total made him the leading receiver in state history with a total of 366 receptions, covering 5,926 yards with 80 total touchdowns during his four-year career. His 5,926 career receiving yards surpass the previous career mark set by Charlotte Independence’s Mohamed Massaquoi in 2004 by more than 1,000 yards. His football accolades are numerous. Parade All-American First Team and Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year, to name a few. Football teams with him on the squad posted a record of 57-5 during his career.

In basketball, Surratt led the state in points per game, scoring 34.7 per contest, one of the top averages in the country. He completed his high school career as the #2 scorer in state history with 2,951 points, an average of more than 27 points per game. He was twice named All-State, and teams he played on finished with a record of 78-4 over the course of his career.

On top of all the athletic accomplishments, Sage boasts a GPA over 5.0 and is in the top three of his graduating class. He plans to attend Wake Forest University to play football for the Demon Deacons on an athletic scholarship.