CHAPEL HILL – Wendy Gaines of Triton High School in Erwin and Michael Gainey of Rocky Mount High School are the recipients of the ninth annual Toby Webb Coach of the Year Awards given by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.
                  The two outstanding coaches will be recognized at the NCHSAA’s Annual Meeting on May 1 at the Smith Center on the campus of the University of North Carolina.
                  The Webb Award is made possible through the generosity of gifts from individuals and companies through the NCHSAA Endowment and annually recognizes an outstanding male and female coach. To be eligible for the award, a coach must be nominated by school personnel at the NCHSAA member school where he or she coaches, to have coached for a minimum of 10 years, and have made major contributions to the success of high school athletics at the school, in the community and beyond.
                  Gaines has 25 years of head coaching experience in volleyball, including 18 at Triton, and her teams have won more than 400 matches during her tenure at the Harnett County school.  Her teams have earned numerous conference championships, have twice been Eastern Regional runner-up, and last fall posted a 21-4 mark, advancing to the third round of the NCHSAA playoffs.  She has also developed the Harnett Area Volleyball Club, which provides opportunities for high school, middle school and elementary school players to participate.
         She serves as the assistant athletic director and the sponsor of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes club at Triton while working as a nationally Board-certified math teacher.   Wendy has also taken students to participate in the Student Athlete Summer Institute (SASI) program provided by the NCHSAA. She is an active member of Coats Baptist Church.
        Gainey has been the Rocky Mount head coach in men’s basketball since 1997 and has served as athletic director since ’99. He has twice led teams to North Carolina High School Athletic Association basketball state championships, in 2010 and ’12, and also served as head coach of the East team in the North Carolina Coaches Association all-star games in Greensboro in 2010.
        Gainey has taken on the role as the secretary for the Big East Conference and also is a member of the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association. He is well known and respected for his position as a mentor and role model for many student-athletes at Rocky Mount as well as leading coaches in the athletic department.
        He helped to create, organize and facilitate the “Helping Youth Prepare to Excel (HYPE)” 3-on-3  basketball tournament in the area. Gainey has also been active in several different roles as a member of Pittman Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
                  "Wendy and Michael are dedicated professionals who epitomize in many ways the role of coaches and the far-reaching impact they have," said NCHSAA commissioner Davis Whitfield. "They are most deserving of this recognition and receiving the prestigious Toby Webb Award is a credit to their service and dedication to young people."
                  The awards are given in honor of Toby Webb, a member of the NCHSAA Hall of Fame who was an outstanding coach as well as a principal and superintendent. He helped turn Albemarle into a football power and posted a brilliant 103-18-6 mark as a head coach there.