Darlington seniors Alex Cox and Terar Stewart have been nominated to receive the NAIA Champions of Character High School Award, which will be presented to two high school student-athletes from Rome and Floyd County who exemplify outstanding character values both on and off the field during the NAIA FCA/Chick-fil-A Champions of Character Luncheon on Dec. 11.
“Alex and T are outstanding student-athletes who are each very deserving of this award,” said Athletic Director Bob Stinchcomb. “Their positive attitudes, work ethic, sportsmanship, character, leadership abilities and contributions to life at Darlington have earned them this recognition. I am so proud of them, and I know they will continue to represent Darlington well in college and beyond.”
Cox is a captain of the varsity cross country and track teams. He has received several honors and awards, including Darlington’s Most Improved Award in both sports, the Coaches’ Award and Captains’ Award in cross country this past season, and Rome News-Tribune All-Area nods in both sports. An AP Scholar, he has taken 10 Honors and AP classes during his time at Darlington. He is the son of Sunny and John Cox of Rome.
“Alex is extremely coachable, and will do anything asked of him,” said Assistant Athletic Director Alan Parish, who coaches both cross country and track. “This has resulted in terrific success in everything he has tried. As a junior last spring, this culminated in two amazing feats at the GHSA State track meet. He placed fourth in the pole vault and second in the 800 meters. Both were personal records.”
Stewart is a captain of the varsity basketball and softball teams, and has lettered in both sports plus track and field. She has received multiple honors and awards in each of her sports, including Darlington’s Most Versatile Female Athlete Award as well as Offensive MVP and Region Player of the Year in basketball. She has already scored over 1,000 points in her basketball career and looks forward to building on that this season. During her years at Darlington, Stewart has also received the J.R. McCain Award for leadership and was named Optimist Club Student of the Year in eighth grade. She is the daughter of Nikki Watkins and Andre Stewart of Rome.
“Despite winning Region Player of the Year this past season, T’s ceiling for success is incredibly high,” said Steve McConnell, assistant girls’ basketball coach. “She comes to practice ready to get better and works hard to do just that. Post player is a position that involves hard knocks and requires a player’s blood, sweat and tears to succeed. This is exactly what T gives me every day.”
The Champions of Character Luncheon will take place Dec. 11 at 11:45 a.m. at The Forum. Each Champions of Character Award winner will receive a $500 college scholarship, a certificate of recognition and two complimentary tickets each to watch the NAIA Football Championship on Dec. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Barron Stadium.
Additional game tickets are available for $25 at The Forum Box Office or at www.forumevents.org.
