YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – For nearly 40 years, the best and brightest high school students in the Valley have earned the title of Student Athlete of the Week, making it the longest-running franchise in Youngstown television.
Watch the video above to see us surprise Champion’s Allison Smith for being named our 2020 Student Athlete of the Year, presenting her with a $1,000 scholarship.
Among the hundreds of nominations we received this year, only 40 students who met our four criteria were chosen. They had to excel in the classroom, succeed in sports, be leaders in their class and give back to the community.
Allison Smith is one of those students who checks all of those boxes.
Smith was a three-sport athlete and straight-A student at Champion High School. She was a member of National Honor Society and Student Council, and finished her high school career with over 250 hours of volunteer service.
Smith didn’t just play sports at Champion. She left a legacy.
In golf, she was named First Team All-Conference four times and was twice named the AAC Golfer of the Year. She broke a school record in basketball for assists in a season and helped the Golden Flashes win two district titles.
Smith also did far more than just play softball. She’s the most decorated player in school history, with 51 career homeruns at the plate and 458 strikeouts in the circle. She was a three-time state champion and would have easily padded those stats and contended for a fourth state title if weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smith was also far more than just a good student. She carried a perfect 4.0 GPA and was class valedictorian.
She will continue her academic and athletic career this fall at Ohio State University.
