Panthers' McCaffrey to highlight Best of StarNewsVarsity banquet
The Carolina Panthers will again have a presence at a Best of StarNewsVarsity Awards Banquet.
Running back Christian McCaffrey is the featured guest for the second annual event on June 18 from the Wilmington Convention Center.
The banquet will honor top high school athletes from Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties, as well as parts of Bladen, Columbus and Duplin. Awards also will be presented to the Outstanding Player of the Year in each sport, as well as Coach of the Year and a courage award, among others.
Last year's inaugural banquet featured an All-Pro linebacker in the Panthers' Luke Kuechly, who participated in a question-and-answer session to a sold out crowd.
After an All-American career at Stanford, where he was named the AP College Football Player of the Year and a Heisman finalist, the Colorado native had a superb rookie season in Charlotte. A first round draft pick, McCaffrey became a dual threat as a rusher and receiver. He broke the team's rookie record for catches with 80 and finished with 1,306 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns.
“After such an impressive rookie season with the Panthers, we’re thrilled to have Christian in Wilmington to share his story with our local athletes,” said StarNews Media publisher Mike Distelhorst. “StarNews Media has a long tradition of honoring our high school athletes and their accomplishments, and the Best of StarNewsVarsity awards take that recognition to a new level.”
Similar to Kuechly, this year's guest will have an informal question-and-answer session about what's he learned, favorite moments and advice to student-athletes.
“For longtime Panthers fans, Christian McCaffrey has been a blessing — and someone high school players aspire to be like," said StarNews Executive Editor Pam Sander. "His play on the field is a reflection of what it’s like to give 110 percent. And so many of our athletes do that every day. It's awesome that he’s coming here."
General admission tickets, available for $50, include the dinner and awards ceremony. First- and second-team StarNewsVarsity All-Area selections for 2017-18 are invited to attend for free, thanks to presenting sponsors Carolina Sports Medicine and New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
“New Hanover Regional Medical Center is committed to promoting health and fitness throughout the community,” said NHRMC Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Carolyn Fisher. “Our goal is outstanding health. So we’re proud to support the recognition of young athletes who model perseverance in the pursuit of excellence. While we all may not be able to rise to their levels of achievement, we can be inspired by their drive to always improve, and use that as a motivation for meeting our own health goals.”
"Carolina Sports Medicine is very honored to sponsor this worthwhile event for the second year," said Carolina Sports Medicine Executive Director Laurie Mays. "We continue to applaud the efforts of the area high schools, athletes, coaches and trainers and are proud to work so closely with these individuals on a daily basis."
When: Monday, June 18. Doors open at 6 p.m. with photo ops and red-carpet treatment for the all-stars; event begins at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Wilmington Convention Center, 515 Nutt St., downtown Wilmington.
Details: Second annual event with guest speaker Christian McCaffrey, honors top high school athletes from 21 sports played in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties as well as parts of Bladen, Columbus and Duplin.
Admission: First- and second-team StarNewsVarsity all-area players are invited to attend for free. General admission tickets available for $50 for family, friends and general public at BestOfStarNewsVarsity.com. Includes dinner, awards ceremony and Christian McCaffrey presentation and Q&A with student athletes.
Presenting Sponsors: Carolina Sports Medicine and New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
How to become a sponsor: Contact StarNews Media Event Manager Jeff Hidek at (910) 343-2015 or Jeff.Hidek@StarNewsOnline.com.