Kendall Alligood is named the 2016 Female Athlete of the Year for her success and perseverance in volleyball, basketball, and softball at Northside High School. She helped lead the volleyball team to a historic playoff run and found support from her basketball coach and community after her mother passed away. Alligood continued playing softball and helped the team reach the fourth round of the state playoffs. She plans to study international business at UNC-Charlotte in the fall.

1. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
8A • Friday, July 1, 2016 www.TheWashingtonDailyNews.com
By MICHAEL PRUNKA
Washington Daily News
It never mattered where Kendall
Alligood was playing. Whether it
was the volleyball and basketball
court or out on the softball field,
she always managed to find success
in her athletic career at Northside.
Athletics gave back to her, too, in a
way it has for few others.
Alligood’s senior year began and
she had plenty of high aspirations
for herself and the Lady Panther
teams for which she played. Her
first focus in the fall was volley-
ball, which she said is her favorite
among the three sports she played
at Northside. She was good at it, too.
She was a three-year starting set-
ter for the varsity squad. Through-
out her career, Alligood collected an
astounding 313 assists, 51 aces and
four kills. In her final campaign,
she helped lead the Lady Panthers
to an appearance in the 1-A state
championship playoffs.
“My favorite memory from vol-
leyball would be last year (2015),”
she said. “We made history because
we went to the third round (of
the playoffs), which is something
Northside has never done. We had some
close games. They were intense and we
had a good student section.”
As fall came and went, Alligood’s focus
shifted from volleyball to basketball. Be-
ing in a conference with elite teams like
East Carteret, Pamlico County and Jones
Senior meant earning a postseason bid
would be a tall order.
That became the least of Alligood’s con-
cerns on Jan. 15 when her mother, Linda,
tragically passed away in an automobile
accident.
That’s when Alligood’s athletic career
gave back to her in a profound way. One
of her favorite things about basketball
was her relationship with coach Michelle
Leathers. Alligood said that other than
learning to be a better player, Leathers
taught her life lessons that she will carry
with her forever.
“I love her to death,” Alligood said.
“She’s taught me more than anybody. She
taught me more than my mom. She will
just be real with you instead of sugarcoat-
ing it. She really cared about her players
and it showed with how she coached. I just
have a lot of respect for Coach Leathers
because she’s an amazing person.”
That’s why Leathers was one of the first
people Alligood called on Jan. 15 — and
it wasn’t because Northside had a game
that evening.
“As soon as I said (what happened),
she broke down,” Alligood recalled. “She
came to my house that day; she came to
my house the next day. She was telling me
constantly, ‘Don’t come back until you’re
ready. We’re behind you and I love you if
you need anything.’”
Alligood proved time and again that
she could persevere — a trait valuable not
just as an athlete, but also in all life
situations. She missed just that eve-
ning’s game, which was a rivalry
clash with Southside.
Once again, though, athletics
gave back to her. As one would ex-
pect, Leathers and the rest of the
Lady Panthers rallied behind Al-
ligood. There was also an outpour-
ing of support from the rest of the
students as they packed Northside’s
gym to welcome her back.
“I don’t really get nervous before
a game, but I was really nervous
because it was my first-ever sport-
ing event that my mom wasn’t go-
ing to at least be there. Sometimes
she wouldn’t make it to a game, but
I knew she was there,” Alligood
said.
“She sat in the same spot and I
would always look up there. She
wasn’t there, so that made it worse.
Seeing everybody support me
helped. It was an intense game and
wanting to win, it was stressful. I
did get upset, but, at the end of the
day, I knew my mom was proud of
me for getting out there.”
Alligood continued to persevere
as basketball wound down and soft-
ball began to pick up. Softball gave
back to her in its own way, too. The Lady
Panthers enjoyed incredible success dur-
ing her four years on the team. They made
it to at least the third round of the state
championship playoffs each year.
“This year we were very determined,”
she said. “Us seniors came together and
said, ‘This is our last year and it’s our last
sport.’ We buckled down. … We knew we
wanted to play North Duplin one more
time. We wanted to beat them, but we got
down there and things didn’t go our way.
But, at the end of the day, we were proud
we made it to the fourth round.”
And like that, Alligood’s high school ca-
reer wrapped up. It was a high note to go
out on. Come fall, Alligood plans to attend
UNC-Charlotte. She said she might try her
hand at club sports. In the classroom, she
plans on studying international business
so that she can travel the world.
2016 WDN FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
KENDALL ALLIGOOD – NORTHSIDE
KENDALL ALLIGOOD
Basketball:
XX 6.1 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game
Softball:
XX .408 batting average, 20 runs, 19 RBI
Volleyball:
XX 92 assists, 21 aces
PERSEVERANCE: THE MARK OF A GREAT ATHLETE
HONORABLE MENTIONS
HAILEY HARRIS
WASHINGTON
Spring was a successful sea-
son for softball in Beaufort
County. Junior pitcher Hailey
Harris played an important
role in Washington’s best sea-
son to date. After graduating
Haley Hutchins from last year’s
squad, the Lady Pack knew it
had a void in the pitching de-
partment.
Harris made sure the girls
didn’t miss a beat. She com-
piled an 18-8 record with a 2.10
ERA, shutting out seven oppo-
nents and pitching three no hit-
ters. Her excellence earned her
2-A Eastern Plains Conference
softball player of the year. It
also helped lead the Lady Pack
to the 2-A regional champion-
ship.
Harris’ return next year
highlights what should be an-
other exciting season for Wash-
ington softball.
MACKENSI SWAIN
NORTHSIDE
Northside followed up its ex-
ceptional 2015 campaign by roll-
ing through the regular season
and right into the fourth round
of the 1-A state playoffs this
year. Mackensi Swain — who
is now college bound to play
softball at Lenoir-Rhyne — was
a key component in all of that.
Swain led the team with a
.512 batting average and 37
runs scored. Her 24 RBI were
second only to junior Rachel
Lang. Swain was powerful at
the plate, collecting an astound-
ing 23 extra-base hits, and was
as reliable a third baseman as a
coach could hope for.
Northside softball fans may
remember Swain’s grand slam
at South Creek in the second
round of the playoffs as a high-
light of her senior campaign
and the season as a whole.
SYMONE RUFFIN
SOUTHSIDE
Symone Ruffin continues to
be one of the most promising
young athletes in the entire
county. While Southside’s girls’
basketball and softball teams
may have struggled this sea-
son, she was important to the
success they did find.
Ruffin, only a sophomore, led
the Lady Seahawks in a lot of
ways. Her 13.4 points per game,
5.6 steals per game and 1.5
blocks per game each topped
the girls’ basketball team. In
softball, she led the way with a
.431 batting average and 19 RBI.
She burst onto the scene as a
freshman last year. While Ruf-
fin is young, the experience
made her a valuable leader at
Southside, too.
RACHEL LANG
NORTHSIDE
Rachel Lang was vital to
three different teams over the
course of the 2015-16 season.
She helped spearhead playoff
runs by Northside’s volleyball,
basketball and softball teams.
Her height made her key to
the Lady Panthers in volleyball
and basketball. The volleyball
team finished the season with
a 10-6 record, losing in the first
round of the playoffs. Her 10.7
points per game and team-best
3.8 rebounds per game helped
Northside reach the postseason
in basketball.
While the volleyball and bas-
ketball teams didn’t find much
success beyond the regular sea-
son, the softball team advanced
all the way to the fourth round.
Lang quarterbacked the team’s
defense as its pitcher and was
also an offensive threat at the
plate. She posted a 2.70 ERA
with three shutouts and a 16-4
record. Her 27 RBI tops the
Lady Panthers and her .459 bat-
ting average trailed only Swain.
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