2017 Varsity Awards Ceremony

At the end of every school year, in the 2nd week of May, the Royal Booster Association hosts an awards banquet in which we get to honor and recognize many people for their commitment to TFA Athletics. We mainly celebrate the excellence of athletes, but part of the night is dedicated to honoring a special group of people earning some of our most prestigious awards including Royal Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, Kroy and Kelley Lifetime Service Award, Student Athletic Trainer of the Year, and Scholar Athletes.

In case you were not able to attend this year’s banquet, or you just want to re-live Thursday night’s special awards, we have included the winners of the aforementioned categories below for you. We hope you enjoyed the ceremony this year, and thank you for your support of TFA Athletics. Go Royals!

Royal Athletes of the Year

Brynna D.

Brynna has been a member of the Lady Royals Volleyball team for 5 years and served as a captain in both her Junior and Senior year. During her time as a Royal, Brynna has accumulated 5 district championships, 3 regional championships, and 2 state championships. She was named the Dairy Farmers Class 4A Volleyball player of the year, an Under Armor All-American, 1st Team All-State, AVCA All-American 2nd team, FACA Player of the year, and was nominated for Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Florida. In her career, Brynna compiled astounding statistics including 1150 kills, 650 assists, 950 digs, and 75 blocks. Brynna truly embodies all 3 characteristics of this award and has always been a leader of her peers throughout her athletic career here at TFA. It was only fitting that she scored the last point of her Volleyball career to bring the State Championship back to The First Academy. We are excited to watch Brynna as she continues her Volleyball career in the Fall at The University of Colorado.

Chaundee B. Jr.

Chaundee is a member of the Royals Basketball team. During his senior year, he averaged 24.7 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, shot nearly 90% from the free throw line and 60% from the field. In just two years at TFA, he reached the 1,000 point milestone becoming just the 10th player to do that in Royals Basketball history. Chaundee was selected first team All-Central Florida by the Orlando Sentinel, first team All-State, and is a USA Today 1st Team All-Florida team member. Additionally, he is the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 4A player of the year, and the Gatorade Basketball player of the year in the State of Florida, across all classifications. Chaundee is an extremely hard worker and his character is an example for younger athletes. He is a favorite among the lower school students at the TFA Basketball camps, because of his kindness and a smile that lights up every room he enters.  We look forward to watching Chaundee as he will continue his Basketball career at Wake Forest University in the Fall.

Coach of the Year

Haley Malone

Coach Malone led The First Academy Lady Royals Volleyball program to a State Championship this year, the program’s 6th in the last 9 years. Personally, Coach Malone was named the FACA Coach of the Year as well as the Class 4A Dairy Farmers Coach of the Year. In addition, Haley coached several All-district players, an Under Armour All-American, and a Class 4A player of the year. Each Year, her program hosts a “dig pink” match which celebrates survivors of breast cancer and honors those that have been affected by the disease. Haley’s heart for each and every player within her program is evident and her love for the girls she coaches goes far beyond the court. Coach Malone is often seem supporting many other sports at games and continuing the relationships she builds each and every day.

Kroy and Kelley Lifetime Service Award

David de Armas

David has served the department of Athletics for over a decade. He has served in many capacities on the booster board, volunteered in concessions, and spent many hours assisting the Cross Country and Track and Field teams. David and his wife Nancy have 2 children that have attended The First Academy; Heather (Class of 2015) and Drew (Class of 2017). As Booster Board President, David has overseen the continued expansion of the Booster programs and has been instrumental in much of the improvements within athletics. As David steps away from his term as President, we celebrate his investment in helping carry out the vision of TFA Athletics. The athletic department would like to express its sincere gratitude for his commitment to each and every sport in the program over the years.

Student Athletic Trainer of the Year

Grace E. 

Grace has spent her high school career dedicating herself to both academic and athletic excellence, yet she still found time to always be available to help the sports medicine team. Fortunately for Trey Tyler, he had to make her go home most of the time, otherwise she would have never stopped helping. Her servanthood goes beyond anything Trey has ever seen in a student, and Trey has been so blessed to have her as part of the team. At the end of the day, you can never truly replace someone like Grace, but you hope her example will lead others to work with the same heart and drive she has shown over the years.

Scholar-Athletes

The Department of Athletics embraces the philosophy of participating in extracurricular activities as a means of enhancement of the educational experience. As encouraged by our school’s mission statement and participation being a way of life for our students, we have created an award to honor those who have excelled both on the field and in the classroom. With the rigors of playing sports and balancing a heavy academic workload, we have always encouraged our student-athletes to play multiple sports and use those lessons to be better prepared for life. The Royal Scholar Athlete Award was created to recognize student-athletes who participated in multiple sports and excelled in the classroom by maintaining a rigorous academic workload. This award goes to one male and female from each grade that had the highest weighted GPA and participated in at least two varsity sports at The First Academy during the school year.

Representing the Freshmen Class – Gabriela K. and Justin H.

Representing the Sophomore Class – Abigail F. and Samuel H.

Representing the Junior Class – Hannah B. and Luke H.

Representing the Senior Class – Lauren C. and Tylor R.

Congratulations again to all of our winners! It was a great year in TFA Athletics!