Free, Greenhalgh, Porter honored
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COACH TRAVIS FREE
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MASON GREENHALGH
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AYANA PORTER
Oak Ridge High School recently recognized its coach, male athlete and female athlete of the year.
The school’s athletic program annually honors a top coach, male athlete and female athlete for their accomplishments during the school year. This year’s honorees were Travis Free, Mason Greenhalgh and Ayana Porter.
Free, who recently completed his fifth season at the Wildcats’ baseball coach, guided the squad to the state tournament for the first time in more than five decades. Under his guidance, Oak Ridge had arguably its best season on the diamond. The Wildcats enjoyed a 28-win season and won the District 3-4A Tournament as a No. 3 seed. The Wildcats were the Region 2-4A Tournament runners-up and won a state sectional series for the first time in school history, to advance to the Spring Fling in Murfreesboro. Oak Ridge (28-16-1) went 1-2 at the Class 4A State Tournament. Oak Ridge lost to Nolensville, 5-2, in its tournament opener. They rebounded to record an 8-3 victory over Bradley Central in an elimination game. The historic 2024 campaign came to an end with a 6-3 loss to Arlington.
Greenhalgh was honored as the male athlete of the year as he won the Class AAA State Championship in the 800-meter run at the Spring Fling with a time of 1 minute, 57.09 seconds. It was the first state championship in 11 years for Oak Ridge in a traditional sport
He also excels in swimming and cross country. In the classroom, Greenhalgh boasts a 4.609 grade point average.
Porter, a basketball player for the Lady Wildcats, averaged 16.6 points, 3.5 steals and 3.4 assists per game for Oak Ridge last season. She helped her team sweep through the District 3-4A regular-season schedule and capture the postseason tournament championship.
She was the District 3-4A Player of the Year for the Lady Wildcats, who went 21-8 and reached the Region 2-4A tournament semifinals before being eliminated by Farragut. Porter has a 4.061 GPA.