Lowndes County elects Athlete of the Year
Published 6:00 pm Thursday, May 15, 2025
Photos by David Lovell | JaKobian Davis, Addison Bridges and Tyler Robertson receive the Lowndes County Athlete of the Year award. Pictured are (seated, left to right) Oasha Davis accepting for JaKobian, Bridges and Robertson; (back row, left to right) Tiya Smith, Ford Walker, Crawford Dansby, Amari Steiner, Ashton Yelder, Watters Box, Bryan Lambert and J’Vyion Gordon.
Photos by David Lovell | Oasha Davis receives the Athlete of the Year Award for her son, Central High School senior JaKobian Davis. Pictured are (left to right) The Lowndes Signal Regional Editor Lanell Downs Smith and Oasha Davis.
Photos by Ervin Starr | Addison Bridges (left) receives the Athlete of the Year award presented by The Lowndes Signal General Manager David Lovell.
Photos by David Lovell | Lowndes County Public Schools Athletic Director Ervin Starr (left) awards Tyler Robertson (right) as Athlete of the Year.
Ervin Starr, Lowndes County Public Schools Athletic Director, welcomes guests to the 2025 Athlete of the Year Banquet.
Parents of student-athletes received recognition at the Athlete of the Year banquet.
Perman Hardy, president of the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program, receives gratitude for the organization’s support of the Athlete of the Year contest.
Student athletes nominated for Athlete of the Year are pictured (left to right) Tiya Smith, Amari Steiner, Tyler Robertson, Bryan Lambert with Central High School nominee J’Vyion Gordon (far right).
Photos by David Lovell | Lowndes Academy student-athletes nominated for Athlete of the Year are pictured (left to right) Ashton Yelder, Crawford Dansby, Addison Bridges, Ford Walker and Watters Box.
Photos by David Lovell | Student athletes in the running for Athlete of the Year are pictured (left to right) Tiya Smith, Addison Bridges, Ford Walker, Crawford Dansby, Amari Steiner, Ashton Yelder, Watters Box, Tyler Robertson, Bryan Lambert and J’Vyion Gordon. Not pictured are JaKobian Davis, Eron Foster, Jabraylen Thomas, Carmello Brown, Jamarcus Webb, Iyanis Wallace, Amarda Rudolph, Amari Surles, Jerdarius Davis and Emma Phillips.
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At a banquet held May 9, The Lowndes Signal partnered with Lowndes County Athletics to recognize three students elected by their community as Athlete of the Year.
Tyler Robertson from The Calhoun School, Addison Bridges from Lowndes Academy and JaKobian Davis received the Athlete of the Year award, representing their schools and the Lowndes County community as shining examples of student athleticism. Each was nominated by their school’s athletic director before winning Athlete of the Week to enter the running for the annual Athlete of the Year Award.
Robertson, a senior graduating from Calhoun, is a two-time Athlete of the Week winner and the only student-athlete to win Athlete of the Year twice. He represented his school as it’s first to hold the title in the inaugural award season of 2024 before being elected again this year by popular vote.
“Tyler Robertson wins Athlete of the Year for The Calhoun School for the second year in a row,” announced Lowndes County Public Schools Athletic Director Ervin Starr during the presentation. “A senior at Calhoun, Tyler has received more than $415,000 in scholarship offers and was accepted to 25 colleges. He is a football and basketball standout for the Tigers and was ranked among the top 10 for scoring and in January, he led the state as No. 1 for averaging 31.1 points per game.”
Starr told guests at the banquet that Robertson is a student-leader as well as an exceptional athlete. He was named to the AHSAA State Student Leadership Team in February of last year and was elected Athlete of the Year by popular vote, earning this honor by winning 4%, 58 out of 1,528 votes.
Twenty student athletes were eligible for votes in the contest, having earned the honor by winning Athlete of the Week earlier in the season. Other Calhoun students in the running were Tiya Smith, Carmello Brown, Amari Steiner, Bryan Lambert and Armada Rudolph.
From Lowndes Academy, Addison Bridges was named Athlete of the Year, winning the most votes of any student-athlete, 62%, 947 out of 1,528 votes.
“Addi is a multi-sport athletic standout,” said The Lowndes Signal General Manager David Lovell. “She won Athlete of the Week last year and twice this year for her athleticism.”
Bridges, who has attended Lowndes Academy since the second grade, played volleyball, ran track and was a varsity cheerleader for the Rebels this season. She was named to the AISA All State Cheer and Volleyball Teams and in January, she announced her college commitment, fulfilling a life-long dream to play volleyball at Wallace Community College in Selma in the fall.
Her mother, Misty Denmark, described what winning the award meant to her daughter.
“Addi is so very excited and proud of her award so I wanted to thank you for acknowledging her.” Denmark said. “She wanted to share it with the boys; it is difficult for her to receive praise and acknowledgement.”
“I am super proud of Addison not only for her incredible athletic ability, but also for the amazing student and human being she is. She continues to impress and inspire in every way.”
Also nominated for the award were Rebel student-athletes Ford Walker, Crawford Dansby, Ashton Yelder, Watters Box and Emma Phillips.
Central High School senior JaKobian Davis won Athlete of the year for the Lions. He is also a multi-sport athlete recognized for his athleticism in football and baseball.
Davis played football as a guard, defensive tackle and center for the Lions. He played varsity baseball at center field, short stop and third base for the Central this season and was a basketball center and power forward in his junior year.
Davis earned Athlete of the Year by popular vote with 3%, 52 out of 1,528 votes. He was at work and unable to attend the awards ceremony. His mother, Oasha Davis, accepted the award with gratitude on behalf of her son.
Also nominated from Central High School were Eron Foster, Jabraylen Thomas, Jamarcus Webb, Iyanis Wallace, J’Vyion Gordon, Amari Surles and Jerdarius Davis.
Supporting the year-long contest and Thursday’s banquet were sponsors the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program and Beeline No. 150. Also partnering to present the awards banquet were Judge Adrian Johnson and Hayneville Baptist Church, Stopper Shop in Lowndesboro and SheJay’s Catering.
Editor’s Note: Organizers of the awards congratulated all the athletes nominated for the weekly and annual awards. We also wish to thank our sponsors, Lowndes County Public Schools, Lowndes Academy, Central High School and The Calhoun school for their support in recognizing the outstanding young men and women of the 4-5.
