Providence Grove alum receives top honor

Former Providence Grove athlete Anna Thomas was named the top female senior athlete at Emory & Henry College.

Thomas, a softball player, is the 2021-22 recipient of the Hall Memorial Award, which honors an athlete based on skill, leadership and character.

Thomas is considered one of the top outfielders in the Emory & Henry program history. She was part of 87 victories, two NCAA Tournaments on the Division III level and a No. 9 national ranking. During this past spring, she filled in as a pitcher as well.

Thomas was the 2019 Rookie of the Year in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. In 2021, she was picked for the ODAC all-tournament team and NCAA regional all-tournament team. 

Thomas batted .299 as a senior when the team was in transition from NCAA Division III to Division II and posted a 26-17 record.

The Hall Award is named in memory of George A. Hall, the father of retired coach Eleanor Hall Hutton, who started some of the first women’s sports on campus.

By Randolph Record