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Lane and Wright take home the Rocket City Awards

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Lane and Wright take home the Rocket City Awards

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (June 20, 2024) – The University of North Alabama was well represented at the 2024 Rocket City Awards in Huntsville on Monday evening as the senior women’s soccer goalkeeper Adriana Wright and sophomore men’s basketball guard Jacari Lane won the College Athlete of the Year award.

The second annual Rocket City Awards are presented by Woody Anderson Ford and highlight local athletes, coaches and programs from the North Alabama region. The show is presented by ESPN 97.7 The Zone and WHNT News 19.

The Lions were also nominated for two other awards, including two nominations for the Women’s College Team of the Year award. Both the Lion football and softball teams received nominations after stellar campaigns.

UNA Soccer head coach Chris Walker was also nominated for College Coach of the Year after leading the program to its best Division I season with an 11-5-6 record and an appearance in the 2023 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Final.

Wright, the 2024 Women’s College Athlete of the Year, is a name known to many in the area. She spent four years at Alabama-Huntsville before transferring to UNA for her fifth season. Wright was stellar in net for the Lions, setting the North Alabama program record for shutouts in a season en route to being selected to the All-South Region Second Team.

Wright was named ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year, ASUN All-Conference First Team and was a two-time ASUN Goalkeeper of the Week selection in 2023. Entering the 2023 NCAA College Cup, Wright tied for the NCAA lead in shutouts with 13.

“It’s a fantastic achievement for Adriana and a great way to end her college career,” Walker said. “We are extremely proud of her. It is also great recognition of how well our program did last season.”

Lane made history as the first consecutive winner of the Male College Athlete of the Year awards after winning the inaugural award in 2023. Lane earned first-team all-conference honors after appearing in all 32 games this season. He averaged 14.7 points per game and nearly 16.0 PPG in conference play. He broke his own UNA Division I school record with 122 assists, averaging almost 4.0 assists per game.

“I am very proud of Jacari for winning back-to-back Athlete of the Year awards,” said UNA head men’s basketball coach Tony Pujol. “I’m excited to see Jacari take on a leadership role in our program next season and can’t wait to see what he can accomplish as a junior. The Rocket City Awards are a great event, and 97.7 The Zone and their sponsors great job.” job promoting athletics at all levels in North Alabama.”


Other awards were presented in the high school, college and professional categories. Baltimore Orioles pitcher and Huntsville native Craig Kimbrel headlined the evening as the North Alabama region’s Professional Athlete of the Year.


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For more information about athletics in North Alabama, visit www.roarlions.com and continue following UNA Athletics Facebook, Tweet And Instagram.