Neumann's Sophia McCartney becomes third Celtic to win Winged Foot Scholarship award

In a field full of qualified candidates vying for a $10,000 scholarship, only one could emerge as the recipient.

Sophia McCartney, who gathered 11 varsity letters in her three seasons with St. John Neumann, became the third Celtic to win the award Friday night at the Naples Grande Beach Resort.

It came as a slight surprise to McCartney, who didn't come with prepared remarks on paper.

"I had a speech prepared with who I wanted to thank in my head," an elated McCartney said. "But then when they called my name, it went out of my head. I was trying to remember what I had wanted to say.

"I immediately started shaking. It's that weird feeling that goes through your body, you get numb. Coming into this, I was grateful just to be nominated. Looking at everyone's resumes, all these kids, every single one of them has worked so hard to get here. It was really cool to be up there with them and see all the other kids at different schools and what they've accomplished, with different goals or the same goals as me. It was pretty special."

McCartney was a force on the basketball court in her time with the Celtics, helping them to a 24-4 record in her senior season. Signed with Army, McCartney averaged 17.3 points and 14.6 rebounds per game, adding 2.7 assists and 2.7 steals per contest on a Neumann team that finished 24-4 with a regional final appearance.

"Very proud of Sophia, and very happy for the school," Neumann girls basketball coach John Wholihan said. "It's well deserved. She worked hard. Her GPA's amazing. She had 1,500 points and 1,200 rebounds and a 4.3 GPA. I don't know how you can beat that."

Off the field, McCartney is a member of the National Honor Society along with being the NHS Secretary and a VA Clinic Volunteer. She's set to major in psychology at West Point while looking to make a splash on the basketball court.

McCartney expects to use the scholarship money around the things needed to be successful at West Point, as numerous appointments among other things is where a good chunk of the money is expected to go.

"This is really going to help, because you get into the Academy, but there's so many doctor's appointments and exams that you have to go through... I have to buy so much stuff. My goal was to play college basketball, so my parents didn't have to pay for anything. This is really going to help get me the stuff I need for West Point."

All 15 candidates from Collier County high schools were interviewed in April by the Winged Foot selection committee, which then chose a winner. Each candidate was required to complete an extensive application process in order to be considered by their respective schools. Each school then determined its representative.

The Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete Foundation gave $5,000 to each of the finalists. McCartney will receive a $10,000 scholarship – $2,500 a year for four years. The other finalists receive one-time stipends.

This year's other Winged Foot finalists, in alphabetical order, were:

Isabella Adams, Village School

Darian Alvarez-Garcia, Aubrey Rogers

Johnny Charles, Golden Gate

Kali Cleary, Gulf Coast

Katherine Collins, Everglades City

Collette Combs, Marco Island Academy

Kaden Darwin, Palmetto Ridge

Michael Distel, Lely

Avery Erickson, First Baptist

Nikki Ferrante, Community School

Brooke Spurgeon, Seacrest Country Day

Genesis Turrubiartez, Immokalee

Rebecca Van't Hoff, Barron Collier

Luke Walker, Naples

Former college football coach and current ESPN analyst Dan Mullen served as the keynote speaker, talking about the never-ending drive to be successful in life along with crafting an authentic path as those in the audience get older and more mature.

Mullen talked about his firsthand experience from attending Ursinus College in Pennsylvania as a player, working his way up the coaching ranks from Wagner, Columbia, Notre Dame, Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and then Mississippi State, where he earned his first head coaching job before returning to Gainesville in 2018.

"This is such an exciting time in your life," Mullen said. "It's the drive to continue to do more, to continue to take the next step. That's what you all are about to do as you embark onto the next level, with the help of a scholarship, in the next stage of your life. For all the young people that are taking the next step, I hope you've learned a lot from your coaches. I hope you learned a lot from your teachers. I hope you continue to do that and learn from people that impact you along the way... Make sure you listen to people. You let people impact you and help you along the way as you grow and build the foundation for who you're going to be.

"Make sure that you are influenced, but don't imitate. You have to be you. If you're going to be successful in this world, it's going to have to be because you are you. Not because you're imitating someone else. I can't imitate a great coach. You have to learn the lessons, and let them impact you, but don't imitate."

Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete Award Winners

1990 — Terry Dean, Barron Collier

1991 — Rich Hill, Barron Collier

1992 — Danny Bond, Naples

1993 — Ryan Krzykowski, Lely

1994 — Jean Bonnici , Naples

1995 — Lynn Miller, Naples

1996 — Ethan Altaratz, Naples

1997 — Jacki Haar, Lely

1998 — Carissa Johnson, Immokalee

1999 — Kelly Roloff, Barron Collier

2000 — Lars Grimm, Community School

2001 — Shannon McGregor, St. John Neumann

2002 — Eric Beights, Lely

2003 — Alyssa Van Gemert, Barron Collier

2004 — Ingrid Schumacher, Naples

2005 — Wiselet Rouzard, Immokalee

2006 — Lee Campbell, Gulf Coast

2007 — Samantha Milne, Palmetto Ridge

2008 — Kelsey Assarian, Barron Collier; Jack Swanson, Naples

2009 — Taylor Burfield, Community School

2010 — Ryan Iamurri, Naples

2011 — A.J. Prokop-Ervin, Naples

2012 — Brett Clark, Barron Collier

2013 — Danielle Avery, Naples

2014 — Ryan Celano, Community School

2015 — Michael Walker, Naples

2016 — Stephanie Paul, Community School

2017 — Emily Browne, Barron Collier

2018 — Paula Gomes, Gulf Coast

2019 — Jensen Jones, St. John Neumann

2020 — Malaya Melancon, First Baptist

2021 — Trace Davidson, Gulf Coast

2022 – Lane Calkins, Naples

2023 – Carole Ann Hussey, Seacrest Country Day

2024 – Sophia McCartney, St. John Neumann

Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin . For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Neumann's Sophia McCartney becomes third Celtic to win Winged Foot Scholarship award