One of the most accomplished athletes to ever come out of Albany is now part of the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame, as Kami Norton Richey was inducted during last week’s annual banquet in Abilene.

Richey’s career, which began with a dominant run at Albany High School and carried through to national championships at the collegiate level, made her a clear choice for the honor.

“It was definitely a trip back down memory lane,” Richey said. “Coming back to the Big Country and getting to share that with my family was really special.”

The Albany Lions closed out district play last week with an 11-4 loss to Hawley, a result that secured the district championship for the Bearcats and left Albany finishing as the runner-up.

The Lions wrapped up district with a 7-3 record and stand at 12-4 overall heading into the postseason. Despite the loss, Albany remains in strong position as it shifts its attention to the playoffs.

A former Albany Lion received a surprise honor recently when a newly improved girls softball field in Sundown was named after him, recognizing years of work in the community and local athletics.

Ron Holson, a 1988 Albany High School graduate, said the recognition was unexpected.

“It caught me completely off guard,” Holson said. “I’m very honored to have received that.”

Two Albany doubles teams punched their tickets to the state tennis tournament with runner-up finishes at the rain-delayed Region II-2A meet April 20-21 in North Richland Hills.

Coach M.J. Reneau said the boys doubles team of Woods Peterson and Jaxson Street and the mixed doubles pair of Mimi Ivy and Cade Fairchild both secured state berths by advancing to their respective championship matches, finishing as regional runners-up.

The state tournament is scheduled for May 7-8 at the Blossom Tennis Center in San Antonio.

Nine Albany High School athletes qualified for the regional track meet following competition at the area meet held Friday, April 17, in Graham. The regional meet is scheduled for May 1-2 in Springtown.

The Albany Lions wrapped up a strong and successful golf season this week, finishing fifth at the UIL Region 2-2A tournament held April 13-14 and narrowly missing a trip to the state tournament in one of the toughest regions in Texas.

Albany posted rounds of 324 and 319 for a two-day total of 643, improving by five strokes on the second day and moving up from sixth to fifth in the final standings.

Albany’s tennis program delivered a strong showing at the District 10-2A tournament at Rose Park Tennis Center earlier this week, advancing seven athletes in four of the five brackets to the Region II-2A meet set for April 20-21 in North Richland Hills.

Complete results weren’t available at press time and will be reported next week.

Albany claimed the boys district championship title, continuing its recent run of postseason success in one of the area’s most competitive tennis districts.

District 10-2A includes Anson, Stamford, Hawley, Cisco and Albany.

The Albany Lions captured the District 10-2A golf championship this week, overcoming a deficit for much of the tournament to finish first at Shady Oaks Golf Club in Baird on March 30-31.

Albany entered the final round in second place after posting a 348 on the opening day, trailing Haskell by 10 strokes. The Lions remained behind through much of the second round and were still down by 10 strokes as play moved to the back nine.

Earlier in the round, the deficit had grown even larger.

The Albany Lions continued their strong start to the season with a pair of wins over Stamford and Abilene TLCA, pushing their record to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in district play, and earning a spot in the latest Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 2A Top 10 poll.

Albany opened the week with a 7-4 win over Stamford on March 24, backed by a solid outing on the mound from Aiden Vickers. The right-hander went seven innings, allowing seven hits while striking out six.

Albany’s varsity boys topped the Albany-hosted track meet on Thursday, March 26, while the girls also posted strong performances across multiple events.

Official results from the Newcastle meet on Monday, March 30 were not available at press time and will be reported next week.

The Albany varsity boys finished first among teams last Thursday with 135 points, while Eastland placed second with 111. The Albany JV boys earned 110 points to finish second overall behind Eastland’s JV squad.