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.

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.

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.

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.

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’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.

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.

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’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.