PrepZone: Barron Collier's Emily Browne wins Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete Award
Adam Fisher
It took a nearly endless supply of drive and discipline for Emily Browne to be a star of two elite athletic programs, all while maintaining a sterling grade-point average.
Those qualities earned Browne the Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete Award. But the Barron Collier High School senior said she never would have been on stage at Thursday’s ceremony at the Naples Grande Beach Resort if she didn’t learn those qualities from her parents, David and Diana.
“You need hard work and dedication,” Browne said. “Some days you have lacrosse practice and basketball practice, and you might not want to go. In order to get to the next level and to really achieve your highest potential, you have to put in the work. That’s what my parents instilled in me at a young age.”
Browne beat out 12 other finalists at the 28th annual Winged Foot celebration. She earned nine varsity letters, four each for the Cougars’ basketball and lacrosse programs that are routinely among the best in Southwest Florida.
Related story: Winged Foot finalist Emily Browne profile
Browne worked just as hard in the classroom. Her 5.83 grade-point average makes her salutatorian of the Barron Collier senior class that graduates Friday.
The lacrosse program won four district championships with Browne as a starter and advanced to the semifinals of the single-class state tournament twice. The basketball team also won four straight district titles with Browne and won a regional championship her sophomore year.
By piling up 59 goals and 34 assists, Browne earned a Naples Daily News All-Area selection and an All-Collier County Athletic Conference nod for the fourth straight year. It also earned her a scholarship to play at Liberty, a Division I program in the Big South Conference.
In basketball Browne averaged 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.2 steals per game as a senior. She averaged more than three steals per game across her entire four-year career.
Related story: Finalists named for 2017 Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete Award
Before the award was announced, former NFL quarterback and current CBS college football analyst Gary Danielson delivered the keynote address he titled “You’ll Never Make It.”
The speech detailed the obstacles Danielson had to overcome to have a 13-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns. They include bouncing around three World Football League teams and waiting three years after graduating Purdue to play his first snap in the NFL.
“There are no dead ends,” Danielson told the audience. “There are roadblocks, but there are ways around those roadblocks. There always is.”
Browne’s obstacle could have been her slight stature. But she played well above her 5-foot-2 height, using intelligence, leadership and speed to excel at both sports.
With her Winged Foot win, Browne has family bragging rights. Her sister Anna Browne was a finalist for the award in 2014 but didn’t win.
“I kind of one-upped her on this one,” Browne said with a smile. “I don’t know if I’m going to let her live that down.”
Anna Browne, who played one year of lacrosse at Liberty before injuries forced her to quit, acknowledged a sibling rivalry. However, at Thursday’s ceremony, big sis felt nothing but pride.
“She makes me so proud because of all the hard work and dedication she’s put in through the years,” Anna Browne said of her younger sister. “We’ve challenged each other throughout the years. I’m so lucky to have her as a sister.”
Since it was created by the Collier Athletic Club in 1990, the prestigious Winged Foot award has honored academic and athletic achievement in the county. Graduating seniors from all Collier high schools are eligible, and each school gets one finalist each year.
The winner gets a $10,000 scholarship, while the other finalists get $5,000 each.
2017 Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete finalist profiles
Browne is the seventh winner from Barron Collier in the award’s 28th year. Cougars took the first two awards given out, with Terry Dean winning in 1990 and Rich Hill in 1991. Other past Barron Collier winners are Kelly Roloff (1999), Alyssa Van Gemert (2003), Kelsey Assarian (2008) and Brett Clark (2012).
This year’s other Winged Foot finalists, in alphabetical order, were:
Marcella Bolenbaugh, St. John Neumann
Will Carlisle, Marco Island Academy
Jerome Cunningham, Palmetto Ridge
Matthew DiNorcia, Seacrest Country Day
Michael Ritter, First Baptist Academy
Cooper Weiss, Community School of Naples
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.
On May 2, the Winged Foot Selection Committee met and conducted informal interviews with each candidate. The committee then made its final decision, which will be announced at the banquet.
Stephanie Paul of Community School was the 2016 recipient. Paul played in all 31 games for the University of Georgia women’s basketball team this season, averaging 4.0 points and making 13 starts.
The major sponsors are Barron Collier Jr. Foundation, Lutgert Company, Lutgert Insurance, Premier Sotheby's International, Grant Fridkin Pearson, PA, IBERIABANK, Dr. Charles Karpas.
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 —StephaniePaul, Community School
2017 — Emily Browne, Barron Collier