Four Botetourt County seniors are nominees for this year’s B’nai B’rith Awards. The awards are given annually to one boy and one girl from among 19 schools in the Roanoke Valley who not only show athletic skill but have also excelled in the classroom and in community service.
This year’s nominees from James River are Abbagail Link and Kevin Theimer. Link was a runner for River, participating in cross country and track. She won four letters in indoor track and was a state qualifier all four years. A two year member of the National Honor Society, Abbagail volunteered at Solomon’s Mission.
Theimer was a football and baseball player for the Knights. In football he was a first team All-Pioneer District defensive back his junior and senior seasons and a second team receiver and punter as a senior. He’s been the Varsity Club President for three years and a Rescue Mission volunteer.
Veldman was first team all-state in both volleyball and basketball at LB, including three straight years where she was named Class 3 volleyball Player-of-the-Year. She played on five state championship teams, three in volleyball and two in basketball. A three-year member of the National Honor Society, she volunteered at the Little Cavs basketball and volleyball camps. Miette will attend James Madison University on a volleyball scholarship.
Eller was a football and basketball standout for LB. In football, he was named state Class 3 Defensive Player-of-the-Year as a junior. He was also a quarterback for the Cavs and a point guard on the basketball team, but suffered a knee injury early in the 2019 football season and missed the rest of the season as well as the basketball season. A member of the National Honor Society, Evan will attend VMI on a football scholarship.
The male and female winners will be announced Thursday during an on-line ceremony. In normal years the nominees would be treated to a banquet where the two winners would be announced.
