Roy Bates Scholarships handed out for 32nd year
The Roy Bates Student Athlete Foundation banquet and awards ceremony is marking its 32nd year this spring, and the total for scholarship money awarded will reach $490,000.
The 32nd annual Roy Bates Scholarship winners were announced recently by the Wayne County Community Foundation.
After a review of nearly 40 applicants representing eight of 10 high schools in Wayne County, the following eight scholarship winners stood out above the rest and will share in a combined $20,000: Wooster’s Brady Bowen, Orrville’s Grace Hamrick, Dalton’s Brady Hignight, Smithville’s Quinn Maibach, Norwayne’s Parker Metsker, Chippewa’s Elena Moyer, Triway’s Grant Schag and Northwestern’s Jailynn Woodruff.
They will each receive a Bates Foundation one-time scholarship of $2,500 and are finalists for the Bates Player of the Year, which will be announced during a dinner for the scholarship winners and their parents at Greystone Event Center in May.
The Bates Foundation, a component of the Wayne County Community Foundation, will reach $490,000 this year in scholarship money awarded to Wayne County student-athletes over three decades.
Rick Rottman, a 1969 Triway graduate who’s been a longtime coach and supporter of area athletics, took over as the Bates Foundation committee chairperson in 2021.
The Bates committee was impressed with another outstanding group of applicants, Rottman said.
“These applicants represent some of Wayne County’s best high school seniors,” Rottman said. “Roy wanted the good young people to get exposure for not only athletic achievements or grades, but also character and leadership.
“As always, any of those applying could have been winners. Congratulations belongs to the parents of all the winners. We hope the underclassmen will learn of Roy and this amazing scholarship opportunity. The Bates Scholarship winners have been the cream of the crop for over three decades. It’s quite a special club.”
Bowen has participated in basketball and baseball for Wooster. He ranks 25th in a class of 273 with a 3.87 GPA. He is the son of Jeff and Tina Bowen and will attend the University of Akron on a baseball scholarship.
Hamrick has played volleyball and softball and ranks 24th in a class of 122 with a 3.86 GPA at Orrville. She is the daughter of Megan Dalessandro and Donnie Hamrick and will attend the University of Akron.
Hignight has played football, basketball and baseball at Dalton while compiling a 3.9 GPA to rank 18th in a class of 75. He is the son of Chris and Megan Hignight and will attend the University of Akron.
Maibach has participated in soccer, football, basketball and track for Smithville and has a 4.62 GPA, which is second in a class of 87. He is the son of James and Susan Maibach and will attend the University of Akron-Wayne.
Metsker has participated in football, soccer, basketball and track at Norwayne and has a 3.99 GPA to rank 16th in a class of 115. He is the son of Jason and Lorna Metsker and will attend the University of Akron.
Moyer has played soccer and basketball for Chippewa and has a 3.47 GPA (class rank unavailable). She is the daughter of Scott and Charlene Moyer and is undecided on a college.
Schag has played baseball for Triway and has a 4.0 GPA to rank tied for first in a class of 96. He is the son of Jason and Mandi Schag and will attend Walsh University on a baseball scholarship.
Woodruff has played soccer and basketball for Northwestern and has a 3.64 GPA to rank 41st in a class of 99. She is the daughter of Kelly McMillan and Michael Woodruff Jr. and plans to attend Marietta College and play soccer there.
Roy Bates died at age 88 in 2004 after a life that saw him work as a successful teacher, coach, broadcaster, referee, athlete and more.
Bates played baseball and basketball for the now-defunct Chester High and coached at both Chester and Northwestern. He even helped Bobby Knight as a basketball assistant at Indiana University.
Bates set up the foundation that bears his name to honor Wayne County senior student-athletes based on character, grades and athletic ability — in that order.
To be eligible, applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA, be a senior at a Wayne County high school, and play basketball and/or baseball/softball (his favorite sports). The rules state only one athlete per school can receive an award.
The Bates Foundation Executive Committee that chose the 2025 award winners consisted of Keith Snoddy, Aaron Dorksen and Rottman.
Special thanks go to Wayne County Community Foundation program manager Lacie Neal for her help coordinating the scholarship and hosting the selection meeting.