Roy Bates Scholarships awarded for 31st year
The late Roy Bates, a longtime teacher, coach, broadcaster, referee, athlete and more, set up a scholarship fund for Wayne County athletes in his name that has awarded $470,000 to date. The 31st class of Bates Scholarship winners has been announced.
The 31st annual Roy Bates Scholarship winners were announced recently by the Wayne County Community Foundation.
After a review of nearly 50 applicants representing 10 high schools in Wayne County, the following eight scholarship winners stood out above the rest and will share in a combined $20,000: Norwayne’s Treyton Bayless, Rittman’s Nolan Frame, Chippewa’s Anna Henegar, Smithville’s Naomi Keib, Orrville’s Brady Marshall, Wooster’s Tori Pettorini, Triway’s Carter Wachtel and Dalton’s Seth Wyckoff.
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, which is a component of the Wayne County Community Foundation, will reach $470,000 this year in scholarship money awarded to Wayne County student-athletes over three decades.
Rick Rottman, a 1969 Triway graduate and a longtime coach and supporter of area athletics, took over as the Bates Foundation committee chairperson in 2021.
Rottman said the Bates committee was impressed with the group of applicants. “It was really impressive to read about the scholastic and athletic accomplishments of the applicants, as well as learn about their outstanding character from references who we talked to. There were some really hard choices to make.”
Bayless has participated in basketball, soccer, tennis and baseball for Norwayne. He ranks 11th in a class of 110 with a 3.91 GPA. He is the son of Samira Zimmerly and is undecided on a college.
Frame has played football, baseball and basketball and ranks third in a class of 70 with a 4.13 GPA at Rittman. He is the son of Ken and Peggy Frame and will attend Purdue.
Henegar has played soccer, basketball, softball and cross country at Chippewa while compiling a 3.11 GPA. She is the daughter of Donald and Amy Henegar and is undecided on a college.
Keib has played volleyball, basketball and track for Smithville and has a 4.58 GPA, which is third in a class of 93. She is the daughter of Tim and Joi Keib and will attend Mount Vernon Nazarene University on a basketball scholarship.
Marshall has played baseball and football for Orrville and has a 3.9 GPA to rank 21st in a class of 103. He is the son of Scott and Shawna Marshall and will attend Kent State on a baseball scholarship.
Pettorini has played volleyball, basketball and softball at Wooster and has a 3.99 GPA to rank 39th in a class of 237. She is the daughter of Tim and Tina Pettorini and will attend Ohio State or Otterbein.
Wachtel has played softball and volleyball for Triway and ranks first in a class of 106 with a 4.0 GPA. She is the daughter of Christopher and Jill Wachtel and will attend Georgia Tech on a softball scholarship.
Wyckoff has played baseball, football and basketball for Dalton and has a 3.72 GPA to rank 24th in a class of 69. He is the son of Chad and Sarah Wycoff and is undecided on a college.
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. He 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 2024 award winners consisted of Keith Snoddy, Aaron Dorksen and Rottman.