Providence Grove alum receives top honor

Former Providence Grove athlete Anna Thomas was named the top female senior athlete at Emory & Henry College.

Thomas, a softball player, is the 2021-22 recipient of the Hall Memorial Award, which honors an athlete based on skill, leadership and character.

Thomas is considered one of the top outfielders in the Emory & Henry program history. She was part of 87 victories, two NCAA Tournaments on the Division III level and a No. 9 national ranking. During this past spring, she filled in as a pitcher as well.

Thomas was the 2019 Rookie of the Year in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. In 2021, she was picked for the ODAC all-tournament team and NCAA regional all-tournament team. 

Thomas batted .299 as a senior when the team was in transition from NCAA Division III to Division II and posted a 26-17 record.

The Hall Award is named in memory of George A. Hall, the father of retired coach Eleanor Hall Hutton, who started some of the first women’s sports on campus.