Tricia Renfrow of North Johnston High is among 20 NCHSAA athletes who have been recognized for outstanding sportsmanship and citizenship with the “Heart of a Champion” award. She will be honored at a luncheon on Saturday at the Radisson Governors’ Inn in the Research Triangle Park.

Renfrow’s mother was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2010 and passed away last December.

“There were so many things going on in her life, but she continued to think of other people,” said Nicole Davis, the North Johnston athletic director and volleyball coach. “She remained our vocal leader. She was never late, did not complain and always was encouraging.”

Renfrow also was one of the top academic performers in the school, finishing second in her class.

“She was remarkable,” Davis said.

All-sports awards: Clayton, East Chapel Hill, Green Hope and Millbrook each won their league Wells Fargo Conference Cup for overall sports excellence. Points are awarded within each NCHSAA conference for regular-season finishes.

Carrboro, Rosewood, Corinth Holders and Chapel Hill also won league titles. Chapel Hill nipped Cardinal Gibbons by two points for the Carolina 3A honor.

New Balance Nationals: The New Balance Outdoor Nationals, the unofficial national high school track and field championships, are scheduled for June 14-16 at North Carolina A&T in Greensboro.

The area has some of the top high school athletes in the country, including 400 meters runner Ariah Graham of Wakefield; distance runners Samantha George of Millbrook, Thomas Graham of Cary Academy (current national 5,000-meter leader) and Wesley Frazier of Ravenscroft (2011 mile national champion); plus sprinters Tevin Hester and Briana Heath of Granville Central and Alexis Murphy of Apex.

Davis wins honor: Lexi Davis, who pitched Indian Trail Porter Ridge past Holly Springs for the state 4A softball title, has been named the Gatorade N.C. softball player of the year.

Porter Ridge beat Holly Springs 2-0 in the best of three N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A finals.

Davis was 33-1 with a 0.23 earned run average. She hit .450 and is committed to Auburn University.

Charger to Amherst: Cary Academy’s Keenan Szulik is expected to play baseball at Amherst College in Massachusetts. He had a 19-3 record during the career and was 10-0 last season with an earned run average less than 1.00 during the 2012 regular season..

Szulik, an A student, was recruited by more than 20 schools, but chose Amherst for its combination of academics and athletics.

Firebird to Wake Forest: Cameron Gardner, a 6-foot-7, 280-pound football offensive lineman at Southern Nash High has committed to Wake Forest.

Gardner, a junior, is the Deacons’ first football commitment in the Class of 2013.

All-star lacrosse: Cardinal Gibbons High boys lacrosse standout Connor Prevost has been selected to play in the 2012 USL Champion All-American Showcase on July 25-27 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The complete rosters have not been announced yet.

Prevost, who is expected to play football and lacrosse at the U.S. Naval Academy, was joined on the U.S. Lacrosse High School All-America team by teammates Luke Enzweiler and Matt Skowron. Also on the team were Holly Springs defender Evan Allen, Broughton midfielder Dane Angell, and Durham Jordan attacker Sam Lindsay.

All-state coach: Robert Peterson of Green Hope High was selected as the 4A girls soccer coach of the year by the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association. Green Hope finished 25-1 and was ranked No. 1 in the country before losing to Cornelius Hough 2-1 in the NCHSAA 4A title game.

The NCSCA all-state girls soccer team included Catherine Blair of Saint Mary’s, Sydney Branson of Cary Academy, Cameron Castleberry and Caroline Lindquist of Ravenscroft, Shannon Cleaver of Durham Academy, Madison Boice of Durham Science & Math, Rachel Hammond and Rachel Schwab of Raleigh Charter, Samantha Burch and Kylie Tawney of Carrboro, Caitlyn Donovan, Morgan Reid and Christina Gibbons of Cardinal Gibbons, and Francis Reuland of Chapel Hill.

Area 4A players chosen were Dominique Babbitt of Holly Springs, Cailyn Boch and Colleen Markey of Millbrook, Alexis Degler and Alexis Shaffer of Green Hope, Hannah Gardner of East Chapel Hill, Courtney Johnson and Caroline Gentry of Leesville Road, Paige Reckert of Apex, Madison Shaw of Wakefield, and Clay Weaver of Broughton.

TSTEVENS: 919-829-8910