Last Friday, Green Hope welcomed three former student athletes into their athletic Hall of Fame who have all had their shot in the professional leagues. Although one of the recognized athletes couldn’t attend due to surgery, two of the three graduates made an appearance at the induction ceremony. All three athletes have had a long lasting impact on Green Hope’s athletic program, setting records and showing outstanding leadership traits.
The first athlete to be recognized was Mitch Spence, a current player on the New York Yankees’ Triple A team. Before graduating in 2016, Mitch Spence played on Green Hope’s varsity baseball team for two years, contributing to two all-conference championships and one state championship.
Spence claims that a lot of his success in high school can be attributed to his older teammates. “A lot of the older guys above me were going to big time schools and I saw how hard they were working and that kind of reflected on me.” This proved to be true as upon graduation, Spence went on to play three years at the University of South Carolina Aiken where he started as a pitcher for two years, getting all conference in his junior year. While he didn’t spend all 4 years at USC Aiken, what lay ahead was everything he had been working toward. The next season during the 2019 MLB Minor League Draft, Spence was drafted in the 10th round to the New York Yankees’ Triple A team.
Troy Maslowski was the second attendee of Green Hope’s Hall of Fame and he was recognized for being a two sport all-state athlete. During his time as a student, Maslowski was a three year letterman for baseball and won conference championships all three years. He made the all-state team for baseball for both his junior and senior year while also playing football. In his Green Hope football career, he won conference championships for the first time in 11 years. He was the captain of the football team and in his senior year, he won all-state as the only defensive back within North Carolina to be nominated, let alone selected.
While reflecting on what playing at Green Hope meant to him, Maslowski credits the school’s sports program by saying, “Green Hope gave me the ability to play these two sports and become good at both of them while still making friends and connections, something that isn’t possible at all high schools.”
During his interview, Maslowski admitted that he preferred baseball over football and chose to follow this path into college. He attended Barton University where he was a four year letterman. In his freshman year at Barton, Maslowski was ranked second for all time saves and going into sophomore year he was two time all conference. However in his junior year, Maslowski was injured and had to pause his athletic career while healing. Once he recovered, he completed his senior year at college and even went on to play one year of professional baseball in Sante Fe, New Mexico.
The third athlete recognized, Elly Henes, was absent that night due to injury, however her achievements do not go unnoticed. In her time at Green Hope, Henes ran for the cross country (XC) and track team. She was the NCHSAA XC State Champion in 2014 as well as N&O XC Runner of the Year for three years in a row from 2013-2015. She won three NCHSAA state championships in 2015 and was a four time runner up at NCHSAA State Track championships.
Following high school, Henes continued her career by running both indoor and outdoor track as well as XC all four years at North Carolina State University. She graduated with All-American honors and became the first female since 1984 to be an All-American for three consecutive years and is the fifth woman in NC State history to win the award three or more times.
Henes earned Second Team All-ACC honors in the 3K, placing sixth overall. In 2021, she won the NCAA 5000m. After NC State, she went on to be a professional runner in Arizona, being sponsored by Adidas. In 2021, Henes competed in the Olympic trials placing sixth overall and unfortunately, not qualifying. Being a predominant part of Green Hope athletics, she continues to leave her mark on the running world.
All three athletes are exceptional in their sports both during and after their time at Green Hope. These graduates provide current students with guidance and inspiration for those that wish to follow their pathways.
