by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
The Northern Neck Sports Wall of Fame committee continues to play catch up from COVID-19 interruptions to its annual induction schedule. The committee recently announced inductees for 2023 and 2024.
Five athletes from across the Northern Neck, including two each from Lancaster and Richmond counties, will be inducted. Among the honorees are a skilled field trial dog handler, golf pro, baseball star, accomplished runner and coach and a decorated multi-sport athlete.
Jimmy Crandall
Jimmy Crandall of Kilmarnock competed and placed in his first Pointing Dog Field Trial in 1983 in Ottoman which began 41 years of training, handling and competing dogs in local, regional and national trials.
Local clubs joined the U.S. Complete Shooting Dog Association (USCSDA) and after 10 years of local success, Crandall went on to compete in both the Amateur Field Trial Clubs of America (AFTCA) and USCSDA arenas. His accomplishments include being named the Virginia Association of USCSDA Clubs Sportsman of the Year (2011-12), USCSDA National Handler of the Year (2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16), AFTCA Region 3 runner up Shooting Dog Champion (2014), AFTCA Region 3 Shooting Dog Champion (2017) and the USCSDA National Shooting Dog of the Year (2017-18).
Current president and chairman of the Lancaster County Field Trial Association, Crandall has qualified to compete in the USCSDA National Amateur Invitational Shooting Dog Championship several times. This invitation is only extended to the top 12 dogs in the country each year.
Kaveh Conaway
Longtime Lancaster High School (LHS) sports fans are all too familiar with the accomplishments and athleticism of 2001 graduate Kaveh Conaway. A four-sport athlete at LHS, Conaway received all-district, all-region and all-state honors in football, basketball, soccer and track.
With 6,000 career rushing yards, Conaway was twice named the Northern Neck District offensive player of the year in football. He also was selected once as the Region A offensive player of the year and was named to the Virginia High School League (VHSL) all-state team.
A 1,000-point scorer, he also received all-district, all-region and all-state honors in basketball and with 92 career goals, also received those same three honors in soccer.
In 2001, Conaway was the Northern Neck District MVP in boys track and qualified for the state meet in the 100 meter dash and long and triple jumps.
Troy Thorne
Troy Thorne, PGA, of Richmond County is now the head golf pro at The Golf Club at the Highlands. A 1995 graduate of Rappahannock High School (RHS), Thorne won the Region A championship as an individual—Rappahannock didn’t have a golf team—in 1992, 93 and 94. He finished third in the VHSL state golf championships his sophomore year, as the runner-up his junior year and won the state championship as a senior.
Thorne received a golf scholarship to Old Dominion University in Norfolk and after graduating in 1999 returned to take over as the head golf pro at Hobbs Hole Golf Course in Tappahannock. While there, he and his father, Jim Thorne, co-coached the Essex High School golf team for 15 years.
He moved to Chesterfield in 2022, where he took over as head PGA Golf Professional at the Highlands.
Danny Pierson
Another Rappahannock High graduate, Danny Pierson is being honored for his baseball skills. Pierson, a 1976 RHS grad, was a three-year starter on the Raiders baseball team and was the first Northern Neck District player to be named to the VHSL all-state baseball team.
Pierson also excelled in slow pitch softball, appearing in two national tournaments with the Dunbrooke softball team.
Gill Williams
Gill Williams was a force on the track in Westmoreland County and returned to his alma mater after running in college to coach and work as an administrator.
Williams was once crowned the Northern Neck District Champion in the 880 meter and set a district record to win the mile. He also was a state champion in the mile and the runner-up in the 880. He was twice named all conference in track at Ferrum College and was the captain of Ferrum’s cross country team.
In 1978, Williams finished 65th out of 2,800 runners in Richmond’s first marathon and he raced to a 40th place finish at the Virginia Beach Marathon that same year.
When he returned to Westmoreland County, Williams coached the Washington & Lee boys track team to a state championship in 1980 and won multiple district championships in boys and girls track. He’s also credited with starting the cross country program in 1981 at W&L, which was the first cross country team in the Northern Neck District.
The Eagles’ girls cross country team won six straight district and Region A championships. He also served as the district chairman for track in 1989-90.
Williams also was an accomplished writer, twice winning Best Sports Story out of 31 newspapers for Atlantic Publishing.
