FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

14TH ANNUAL PEPSI CELEBRATION OF CHAMPIONS PRESENTED BY KROGER SET FOR TOMORROW AT GRAND OLE OPRY HOUSE

Event honors greatest achievements in Middle Tennessee Sports

Nashville, Tenn., February 21, 2012 - The 14th Annual Pepsi Celebration of Champions presented by Kroger set for tomorrow will recognize the best in Middle Tennessee sports during 2011.  The event is Nashville’s premier sports awards event honoring outstanding achievements in high school, collegiate, and professional sports by Middle Tennessee individuals, teams, and organizations, as voted on by the Nashville sports media, Nashville Sports Council membership and Kroger customers.    

For the first time, this year’s Pepsi Celebration of Champions presented by Kroger will include general admission seating for $15 per ticket / $10 for Kroger Plus customers at the Grand Ole Opry House.  General admission tickets will be sold at the door at the Grand Ole Opry House beginning at 5:30pm.  Visit NashvilleSports.com for ticket information.  

The winners of each of the following award categories will be presented tomorrow evening at the historic Grand Ole Opry House:  Sports Person of the Year, Ed Temple Amateur (Male & Female), High School Athletics (Male & Female), High School Team Athletics (Male & Female), Fred Russell Lifetime Achievement (Pat Summitt, UT Lady Vols Head Coach), Community Spirit (Brent Peterson, Nashville Predators), Nashville Sports Council Volunteer of the Year (Liz McCaslin), Kaia Jergenson Courage (Conner and Cayden Long), and the Sergeant York Trophy (Tennessee State University).  The Top 10 Sports Moments of the Year for 2011 will also be unveiled.

The nominees in the above-mentioned categories are as follows:

Sports Person of the Year: Rick Byrd – Belmont Men’s Basketball, Tim Corbin – Vanderbilt Baseball, Dario Franchetti – IndyCar Driver, James Franklin – Vanderbilt Football, Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators.

Ed Temple Male Amateur Athletics:  Sonny Gray – Vanderbilt Baseball, Demonte Harper – Morehead State University Basketball, John Jenkins – Vanderbilt Basketball, Brett Patterson – Middle Tennessee State University, Zac Stacy – Vanderbilt Football.
   
Ed Temple Female Amateur Athletics: Victoria Dunlap – Kentucky Basketball, Kathy Kroeger – Stanford Cross Country, Calle Nielson – Virginia Golf, Ebony Rowe – Middle Tennessee State Basketball, Jence Rhoads – Vanderbilt Basketball.
 
High School Male Athletics: Mookie Betts – John Overton Basketball and Baseball, Josue Brown – Hunters Lane Wrestling, Corn Elder – Ensworth Football and Basketball, I’Tavius Mathers – Blackman Football, Alex Poythress – Clarksville Basketball. 
 
High School Female Athletics: Rachel Albritton – Riverdale Softball, Shacobia Barbee – Riverdale Basketball, Alexandra Farnsworth – Ensworth Golf, Alyssa Ivey – Ravenwood Volleyball, Caya Williams – Mt. Juliet Basketball.   

High School Male Team Athletics: Brentwood High Cross Country, Ensworth Football, Father Ryan Soccer, Lipscomb Baseball, Stratford Track and Field.  

High School Female Team Athletics: Beech Softball, Ensworth Golf, Franklin High Soccer, Ravenwood Volleyball, Riverdale Basketball.
   
Sergeant York Trophy: Awarded to the winner of the quadrangular season football series between the four Ohio Valley Conference schools located in Tennessee: Austin Peay State University; University of Tennessee at Martin; Tennessee State University; and Tennessee Technological University.  Tennessee State University is this year’s recipient of the Sergeant York Trophy.  

The Nashville Sports Council will also award two $2,500 college scholarships to a deserving male and female high school student-athlete who excels in the classroom as well as in their respective sport.  This year the scholarships will be awarded to Mary Hannah Winstead from BGA and Brandon Spierto from Franklin High School.  

For event information visit NashvilleSports.com or contact the Nashville Sports Council at 615.743.3120.

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About Pepsi Beverages Company
Pepsi Beverages Company (PBC) is PepsiCo's beverage manufacturing, sales and distribution operating unit in the United States, Canada and Mexico. PBC handles approximately 75 percent of PepsiCo's North America beverage volume. Its diverse portfolio includes some of the world's most widely recognized beverage brands, including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Aquafina, Gatorade, SoBe, Lipton, and Amp Energy. In many markets, PBC also manufactures and/or distributes non-Pepsi brands, including Dr Pepper, Crush, ROCKSTAR, and Muscle Milk. The operating unit is headquartered in Westchester County, New York and employs approximately 70,000 people. Learn more about PBC at www.pepsico.com/pbc.  

About Kroger
Kroger, the nation’s largest traditional grocery retailer, employs more than 338,000 associates who serve customers in 2,458 supermarkets and multi-department stores in 31 states under two dozen local banner names including Kroger, City Market, Dillons, Jay C, Food 4 Less, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, QFC, Ralphs and Smith’s. The Company also operates 786 convenience stores, 361 fine jewelry stores, 1,014 supermarket fuel centers and 40 food processing plants in the U.S. Kroger, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, focuses its charitable efforts on supporting hunger relief, health and wellness initiatives, and local organizations in the communities it serves. For more information about Kroger, please visit www.kroger.com.

About the Nashville Sports Council
The Nashville Sports Council is a private, non-profit, membership-based organization of area corporations and individual sports enthusiasts.  Created in 1992, the Nashville Sports Council’s mission is to positively impact the economy and quality of life of the Greater Nashville Area by attracting and promoting professional and amateur sporting events.  The Nashville Sports Council has hosted more than 160 major sporting events that have produced more than $450 million in direct economic impact for the region.  For more information call 615.743.3120 or visit NashvilleSports.com.  Follow the Nashville Sports Council on Facebook and Twitter.