Tara Watkins made it an even dozen for Naples High.
The Golden Eagles cross country and track standout became the 12th athlete from her school to be named the Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete winner at the 36th annual banquet held at the Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón on Thursday, May 15.
“Naples High is one of a kind,” said Watkins, who will continue her cross country and track career at Furman. “We have a great coaching staff, we have great academics, we have great teachers that really want the best for everyone, and just our coaching staff cares about each athlete individually, not only as athlete, but as a person as well. The memories we make are incredible and lifelong, and I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.”
Watkins was one of 14 nominees submitted by Collier County high schools. The Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete Foundation will give $5,000 to each finalist, while Watkins will receive a $10,000 scholarship – $2,500 a year for four years
“Honestly, it could have gone to anyone,” Watkins said. “It was a very tough race, like everyone was really high academically. Everyone had the community hours. They had the athletics as well. So it was really the best 14 athletes in the county.
“So I was surprised to hear my name, but I knew that we all put in the work and the dedication and everything that went into it. It could have been any one of us, and we all deserved it. So I’m glad it was me, but it was great to see everyone else and see what they’ve accomplished as well.”
For her career, Watkins has three school cross country Most Valuable Runner awards and multiple state medals in track, including seventh-place in the 800 and sixth-place in the 4×400 relay in Class 3A as a senior. She also played softball her first three years. She was a four-time Naples Daily News All-Area First-Team for cross country and track, and for softball made First Team All-Area as a sophomore and Second Team her freshman and junior seasons.
In the classroom and community, she served as the Student Body President her freshman year and has been an active member of the Student Government. She’s a co-chair and social media manager for the TOM’S Campus Club, treasurer of the National Honor Society, and volunteered for the Gulf Coast Runners Youth Track Team, Project Unify Day for the Special Olympics and spent two weeks at an animal shelter in Costa Rica. She compiled a 4.89 weighted GPA while taking 12 AP and seven Honors courses.
One person who has watched Watkins her whole career is her mother, Mary Beth Watkins, Naples High’s longtime cross country and track distance coach.
“She’s come to these banquets before, and she’s known about this award for years, and just to see her up there as one of the 14 finalists is amazing, and then to see her name announce, I was like, ‘Wow, that’s impressive’, and they’re all deserving, but I’m so happy for her,” Mary Beth Watkins said.
“It’s just been nonstop, one thing after another, and I’m very relieved that it’s pretty much over, and I’m excited for her future. And then this is just icing on the cake, doing this.”
This year’s other Winged Foot finalists, in alphabetical order, were:
Former NCAA and Super Bowl champion Jonathan Wilma served as guest speaker. Vilma played for the 2001 University of Miami Hurricanes national championship team and the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV champion in 2009, among his many college and pro accolades.
“The biggest takeaway will be to make sure that all the principles they learn in sports translates into real life, and if they understand what they’ve learned so far, and then now take it to the next level through college and then their careers, they’re going to be extremely successful,” said Vilma, who works as an NFL analyst for Fox Sports. “They already had that kind of built in drive, that self-discipline that has gotten them this far. So now it’s a matter of taking that, growing with it, and then continuing it on in life.”
Past Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete Award Winners
1990 — Terry Dean, Barron Collier
1991 — Rich Hill, Barron Collier
1992 — Danny Bond, Naples
1993 — Ryan Krzykowski, Lely
1994 — Jean Bonnici , Naples
1995 — Lynn Miller, Naples
1996 — Ethan Altaratz, Naples
1997 — Jacki Haar, Lely
1998 — Carissa Johnson, Immokalee
1999 — Kelly Roloff, Barron Collier
2000 — Lars Grimm, Community School
2001 — Shannon McGregor, St. John Neumann
2002 — Eric Beights, Lely
2003 — Alyssa Van Gemert, Barron Collier
2004 — Ingrid Schumacher, Naples
2005 — Wiselet Rouzard, Immokalee
2006 — Lee Campbell, Gulf Coast
2007 — Samantha Milne, Palmetto Ridge
2008 — Kelsey Assarian, Barron Collier; Jack Swanson, Naples
2009 — Taylor Burfield, Community School
2010 — Ryan Iamurri, Naples
2011 — A.J. Prokop-Ervin, Naples
2012 — Brett Clark, Barron Collier
2013 — Danielle Avery, Naples
2014 — Ryan Celano, Community School
2015 — Michael Walker, Naples
2016 — Stephanie Paul, Community School
2017 — Emily Browne, Barron Collier
2018 — Paula Gomes, Gulf Coast
2019 — Jensen Jones, St. John Neumann
2020 — Malaya Melancon, First Baptist
2021 — Trace Davidson, Gulf Coast
2022 – Lane Calkins, Naples
2023 – Carole Ann Hussey, Seacrest Country Day
2024 – Sophia McCartney, St. John Neumann
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples High’s Tara Watkins named 2025 Winged Foot Scholar-Athlete Award winner
Reporting by Ed Reed, Naples Daily News / Naples Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
