Swarm selected as Star of the Year Winner for Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame 2018 Class

The 2017 NLL World Champion Georgia Swarm will be recognized at the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Induction Ceremony as the Star of the Year Award Winner on Friday, Feb. 16.

Hosted by Fox 5 tv sports anchor Ken Rodriguez, the annual awards ceremony will celebrate the careers of its 2018 inductees Joe Hamilton, John “Whack” Hyder, Andruw Jones, Leo Mazzone and Gerald Riggs.

The ceremony will be held in the Emory Conference Center Hotel at 6:00 p.m. ET. Tickets for the dinner and 2018 Awards and Induction Ceremony are available at www.AtlantaSportsHallofFame.org.

The Star of the Year Award is handed out to a Georgia-based High School, College, Amateur or Professional sports player or organization which has achieved a special feat. Swarm President and Co-Owner Andy Arlotta, assistant captain Shayne Jackson and transition player Bryan Cole will accept the award on behalf of the Swarm organization.

“It’s an honor to be recognized on this night with this prestigious award while celebrating five of Atlanta sports greats,” Arlotta said. “The 2017 Swarm season was one we’ll never forget, and we cannot wait to be in the same room as these local legends to witness their induction into the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame.”

“When you are World Champions like the Swarm is, it makes it easy for the Hall of Fame to select a winner for our Star of the Year,” Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame President Larry Winter said. “The Swarm was able to be the best at the highest level.”

The Swarm was 17-5 during the 2017 season and swept both the Toronto Rock and Saskatchewan Rush in the playoffs on the way to its first-ever Champion’s Cup. Georgia also set a new NLL record for most goals in a season with 266.

The Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame is dedicated to honoring Atlanta’s sports heroes. Its inductees include such sports heroes like Hank Aaron, Bobby Cox, Bobby Dodd, Evander Holyfield and Deion Sanders.

Previous winners of the Star Award include NASCAR Champion Chase Elliott, Emory University Swimming and Diving Team, and Kyle Maynard, a Collins Hill High School graduate who became the first congenital amputee to hike to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.