Darren Hankins Memorial Scholarship / Hickory Black and Teal

Darren graduated from Hickory High School in 2011.  As a Hickory Hawk, Darren developed many interests, including chess, orchestra, weightlifting, videography, baseball, football, basketball, and his preferred sport of wrestling.  Darren honed his work ethic in wrestling to the point that he became a highly accomplished wrestler, winning regional and national tournaments.  In his senior year of high school, he ranked number one in the Southeastern District, competed for the AAA State Championship in Virginia, and took second place.

Darren attended Virginia Tech, where he excelled as a student and wrestled on their highly ranked Division 1 Team. 

Tragically, Darren passed away in 2014.   To honor Darren's legacy, the Hickory Wrestling Club holds a memorial wrestling tournament, "the Black and Teal, "to raise money for the Darren Hankins Scholarship. 

The 2026 recipient of the 2026 Memorial Scholarship was Matthew Chen.

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Past Receipients:

2025 - Jada Belfield

2024 - Parker Shelton

2023 - Curran Workman

2022 - Owen Belfield

2021 - Michael Long

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