Clayton Finney ’20 is a recognized scholar-athlete. Having recently been awarded the Brian Piccolo Award, the three-sport athlete is a known leader among his teachers, coaches, and peers.
Clayton came to Pine Crest Middle School as a seventh grade student. While he had played football from the time that he was six years old, he had lost his love of the sport and did not plan to play anymore. However, a friend talked him into playing the following year, and his love of the sport was reignited. His work ethic and talent did not go unnoticed as he moved to Upper School. He was one of four sophomores to start on the varsity team.
As a senior, Clayton served as a captain of the football team.
“I had great leaders before me,” said Clayton. “I got to see how they led and how the team responded to them. As a junior, I led the defense, and that gave me time to earn my teammates’ trust. Their trust gave me the confidence to make the right plays and for us as a team to get the job done.”
After his ninth grade football season, he joined the track and field and weightlifting teams.
“I have to attribute joining the teams to Coach Hibbs and Coach Givens,” said Clayton. “They encouraged me to explore other sports. I advanced to the regional finals in both sports during my junior year, which were highlights of that year for me.”
Balancing his athletic schedule with his schoolwork required discipline.
“My days started early,” said Clayton. “I would wake up around 5:45 each morning and go to school for my 6:40 workout. It was an easy way to get in my workout without using a free period and a great way to start my day. I really had to balance my time at school and prioritize what I needed to get done at school and then at home. Not a lot of time to procrastinate.”
Off the field and outside of the classroom, Clayton took leadership positions as the president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and the Black Students’ Association (BSA).
As the president of the FCA, Clayton got to know student-athletes from all of Pine Crest’s sports teams.
“Football teams have a unique environment, but I was a leader to lacrosse players, swimmers — athletes from sports that may not relate to the same situation as a football player,” said Clayton. “I wanted to tailor my message to apply to everyone’s life, and I felt I was able to do that. I wanted everyone to feel comfortable expressing their opinions. By the end of the year, we really got to know each other. Friendships were made that probably wouldn’t have been made otherwise. My goal was to make everyone feel connected, and I take pride in that.”
A new leadership opportunity presented itself for Clayton in the BSA.
“It’s not a sports team, so I had to be thoughtful about how to be a good leader to this community of students,” Clayton said. “I wanted to grow the club, so I focused on encouraging incoming freshmen to join. A second thing I wanted to focus on was the development of relationships within the club and for the members to feel like they have a voice, because they do. I tried to let my guard down as much as possible to show everyone that they could speak freely and would be listened to. It was important to me to foster an inclusive environment to anyone who wanted to join.”
Clayton will be a freshman this fall at Duke University. He will study political science with the intention of attending law school. While he is excited to attend Duke, he says he will miss the classroom environment at Pine Crest.
“There is so much I will miss—my teachers, friends, and classmates,” said Clayton. “It's been amazing to see how we have grown as a class and as individuals. I am going to miss everyone, especially being able to talk to my teachers and coaches and having them as mentors.”
