Fall 2020 \ ACCESS ACM 10
In June, Cumberland residents Justin Copman and Madi Hott were
selected as the college’s top athletes of 2020.
Male athlete of the year, Justin Copman, returned to ACM to play as a
forward with the Trojan basketball team. Copman was first in the nation in
the NJCAA DI in total rebounds and rebounds per game. He averaged 12.3
points and 12.2 rebounds per game.
A General Studies major, Copman played as a freshman in the 2019
NJCAA Division I Championship Tournament. During both his freshman and
sophomore seasons, he was named 1st Team All Region XX and 2nd Team
All MD-JUCO. In addition, he was selected as Student Athlete of the Month
by ACM for December 2019.
At 6’7” and 220 pounds, Copman is a 2018 graduate of Allegany High
School. An outstanding high school basketball player, he was voted the
2018 Player of the Year by the Cumberland Times-News. He currently
attends Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania.
“Justin had an outstanding two years at ACM, and I know he’ll excel at
Gannon University. On the court, he was an anchor for entire team and
did everything in his power to make his team better. Off the court, he’s
committed to excelling in his classes as evidenced by his strong GPA. He
should be, as we are, intensely proud of his achievements during his time
as a Trojan,” said ACM Head Coach Tommie Reams.
Madi Hott joined the Lady Trojans volleyball team as a libero. At
5’4” with 56 digs, 47 sets, 13 kills, and 17 points, Hott was a versatile,
experienced defensive player in her first year of play for ACM. She was
named ACM’s Student Athlete of the Month for September 2019. Hott,
a nursing major, is the recipient of an Athletic Achievement Scholarship
awarded through the ACM Athletics Department.
“Madi is a terrific hustler on the court who’s always looking for ways to
push herself to benefit the team,” said ACM Head Coach Megan Oliver.
“She developed as the season progressed and embraced challenges on
and off the court as a student in our nursing program. We can’t wait to see
what she does next year.”
Hott is a 2019 graduate of Calvary Christian Academy. She was named
Defensive Player of the Year in both 10th and 12th grades. While attending
Calvary, she was in the 1st Team All-Conference, 1000 Point Club, and
named the Cumberland Times-News Player of the Month. In addition to
volleyball, Hott played basketball and soccer during high school.
$100,000
Best Ball:
The Harold Appel
Foundation
Any golfer will tell you that you never play
the same game twice. Factor in the wind, rain,
temperature and course conditions, and it’s
a new game with every drive. Maybe that’s
what fed Harold Appel’s obsession with golf:
its unpredictability.
Carrying a single-digit handicap, Appel
learned the game as a caddy (and later as a
Caddy Master) at the Cumberland Country Club
under pro golfer Carroll Boggs. A longtime
member of the Club, he worked for Pittsburgh
Plate Glass Company and CSX, and owned and
operated Comfort Air Systems for 20 years
and Appel’s Gateway Bar and Grill for 30 years
before his passing in 2010.
His loved ones and friends honored him
by throwing a block party and later hosting
a golf fundraiser to create the Harold Appel
Foundation to found a scholarship in his memory
at ACM. (Appel attended Allegany Community
College after graduating from Fort Hill in 1963.)
For nearly a decade, Appel’s friends held golf
tournaments and hosted dinners to raise money.
Earlier this year, the Foundation’s leadership
decided it was time for a new approach. It was
time to play best ball for a better return on
investment.
In golf, “best ball” is a form of tournament
play used by foursomes. Instead of combining
all four players’ score per hole, the team records
the score of only one player per hole. There’s
no penalty for one person’s water hazard or
another’s duff (bad shot) from the rough. It’s a
strategy that pools the best individual scores
per hole to yield, potentially, a better score.
The Board leadership disbanded the
Appel Foundation. They gifted the majority
of the Appel Foundation’s assets to the ACM
Foundation, which is fully invested with the
University System of Maryland Foundation.
The Appel Foundation’s donation of $100,000
is now part of a larger pool, one that typically
offers a higher ROI than before while continuing
to help ACM students.
Justin i Copman C and d Madi M di Hott
H
Chosen as Athletes of the Year