Johnston County Public Schools inducts 16th Athletic Hall of Fame class

Submitted By Johnston County Public Schools

SMITHFIELD — Johnston County Public Schools (JCPS) inducted its 16th class of dedicated athletes, coaches and support personnel to the school district’s Athletic Hall of Fame recently at South Johnston High.

The 2024 JCPS Athletic Hall of Fame inductees are:

 Chris Archer: The Clayton High graduate is a two-time MLB all star.

 Neal Lancaster: The Smithfield native is a PGA professional with more than 25 top 10s.

 Lynwood McLamb: A Four Oaks Middle faculty member was a legacy nominee with more than 30 years service.

 Anna Raynor Marbry: A South Johnston High graduate, University of North Carolina at Wilmington hall of fame inductee, female track athlete and multi-sport athlete

 Coach Pat Smith: South Johnston faculty member and multi-time state champion baseball coach. Archer was drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 MLB Draft by Cleveland. He made his MLB debut in 2012 with the Tampa Bay Rays. During his 10-plus year career, he pitched more than 1,300 innings with the Rays, Pirates and Twins, compiling over 70 wins and 1,450 strikeouts.

One of his proudest moments was his selection to the 2015 MLB All-Star Game in Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park.

Lancaster was born in Smithfield and has always loved sports. As a student at Smithfield-Selma High he focused his attention on golf and basketball. Mount Olive College offered Lancaster a golf scholarship, and it was there that he realized he wanted to become a professional golfer. He joined the Carolinas Professional Golf Association, and began working at Southern Wayne Country Club in Mount Olive as an assistant pro. Lancaster also started competing throughout the state, soon winning the 1984 Carolinas Open.

One of the highlights of Lancaster’s career is his U.S. Open records. In the final round of the 1995 U.S. Open held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York, he became the first man in the 100-year history of the championship to finish with a nine hole score of 29 strokes.

Lancaster turned his attention to the PGA Tour, competing in more than 580 events.

As a current Champions Tour member, Lancaster continues to travel and play a handful of tournaments each year, but is also looking to pass along his passion for golf by teaching.

McLamb is a JCPS Hall of Fame Legacy nominee with more than 30 years of service in JCPS. Growing up on a farm in Four Oaks, McLamb attended Four Oaks School from 1949-1961. Voted Male Athlete of the Year his senior year, he played basketball and baseball throughout high school, serving as a team captain for both sports.

He later earned a degree in physical education from Frederick College on an athletic scholarship. He played basketball and baseball for four years. McLamb had immediate success, hitting a home run in his first at bat on the collegiate level.

He returned to Johnston County to teach and coach, and in 1965 he joined the staff of Meadow School, as the junior varsity basketball coach, the varsity basketball assistant coach and the varsity baseball coach until 1969. That year, he moved to Four Oaks Elementary/Middle School, where he remained for the rest of his career, where he affectionately became known throughout the community as Mr. Mac.

For over 25 years, McLamb was an invaluable part of the school and became indelibly associated with the Four Oaks Cardinals. He was a Physical Education and Health teacher where he often modeled techniques and participated with his students, with many retelling the story that he made over 100 free throws in a row one day at school.

Smith is a name that is synonymous with high school baseball in North Carolina. Smith graduated from Robersonville High, helping the team win the State 1A Baseball Championship before going on to play minor league baseball for 5 years. He then attended East Carolina University on a scholarship.

From 1971 until 2017, Smith was a part of four state championships in baseball, two as an assistant coach, and two as a head coach. He is a member of the NC Baseball Coaches Association (NCBCA) Hall of Fame, with an overall record of 525-295. Smith was also named NCBCA Coach of the Year in 1990, NCBCA Region 3 Coach of the Year in 2008 and Conference Coach of the Year 12 times throughout his long career.

In 1988, Smith was hired at South Johnston High as the head baseball coach, and he also served as the head football coach, and indoor track coach during his years at the school. Smith led the South Johnston High baseball program from 1988-2002. His coaching record as head baseball coach

was 216-127, winning five conference championships and leading the Trojans to a 25-3 record, and the 3A State Championship in 1990. He left South Johnston High for the head baseball coach at Rocky Mount High, where in 2008, his team won the 3A State Championship. Smith retired from teaching and coaching in 2017.

Marbry grew up in Benson and graduated from South Johnston High School in 2003. While at South Johnston, Marbry dominated in several sports during her four years. She was All-Conference in volleyball twice, basketball three times, a four time All-Conference selection in softball, as well as the Conference Player of the Year as a senior.

In track and field Marbry was a two-time Conference Most Valuable Player, threetime All-Conference selection, two-time North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) All-State selection, and three time NCHSAA All-Region selection. She was the 2002 NCHSAA State 4A Long Jump Champion and the 2003 NCHSAA State 4A High Jump Champion. As a senior, Marbry was also a member of the Adidas AllAmerican selections, won the Johnston County Track and Field Outstanding Female Performer Award, and the Program Builder Award. She was also a recipient of the Tom Suiter Extra Effort Award and countless other awards during her time at South Johnston.

During her career with the Seahawks, she set ten school records and became the first National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I All-American in school history when she finished 11th at the 2005 NCAA Track and Field Championships.

Marbry participated in the NCAA Championships on three occasions, the USA Championships, and the US Olympic Trials. She also represented the US in international competition earning a silver medal at the 2007 NACAC Games in San Salvador, El Salvador.

In 2008, Marbry graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, with a major in Marketing and a minor in Art. She now resides in Benson with her husband and daughter, Anna owns her own drafting business.

“The Johnston County Athletic Hall of Fame is a great reminder of what mentorship and the whole educational experience in Johnston County can lead to,” Director of Athletics and Driver Instruction Josh Plisko remarked. “ All the people in attendance will agree the communities and schools support helped them in some way become who they are today.”