Two Walker County athletes, one current and one former, are starting to make names for themselves on a national level.

Gordon Lee standout senior Kori Penland was nominated to the McDonald’s All-American High School Girls Basketball Team on Thursday, recognizing her as one of the top prep players in the country.

The 5-foot-9 guard, who has signed with Chattanooga, is one of 1,000 nominees competing to fill one of 24 positions on the team, which will play in the East-West game on March 26 in Milwaukee, Wis. The final team roster will be announced in February.

Penland was nominated by the McDonald’s All-American Basketball Team Girls Selection Committee, a group of 24 prominent basketball experts including nationally-renowned coaches and top high school sports journalists.

“Kori is the best player I have coached in my 26 years as a basketball coach,” said Gordon Lee head coach Lester Gaylon. "She has a rare combination of athleticism, work ethic, competitive spirit and attention to detail. As a player Kori has consistently led our team in scoring, but this year she has excelled as a team leader and floor general.

She does everything from single-handedly beating the press to guarding the other team’s best athlete. She works tirelessly on her fundamentals and is known for her ball-handling skill and shooting range. Kori is ultimately a winner. She does not accept defeat and is willing to work harder than her peers to achieve success."

The seventh-annual game will begin at 7 p.m. on March 26 and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

McDonald’s All-American alumni include WNBA talent Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx) and Shanna Crossley (San Antonio Silver Spurs) as well as NCAA stars Ivory Latta (North Carolina), Tina Charles (Connecticut), Candace Parker (Tennessee) and former Dade County standout Ashley Houts (Georgia).

Penland averages 22.9 points per game and leads the Lady Trojans with an average of 5.6 assists, 3 steals and 5.1 deflections per game. She is the daughter of Rick Penland and Karen Penland.

She has also been selected as the only Class A girls' player to participate in the upcoming Georgia North-South All-Star game.

Former LaFayette and current Shorter College football player Matt Yarbrough was recently named Honorable Mention NAIA All-American by the Victory Sports Network.

The 6-foot-5, 195-pound junior defensive lineman totaled 33 tackles this fall for the Hawks and added four sacks.

Two of his sacks came against NCAA Division II school Stillman College, for a 14 total yard loss.

Shorter offensive lineman Zach Morrison and linebacker Ryan Gloer also made the Honorable Mention squad.

The Hawks wrapped up their season on Nov. 10 with a win against Lambuth University to give the Hawks their winningest season ever at 7-4