PRESS RELEASE
WCLU Sports
The 2025 Barren County Athletics Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized Friday, Jan. 3, between the girls’ and boys’ games.
Inductees are listed below.
Teresa Bewley
A 1974 graduate of Barren County High School, Teresa Jewell Bewley is a Barren County
Trojan through and through. As Barren County cheer coach for over 44 years, she has greatly
impacted many student-athletes on and off the cheer mat. She has coached teams that have
won numerous district, region, and state titles, and she put Barren County cheerleading on the
map within Kentucky as well as the nation. The BCHS cheerleaders have achieved unparalleled success under her leadership.
The team’s accomplishments include: 4-time NCA National Title winner, Contest of Champions National Championship, AmeriCheer National Championship, WCA National Championship, and most recently, the most prestigious high school cheerleading event, the UCA National Champions. The BCHS cheerleaders were also
KHSAA State Champions in 2016 and state runners-up in 2024. Many of her former cheerleaders continued their cheer careers at colleges and universities. She continues to be a
legend in the cheer world and a fixture at BCHS athletic events. She and her husband, Jimmie, live in Austin Tracy and continue to support BCHS athletics and enjoy watching their grandchildren wear the burgundy and gold.
Woody Gardner
Woody Gardner is a 1963 graduate of Park City High School who excelled in baseball and track
and field but was best known as being a standout basketball player for the Bears. He graduated as Park City’s leading scorer with 1,511 points and his jersey is retired at Park City where his father was a legendary principal. From 1961-63, Park City had a record of 22-0 against the other county schools as well as a 3-1 record against Glasgow and 4-0 against Bowling Green.
Woody’s prolific scoring and assists led Park City to the regional title game in 1963 and was the leading scorer in the 1963 regional tournament. Woody was recognized as all district three
times, all region, all Southern Kentucky First Team and All Southern Kentucky Honors Team. In
addition to being one of Southern Kentucky’s most prolific basketball players, Woody was also a varsity letterman in track and field and baseball. After graduating from Park City, Woody was a member of the Western Kentucky University Men’s Basketball Team. He played on the first
integrated men’s basketball team at WKU as well as playing on the final team coached by Hall
of Famer, Ed Diddle. After law school at the University of Kentucky he served in the United
State Army with a tour of duty of Vietnam. Woody Gardner has continued to help provide
athletic opportunities for the youth in our area throughout his career. Woody has practiced law
in Barren County for 53 years and serves as Barren County School District’s Board Attorney.
Julie Pendygraft Skipworth
A 1978 graduate of Barren County High School, Julie Pendygraft Skipworth is one of the most
accomplished track and field athletes in school history. She participated in track and field from
the 6th grade through the 12th grade at BCHS and has a long list of accolades. She won
multiple region championships as well as a state championship in the 440 yard dash, long jump, and the 880 medley relay. She continued her academic and athletic career at Western
Kentucky University where she participated in track and field and cross country as a Lady
Hilltopper. She was an OVC champion in the two mile relay in 1979 and 1980 and qualified for
the AIAW nationals in 1980. She also excelled in the 880 yard run at WKU and was on the OVC
all conference track team. Her accomplishments led her to being named the MVP of the 1980
WKU cross country team. Julie is married to her husband of 38 years, Steve Skipworth, and
they have two sons, Robert and Eric.
Bob Sturgeon
Bob Sturgeon is a Hiseville coaching legend who had many successes in a number of sports.
He graduated from WKU in 1965 after an outstanding baseball career for the Hilltoppers. He
began his teaching and coaching career at Hiseville in 1965, which lasted for 28 years until his
retirement in 1993. Bob served as the Hiseville boys basketball coach for 9 years winning 109
games during his tenure. His team won the conference championship in 1973 and he was
named coach of the year. He won numerous conference, county, and regional track
championships by mentoring some outstanding track and field athletes during his 7 years as
head coach of the Hiseville track and field team. He also coached varsity football for one
season, and his team finished as the conference runner-up. After 9 years of varsity coaching,
he continued to coach and teach at Hiseville Middle School, where he started the Barren County All-Sports Competition. Under his leadership, Hiseville won over 400 girls’ and boys’ basketball games and multiple track championships. Bob has been a great asset to the Hiseville community as a teacher and coach.
1975 BCHS Girls Basketball Team
The 1975 Trojanettes basketball team helped put Barren County High School and Barren
County Athletics on the map. This team was the first girls’ basketball team of a newly
consolidated high school, which, to this point, had been a contentious issue within the county
due to combining four previously competing high schools. But between the tenacious play of
these scrappy girls and their successes on the court, the county was quickly brought together in support of its team and school. The 1975 team helped establish the strong tradition of
Trojanette Basketball that continues to this day and helped encourage the building of the BCHS gymnasium. Coached by Bobby Steenbergen, the Trojanettes were champions of the 15th District and the 4th Region, and they were the KHSAA State Tournament Runner-Up. The team includes Terry Smith, Debbie Bunch, Tena Toms, Vickie Spencer, Amye Nuckols, Sharon
Jackson, Joyce Taylor, Margo Loftis, Lynn Stewart, Joanna James, Pam Key, Marcia Miller,
Teresa Billingsley, Joy Billingsley and Head Coach Bobby Steenbergen.
