The Tacoma Athletic Commission, serving all high schools in Tacoma and Pierce County, is honored to award the 2022-2023 Tom Names Male Inspirational Athlete of the Year Award to Messiah Bryant. 

As a tennis player for the Lincoln High School Abes, Messiah was named 2nd Team All-PCL Doubles in 2022 and in 2023 was named 1st Team All-PCL Doubles and qualified for the State Championship.  Messiah’s tennis coach, Minh Nguyen says that “Messiah has committed to tennis in a way that I have never seen over my 24 years of coaching.  He would walk for miles to hit with others, play 6 to 7 times a week, join local tennis leagues, and is always looking for more opportunities to grow in the sport.  His passion is both contagious and inspirational.  He makes everyone believe that anything is possible if you put the work in!” 

Messiah has been a strong leader on the tennis team and was voted the team co-captain.  Coach Nguyen added that Messiah “would consistently stay after practice and hit with anyone.  Messiah could often still be seen on the tennis courts hours after practice ended, and at Lincoln, we had 2.5-hour practices.  He was never afraid to put in the work and others on the team could see that.  He has been a great ambassador of tennis and Lincoln High School.” 

Not only is Messiah attending high school and playing tennis, but he is also working to help support himself.  Even with all these demands for his time, Messiah continues to work tirelessly to improve his tennis game.  As a half-Black, half-Asian American, he does not have many people in the sport that look like him and he wants to be a role model for others in the sport and in his community.  Messiah is going to first take a gap year and then plans on attending UCLA. 

It is with pride that the Tacoma Athletic Commission presents Messiah Bryant with the 2022-2023 Tom Names Male Inspirational Athlete of the Year Award.