A native of Williamsburg, Kentucky, transplanted in Knoxville, Tennessee, Shannon Evans Holt, graduated from Halls High School in 1995 as a regional blue chip softball recruit. She was recruited to play softball at Florida State University, among other Division I schools, but Holt made her choice by traveling north to Williamsburg.
During her senior year of high school, Cumberland Collge, now University of the Cumberlands, enjoyed success in their transition to fast pitch. Cumberland Head Coach Julie HIll and Assistant Coach Angie Dean were interested in landing a prize with the change to fast pitch and Shannon was just the player to bulid a team around. Holt became the first softball player in school history to recieve a full scholarship to Cumberland.
Under Coach Hill, Holt's freshman campaign met all expectations. She led the team in batting average at .481 which ranked her 12th nationally, 87 hits in 50 games ranking her 3rd nationally, 78 runs scored ranking her 2nd nationally, and 32 stolen bases in 32 attempts ranking her 1st nationally. She was 1996 KIAC Player of the Year, KIAC All Conference, selected to the All Region Team, and helped lead her team to a .346 batting average ranking Cumberland 7th nationally.
During Holt's sophomore year, Cumberland joined the MId-South Conference. In 1997, Holt again led the team in batting average at .452, hits with 76 in 168 at bats, 43 runs scored, 123 assists at shortstop, and 28 stolen bases in 31 attempts. She was named MId-South Conference Player of the Year, Mid-South All-Conference Team, MId-South All Region Team, and National Christian College 1st Team All-American.
Under new Head Coach Angie Dean, Holt's junior season in 1998 led to her being named Co-Captain. Leading the team with a .492 batting average, Holt also led the team with 59 hits in 120 at bats, 25 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases in 17 attempts. She was named MId-South All-Conference Team and MId-South All-Region Team.
Concluding her career as Co-Captain at Cumberland, Holt's senior campaign contributed to her softball resume by leading the tema in batting average with .452, on base percentage with .491, stolen bases with 16 in 17 attempts, 70 hits in 155 at bats, and 43 runs scored. She was named to the Mid-South All-Conference Team and MId-South All-Region Team.
At Cumberland Holt was a four year member of the Knight Foundation Mentoring Porgram, three year member of the Cumberland Ambassadors, served a dorm president during her junior year, and was an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She was also named to the Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges and recieved the 2000 Business Education Department Award.
Holt was graduated from Cumberland in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree with a major in Business and Marketing. She was a teacher at Corbin High School during 2000-01 with the Jobs for American's Graduates Program dealing with Drop-out Prevention and School-to-Career programs. She was awarded the Specialist of the Year in her division. During this period, she also served as Assistant Soccer Caoch and Assistant Softball Coach at Corbin High School.
From 2001 through 2007, Holt was an accounting teacher at Farragut High School in Knoxville, Tennessee. She spent three years as head coach of the freshman girls basketball team, an assistant varsity girls basketball coach, threee years as assistant softball coach and two and half years as head coach of the Karns High School softball team. Her accomplishments included raising over 85,000 in support of the KHS softball program with parents, donors, and volunteers to update the softball facilities.
Since her Cumberland departure, Holt has earned the Master of Science degree and an Ed.S degree (Educational Specialist) from LIncoln Memorial University in Harrogate.
Holt is the daughter of John and Donna Evan of Knoxville. She resided in Knoxville while staying busy as a Professional Healthcare Representative for Pfizer Pharamaceutical Company. Holt's competitive drive has contributed to her success in sales by helping her division at Pfizer to a number one district ranking in Tennessee. She also enjoys running 5K, 10K, and half marathon races for charity. Shannon also participates with Team Two Rivers in adventure racing. Her racing efforts provide support for a local women's shelter in Knoxville and breast cancer research.
