School News
Austin College student-athletes earn awards
By Jeff Kelly, Sports Information Coordinator - Austin College Kangaroos
May 9, 2008

SHERMAN – The Austin College coaches and team members honored more than 40 student-athletes, including the Austin College male and female athletes of the year, in its annual Athletics Convocation on Thursday night in Ida Green Theater on the Austin College campus.

By virtue of head coaches’ selections, senior Justin Duncan of Greenville, Texas and senior Kaitlin Listol of Richardson, Texas were named the male and female athletes of the year respectively for the 2007-2008 year.  Duncan is a four year member of the ’Roos football team, and Listol is a four year member of the volleyball team. 

Women’s volleyball player Morgan Ballard of Sherman and football player Chris Hickson of Forest Hill, Texas were named by the coaches as the Tim Jubela Freshmen Athletes of the Year.  Ballard turned in a superb rookie campaign for the ’Roos, being named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year as well as the AVCA South Region Newcomer of the Year.  Hickson started all 10 games for the ’Roo football team, finishing among the team leaders with 35 tackles, including 22 solo stops, from his defensive back position.

Listol won the Gene Day Award after being named the SCAC Player of the Year and was also the first player in program history to earn 1^st Team All-America status.  The award is named in honor of beloved Austin College coach Imogene Grinnell Day, who taught for 35 years until her retirement in 1983.  Listol led the ’Roos to the NCAA Tournament and a program record 38 wins, along the way breaking school records for kills in both a season and a career as well as digs in a career.  She was a 1^st Team All-SCAC and 1^st Team All-South Region selection, as well as a two time conference player of the week.

Duncan earned the Pete Cawthon Male Athlete of the Year award after being named 1^st Team All-SCAC from his offensive line position.  The award is named for the late Austin College head football coach Pete Cawthon, who helmed the team in the 1920’s.  Duncan was the anchor for the football team’s offensive line, which led the SCAC and was among the national leaders in rushing for the second straight season.  Duncan, who is also a SCAC Academic Honor Roll member, was part of an offensive line unit that was named to the D3Football.com Team of the Week during the season and piled up over 400 yards rushing on multiple occasions.

List of Award Winners:

Team Awards (selected by team members)

§         Baseball – Cecil Grigg Award (most outstanding baseball player) – Andy White, sophomore

§         Men’s Basketball – Hustle Award – Emmanuel Nwelue, senior

§         Men’s Basketball – Pat E. Hooks Award (most outstanding basketball player) – Kola Alade, sophomore

§         Women’s Basketball – Hustle Award – Annie Laski, senior

§         Women’s Basketball – Brittany Simpson Award – Liz Preas, junior

§         Women’s Basketball – Pat E. Hooks Award (most outstanding basketball player) – Katy Williams, sophomore

§         Football – William B Traylor Award (for hard work and dedication) – Jared Baker, senior

§         Football – Gene “Duke” Babb Award (most outstanding football player) – Peyton Woodyard, senior

§         Men’s Soccer – Clayton Hustle Award – Nate Spradlin, senior

§         Men’s Soccer – Most Outstanding Player – Austin Newman, senior

§         Women’s Soccer – Most Outstanding Player – LeAnne Nguyen, junior

§         Softball – Most Valuable Player – Stefanie Faith, freshman

§         Men’s Swimming – Most Improved – Ronal Rivera, freshman

§         Women’s Swimming – Most Improved – Meaghan Gomm, freshman

§         Men’s Swimming – Hannah Award (most outstanding swimmer) – Clement Durand, senior

§         Women’s Swimming – Hannah Award (most outstanding swimmer) – Lisa Holloway, freshman

§         Men’s Tennis – Carroll Pickett Award (most outstanding tennis player) – Nate Navey, junior

§         Women’s Tennis – Carroll Pickett Award (most outstanding tennis player) – Minnie Satyavada, freshman

§         Volleyball – Most Outstanding Player – Kaitlin Listol, senior

§         Aussie Dance Team – Aussie of the Year – Divya Mallela

§         Cheerleading – Outstanding Cheerleader – Casey Titus

§         Athletic Training – Most Improved – Nathan Lockaby

§         Athletic Training – Most Outstanding – Sarah Luin

Departmental Awards (selected by head coaches)

§         Gene Day Award – Most outstanding female athlete – Kaitlin Listol, senior, volleyball

§         Pete Cawthon – Most outstanding male athlete – Justin Duncan, senior, football

§         Tim Jubela – Most outstanding female freshman athlete – Morgan Ballard, volleyball

§         Tim Jubela – Most outstanding male freshman athlete – Chris Hickson, football

§         Robert T. Mason – Sportsmanship Award – Emmanuel Nwelue, senior, basketball

§         Robert T. Mason – Sportsmanship Award – Courtney Pettenger, sophomore, volleyball

§         Slats McCord – Senior Perseverance and Improvement – Garrett Adcock, baseball

§         Slats McCord – Senior Perseverance and Improvement – Cari Hubbard, soccer

§         Bo Miller – Outstanding Achievement in Academics and Athletics – Jesse Booher, swimming & diving

§         Bo Miller - Outstanding Achievement in Academics and Athletics – Annie Laski, basketball

§         Sig Lawson – Dedication and Commitment to Austin College Athletics – Nate Spradlin, senior, soccer; Jesse Booher, senior, swimming & diving; Ross Hasten, junior, football; John Stanley, junior, baseball; Emmanuel Nwelue, senior, basketball; David Shanafelt, junior, tennis

§         Sig Lawson – Dedication and Commitment to Austin College Athletics – Abbey Hayes, freshman, softball; Annie Laski, senior, basketball; Paula Vercher, sophomore, volleyball; Kim Bartlett, senior, soccer; Marjory Gibson, senior, swimming & diving; Megan McCarty, junior, tennis

§         T. Ellis Lockhart Spirit – Most Supportive Faculty Member – Dr. Jack Pierce

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