Hibbett and Harper named Male and Female Athletes of the Year at second annual Frosty Awards
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman football’s Andy Hibbett (Corryton, Tenn.) and volleyball’s Rachel Harper (Chattanooga, Tenn.) took home the titles of Male and Female Athlete of the Year as C-N’s athletic department honored athletic excellence over the past year with its second annual Frosty Awards Sunday afternoon in Gentry Auditorium.
VIDEO: Second Annual Frosty Awards
VIDEO: Andy Hibbett Interview
VIDEO: Rachel Harper Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman football's Andy Hibbett (Corryton, Tenn.) and volleyball's Rachel Harper (Chattanooga, Tenn.) took home the titles of Male and Female Athlete of the Year as C-N's athletic department honored athletic excellence over the past year with its second annual Frosty Awards Sunday afternoon in Gentry Auditorium.
The winner's nominees and history of the awards is below.
Male Athlete of the Year – Andy Hibbett (football)
It was a season for the ages for Andy Hibbett. The Corryton, Tenn. native became Carson-Newman's third national finalist for the Harlon Hill Award – the Division II Heisman. He was named the Southeast Region Player of the Year by the Beyond Sports Network and Daktronics. Hibbett set a school record by rushing for more than 100 yards in eight straight games and finished the year with the eighth highest single-season rushing total in school history with 1,394 yards.
Finalist video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln4lH_Wl1_I
Other finalists: Carson Brooks (Men's Basketball), Tanner Stepp (Track and Field) and Evan Jurjevic (Baseball)
Past winners:
2014: Ross Frame (men's soccer)
Female Athlete of the Year – Rachel Harper (volleyball)
Rachel Harper capped her four-year career with Carson-Newman volleyball with AVCA and Daktronics All-Region honors. Harper led the SAC in kills and points per set. This year she crossed the 1,000-kill and 1,000-dig plateaus. She finished her Carson-Newman career fourth in service aces with 136.
Finalists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_zn7zOa9k0
Other finalists: Bre Lockett (softball), Natalie Burnett (swimming), Jenna Wilson (volleyball).
Past winners:
2014: Kelli Hensley (Softball)
Team of the Year – Volleyball
Carson-Newman volleyball accomplished a laundry list of historic firsts in 2014. The team won the second-most games in program history at 27 while recording the fewest losses in a season with seven. The Eagles tallied their first sweep in NCAA tournament play while notching the most wins in SAC play at 20. The Eagles were a perfect 11-0 on the road. Jenna Wilson became the program's first All-American. Wilson, Rachel Harper and Kristen Pickett became the first trio of players to earn all-region honors in a single season.
Finalists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZNvH81QAps
Other finalists: Women's Golf, Men's Basketball, Softball
Past winners:
2014: Men's Soccer
Comeback of the Year – Women's Golf at the SAC Championships
Carson-Newman women's golf rallied from eight strokes down on the back nine to jump from first to third on the final day of the SAC Championships. The Eagles shot the fourth lowest round in SAC tournament history to lay claim to their third conference title while blowing past Newberry and Wingate.
Finalists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj3fgo3XgEA
Other finalists: Women's basketball at Mars Hill, softball versus Catawba, football versus North Greenville
Past winners:
2014: Women's Basketball and Whitney Kyle at Newberry
Game of the Year – Carson-Newman men's basketball v. #3 LMU in the SAC title game
Domination of the glass and repression of Railsplitter rebounding helped Carson-Newman lay claim to the South Atlantic Conference tournament championship with a 63-48 victory over top-seeded and third-ranked Lincoln Memorial. Carson-Newman set a SAC championship game record for fewest points allowed and had the second largest rebounding margin at plus 20 in championship game history.
Finalists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-6QmWz2drc
Other finalists: Baseball v. #26 Catawba, Football v. Catawba, Volleyball v. USC Aiken in the NCAA tournament
Past winners:
2014: No award given for category
Female Performance of the Year – Kristen Pickett (volleyball)
Kristen Pickett tallied her 10th double-double of the year on the biggest of stages. Pickett passed out 49 assists and tallied 19 digs to help Carson-Newman to a 3-2 win at Wingate. The victory snapped the #7 Bulldogs 55-game conference win streak and a 25-game win streak against Carson-Newman.
Finalists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn2E1thRf8s
Other finalists: Bre Lockett (softball), Natalie Burnett (swimming), Danielle Baiunco (golf)
Past winners:
2014: Tiana Mills (track and field)
Upset of the Year – Men's Basketball @ #1 LMU
Carson-Newman upended No. 1 Lincoln Memorial (20-1, 14-1 SAC) 87-72 behind torrid shooting and a career high 30 points from freshman Charles Clark (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) to get the men's basketball program its first ever road win over a top-ranked team. The Eagles became the first team all year to shoot 50 percent from the field on the nation's best field goal percentage team defensively while also send the Railsplitters to their first double-digit deficit of the season, let along their first loss.
Finalists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPo7hwN5Yd0
Other finalists: Volleyball @ #7 Wingate, Swimming 400-free Relay in Fall Frenzy, Baseball v. #26 Catawba
Past winners:
2014: Men's Basketball v. #7 LMU
Male Newcomer of the Year – Tanner Stepp (track and field)
Tanner Stepp's first season at Carson-Newman was a memorable one. He earned All-America honors during indoor season with a fifth place finish at nationals in the high jump. He was also named the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Field Athlete of the Year in March – the program's first such award since 1991.
Finalists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P80C38NOd6c
Other finalists: Charles Clark (men's basketball), Jamie Miller (baseball), Paul Ungur (swimming)
Past winners:
2014: Ross Frame (men's soccer)
Male Performance of the Year – Charles Clark (men's basketball)
Charles Clark was herculean for the Eagles in propelling C-N to a SAC semifinal victory over Newberry. He reset his career high with 33 points. He was 10-for-16 from the field, 3-of-9 from deep and 10-of-13 from the charity stripe. Not to mention he collected five rebounds, dished out four assists and forced three steals.
Finalists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCTEY8wsCrM
Other finalists: Andy Hibbett (football), Vince Apicella (baseball), TJ Davis (track and field)
Past winners:
2014: De'Andre Thomas (football)
Play of the Year – Rurik Pereira (men's soccer)
Rurik Pereira went head-over-heels with a bicycle kick to start off Carson-Newman men's soccer's scoring at Wingate.
Finalists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTVQXZbEjNU
Other finalists: William Alderman (football), Andy Hibbett (football), Carson Brooks (men's basketball)
Past winners:
2014: Rachel Harper (volleyball)
Female Newcomer of the Year – Elizabeth England (women's golf)
Elizabeth England garnered first team all-conference honors while averaging 79.3 strokes over 24 rounds as a freshman. She won the Etowah Intercollegiate in just her third collegiate tournament and she also took first-place at the Carson-Newman/Newberry Dual Match to kick off the spring season. She has 10 rounds of golf that were played in the 70s and her low round of the season was a 72 in the first round of the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate. England set freshman records for stroke average and win percentage.
Finalists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY11_GUahyA
Other finalists: Jenna Wilson (volleyball), Bre Lockett (softball), Tori Gaul (track and field)
Past winners:
2014: Combined male and female newcomer of the year was presented to men's soccer's Ross Frame
Coach of the Year – Vickee Kazee-Hollifield (softball)
Vickee Kazee-Hollifield was tasked with replacing her program's single season record holder for hits, single season record holder for home runs, career home run record holder and career leader in fielding percentage and putouts. Kazee-Hollifield saw her 30th team earn its first outright SAC title since 2005 and its 14th overall. Along the way, Kazee-Hollifield won her 11th coach of the year honor from the league office.
Finalists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPIYgwY1OZ0
Other finalists: Chuck Benson (men's basketball), Suzanne Strudwick (women's golf), Dan Ahiers (volleyball)
Past winners:
2014: Richard Moodie (men's soccer)
Team awards
SOFTBALL: VICKEE KAZEE-HOLLIFIELD
BEST ALL-AROUND – Elayna Siebert
Best Defense - Jessica Morgan
Most Improved – Hayley Burnette
MVP – Bre Lockett
MEN'S SOCCER – RICHARD MOODIE
FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Tanner Heath
Player's Player of the Year – Joao Pedro Dowsley
Player of the Year – Joao Pedro Dowsley
WOMEN'S SOCCER – RICHARD MOODIE
Freshman of the Year – Helen Seed
Player's Player of the Year – Elissa Lane
Player of the Year – Elissa Lane
MEN'S TENNIS – JEAN LOVE
Most improved player – JP Oliveria
Most singles wins – Juan Perez
MVP – Garrett Duron
Most doubles wins – JP Oliveria and Austin Mackay
WOMEN'S TENNIS – JEAN LOVE
Most Improved player – Catherine Cook
MVP – Patricia Guerreiro
Most Single Wins – Patricia Guereirrro
Most Doubles Wins – Jen Ott and Patricia Guerreiro
MEN's BASKETBALL – CHUCK BENSON
Collin Crane leadership Award – Jared Johnson
MEN'S TRACK AND FIELD – DAVID NEEDS
Highest Point Winner – Randall Freeman
Outstanding Field Events – TJ Davis
Record Breaking Performance – Tannner Stepp
Outstanding Overall Performance – Tanner Stepp
Also presented his All-American medal from Nationals
WOMEN's TRACK AND FIELD – DAVID NEEDS
Highest Point Winner – Tiana Mills
Team Leadership – Anna Bauder
Record Breaking Performance – Tori Gaul
Outstanding Overall Performance – Tiana Mills & Kristin Chapman
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY – TONY PARRILLA
Leadership Award – Mark Edwards
MVP – Lachlan Dickie
Most Improved – Alec Bross
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY – TONY PARRILLA
Leadership Award – Sarah Honaker
MVP – Tori Gaul
Most Improved- Aiyana Martino
WOUNDED WARRIORS – MIKE VAN BRUGGEN
Male Wounded Warrior – Charlie Rhea
Female Wounded Warrior – Lexy Raybon
Cheerleading – CHRISTY BOWLIN
Leadership Award – Brandi Lewis
Eagle Spirit Award – Lauren Catlett
Cheerleader of the Year – Lashawn Walker
Also receives a trophy for winning the Mascot 100 yd dash at Bristol Motor Speedway
Dance Team – CHRISTY BOWLIN
Leadership Award – Lindsay Mayes
Eagle Spirit Award – Brittany Parker
Dancer of the Year – Tessa Desforges
Men's SWIMMING – PAIGE MCCORD
Most Improved Athlete – Tommy Bourgeois
Men's Swimming MVP - Stephen Parsons
Eagle Award – Drew Rutledgee
WOMEN'S SWIMMING – PAIGE MCCORD
Eagle Award – Katie Zientarski
Romans 12:8 Award – Courtlyn Fields
Most Improved Athlete – Margaret Stansberry
BASEBALL – TOM GRIFFIN
Bobby Wilson Scholar Athlete – Bryan Everhart
Frosty Holt- Most Dedicated Award – Bo Ausmus
Best Defense – Brandon Roberts
Best Pitcher – Vince Apicella
Best Hitter – Evan Jurjevic
Most Valuable Player – Evan Jurjevic
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL – MIKE MINCEY
Best All-Around – Tatum Burstrom
Newcomer Award – Jecca Simerly
Coach's Award – Lacy Miller
Leadership Award – Whitney Kyle
FOOTBALL – KEN SPARKS
Captain Award – Robby Ignagni
Captain Award – William Alderman
Most Improved Award – Eric Cain
Eagle Spirit Award – William Alderman
McDonald Leadership Award –Goose Manning
John Abe Teage Award – Sean Rawson
Roy Harmon Award – Andy Hibbett
Men's GOLF – Randy Wylie
Most Valuable Player – Andrew Hall
Academic Excellence – Nathan Hodge
Women's GOLF – SUZANNE STRUDWICK
Talons Up Player of the Year- Danielle Baiunco
Scholar Athlete of the Year – Meridith Hawkins
Freshman of the Year – Elizabeth England
SCHOLAR ATHLETE AWARDS – BOB TRENTHAM
MALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR –
With a 3.87 GPA – Randall Freeman
FEMALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
With a flawless 4.0 GPA – Elayna Siebert
And our Academic Athlete of the Year, which goes to the senior with the highest GPA – Graduating with a 3.93 - Garrett Duron
Second Annual Frosty Awards
