General | 4/23/2008 12:35:47 PM

FAYETTEVILLE, NC-  Methodist University hosted student-athletes, staff and special guests in their annual Awards Ceremony Tuesday night. The Monarchs celebrated a number of team championships while also recognizing individual honors across the department.

Methodist welcomed two-time Olympian LaTasha Colander-Clark as a special guest speaker. An acclaimed sprinter, Colander-Clark shared with the student-athletes her own words of wisdom related to using their gift. She used her own experience as well as her faith to motivate the student-athletes.

There were 115 student-athletes recognized as Methodist scholar athletes with a 3.0 GPA or higher while 10 student-athletes were honored as Senior Scholar Athletes with a 3.4 or better cumulative GPA. Women's basketball head coach, Senior Woman Administrator and Associate Athletic Director DeeDee Jarman recognized Leighton Bull (Women's Tennis), Brenda Chambers (Women's Soccer), John Duckworth (Men's Golf), Devin Gee (Men's Golf), Jessica Hatcher (Lacrosse), Tia Imel (Track & Field), Corey Johnson (Men's Golf), Jenny Smith (Women's Tennis, Cross Country), Masahiro Takahagi (Athletic Training), and Tiffany Tucker (Women's Tennis)

Each team's season highlights were read announcing both team and individual honors.  McEvoy then presented Honorary Monarchs as nominated by the coaching staff.  Nelson & Nelson Chriropractic, Dr. Christopher J. Barnes of the Fayetteville Orthopedic Clinic, and Lee Hedgecoe were recognized as Honorary Monarchs.

The Male and Female Outstanding Senior Athletes of the Year were announced during a University-wide awards presentation earlier this month, but Nick Bova (Men's Golf) and Katie Dick (Women's Golf) were honored during the ceremony.  McEvoy also presented Service Awards to staff members for their time at Methodist.  Head athletic trainer Brandon Reynolds was recognized along with head coaches David Smith (Men's Basketball) and Ron Simpson (Softball).

The Bobby Bell Good Works Award is presented to a student-athlete or staff member who best embodies hard work, good will, and dedication in going above and beyond their duties to best represent the athletic department.  Former Methodist staff member Bobby Bell supervised the management of the March F. Riddle Center while always going above and beyond the job responsibilities.  Senior Cory Calloway received the award this year for his dedication to the Methodist baseball program. A former player, Calloway has spent the last two seasons as a student assistant coach spending countless hours with all of the responsibilities.

The Rita Wiggs Courageous Monarch Award is named in honor of former Methodist Athletic Director and current USA South Athletic Conference Commissioner Rita Wiggs following her battle with cancer.  The award was presented to both Krystal Poirier and Spencer Martin this year. Poirier is a second year lacrosse player who learned a new sport and battled back from countless surgeries due to a pacemaker implanted in her body. Martin had high hopes of pitching for the Methodist baseball team and made three appearances in 2005 but has undergone surgeries that prevent Martin from continuing his pitching career. Rather than giving up, Martin continued to attend every practice and game keeping score, and helping out any way he can.

McEvoy recognized all of the teams who have won USA South Conference Championships this year including Women's Soccer, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, and Women's Tennis while wishing luck to the teams still competing. A new addition to the ceremony was "Jock Jamz." The football team shared their rendition of the Fight Song while the women's basketball team closed out with a demonstration of their dance skills.

TEAM AWARDS

Baseball
MVP- TBA
Most Valuable Pitcher- TBA

Men's Basketball
MVP- Billy McDade
Most Improved Player- Tyler Sigman
Defensive Player- Antwin Shuford

Women's Basketball
MVP- Ashley Harris
Most Improved- Chelsale Hester

Cheerleading/Dance
MVP- Ashley Smulders (All-Girl), Jordan Mercer (Coed)
Sherry Sellers Award- Melinda Myer
Coaches Award- Sarah Rowell

Cross Country
MVP- Krystal Patton, Husein Nasiro-Sigo

Football
Decarlos West MVP Offense- Pat Doleman
Trayfor Monroe MVP Defense- Daryl Lawrence, Brian Leary
Tony Bugeja MVP Special Teams- Troy Glover
Rich Jinnette Coaches Award- Sean Merritt

Men's Golf
MVP- Nick Bova

Women's Golf
MVP- Katie Dick

Lacrosse
MVP- Christina Layson

Men's Soccer
MVP- Bret Brennan

Women's Soccer
MVP- Chrystal Bradley
110% Award- Christina Layson
Freshman of the Year - Kasey Nichols, Kelly Orpin
Coaches Award- Brenda Chambers

Softball
MVP- Rebekah Kelly
Pitcher of the Year- Lesley Hewitt
Rookie of the Year- Hannah Stutts
Coaches Award- Crystal Metzger

Men's Tennis
MVP- Chris Fletcher

Women's Tennis
Most Valuable Team

Indoor Track and Field
MVP- Tia Imel, Tazz Petty

Outdoor Track and Field
MVP- TBA

Volleyball
MVP- Sara Yeatman