BOONE, N.C. – App State celebrated the 2020-21 year of student-athlete and athletic achievements with a virtual APPSPYs awards show this week.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) organized the event, with football player
Camerun Peoples and women's basketball player
Janay Sanders serving as the primary co-hosts. SAAC members voted on the various awards.
Cole Garrison (football) received the prestigious Brakefield Award. Established by legendary App State football coach Jim Brakefield and his wife, Eloise, this award is given to a graduating student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average among all student-athletes.
Timothius Tirto Tamardi (men's golf) received the Goodyear Family Athletic Scholarship. George and Anne Goodyear founded the scholarship in 1994 for a rising junior who has a minimum GPA of 2.0 and demonstrates strength of character in all that he or she does.
The Rick Edmundson Memorial Scholarship was presented to
Ines Yofre (field hockey). This scholarship is awarded annually to a rising junior or senior who has exhibited loyalty and dedication to App State. Candidates give evidence of leadership potential and intelligence, exhibit sound and purposeful ambition, are vigorous and diligent in pursuit of duty and show compassion for others.
A new honor, the Be The Change Award, went to
Elijah Diarrassouba (football). That award is presented to a student-athlete who advocates for change in App State's community of student-athletes, including matters pertaining to social injustice, racial and gender inequality and promotion and acknowledgement of minorities on campus.
The Team Academic Excellence Award went to women's cross country,
Kaitlyn Little (women's soccer) won the Laps for Apps Award and
Gabby Buruato (softball) received the Gerald Adams All for App Award. Ashley Giordano (cheerleading) won the Julia Adams Scholarship, and women's tennis won the Mountaineer Moves Community Service Award.
Best Season and Best Team Moment went to men's basketball, which won four games in four days at the Sun Belt Tournament to claim a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000. An 80-73 win against Georgia State in the Sun Belt final clinched a spot in the NCAA bracket.
Categories covering every App State sport or multiple sports also included Best Individual Performance going to both wrestler
Jonathan Millner, who became an All-American by finishing eighth in his weight class at the NCAA Championships, and softball player
Baylee Morton, who had two home runs and five RBIs in a 12-7 win against Charlotte.
Meghan Smart of field hockey was named Female Student-Athlete of the Year, and
Shemar Jean-Charles of football was named Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Smart led the MAC in goals scored, and Jean-Charles was named a first-team All-American after leading the nation in pass breakups.
Dustin Kerns of men's basketball received the Coach of the Year award,
Michael Almonacy of men's basketball was named Male Newcomer of the Year and
Faith Alston of women's basketball was named Female Newcomer of the Year.
Anthony Glass won Strength Coach of the Year, Athletic Trainer of the Year went to
Rob Hamlet, Erika Foster was the winner of the Ron "Doc" Kanoy Award and Bill Post was voted Professor of the Year. Jon Mitchell received the Jack Branch Award, and the football program's Iron Unit award went to the linebackers, with
Jourdan Heilig being named the Iron Mountaineer winner.
Below is a list of the team MVPs from the 2021 APPSPYs.
Cheerleading – Nicole Pearce
Field Hockey - Senior Class
Football –
Shemar Jean-Charles
Men's Cross Country –
Isaac Benz
Men's Basketball –
Justin Forrest
Men's Golf -
Timothius Tirto Tamardi
Women's Basketball –
Lainey Gosnell &
Pre Stanley
Women's Cross Country –
Izzy Evely
Women's Golf –
Abby Bolt
Women's Indoor Track & Field –
Peighton Simmons
Women's Soccer –
Kerry Eagleston
Women's Tennis -
María José Zacarias
Wrestling –
Jonathan Millner
Volleyball –
Lexi Kohut
*
Baseball, softball, men's outdoor track & field and women's outdoor track & field MVPs will be determined once the spring season concludes.
