BOONE, N.C. – App State celebrated a year of student-athlete and athletic achievements with the 2024 APPSPY Awards this week.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) organized the event, with
Samantha LaFon (women's basketball) and
Ethan Barber (men's cross country/track & field) serving as the primary co-hosts. App State Athletics coaches and staff members voted on many of the awards, which resulted from accomplishments during the 2023 spring, fall and winter seasons.
Donovan Gregory (men's basketball) won Male Athlete of the Year, and
Jada Branch (women's track & field) was named Female Athlete of the Year.
Gregory, the all-time winningest player in program history, earned All-Sun Belt first-team honors while helping the Mountaineers win their first Sun Belt Conference regular-season title. In alphabetical order, the other finalists were
Joey Aguilar (football),
Cody Bond (wrestling),
CJ Boyd (baseball) and
Calbert Guest (track & field/cross country).
Branch was a 2023 Sun Belt indoor champion in the triple jump, and she earned All-America honorable mention in the outdoor triple jump later in 2023 after becoming App State's first NCAA Championships qualifier since 2005. In alphabetical order, the other finalists for that award were
Addie Clark (field hockey),
Savannah Dada-Mascoll (tennis),
Kayt Houston (softball),
Maya Winterhoff (volleyball) and
Izzi Wood (soccer).
Coach of the Year honors went to
Dustin Kerns (men's basketball) and
Emily Dinsmore (field hockey). The program's first outright regular-season conference title in 45 years and an NIT appearance in men's basketball were part of a record-breaking season that ended with a 27-7 record, while Dinsmore led App State to a 14-5 record and the program's first MAC regular-season championship in her first season as head coach.
Maggie Pate (tennis) 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. Pate, who recently had the clinching victory in a 4-3 semifinal win that propelled App State to the championship match of the Sun Belt Tournament, has a 4.0 cumulative GPA.
Daye Talley (women's track & field) 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
Mary-Sears Brown (women's golf). 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.
The Team Academic Excellence Awards went to volleyball (spring 2023 GPA of 3.63) and women's golf (fall 2023 GPA of 3.73), while cheerleaders
Shi Barnhardt and
Aaron Johnson won Julia Adams Scholarships. Softball won the Mountaineer Moves Community Service Award, Kate Snook was the winner of the Ron "Doc" Kanoy Award and
Sarah Strickland received the Jack Branch Award.
Along with SAAC members presenting awards, Director of Athletics Doug Gillin provided opening remarks.
All for App Awards:
Baseball —
Jordan Fisher
Cheerleading —
Kenzie Porter
Dance Team — Juliana Grant
Field Hockey —
Sarah Callery
Football —
Anderson Castle
Men's Cross Country —
Oliver Wilson-Cook
Men's Basketball —
Donovan Gregory
Men's Golf —
Addison Beam
Men's Track & Field —
Cole Krehnbrink (track),
Chris Wainscott (field)
Soccer —
Mumu Guisasola
Softball —
Kayt Houston
Tennis —
Maggie Pate
Women's Basketball —
Emily Carver
Women's Cross Country —
Jasmine Donohue
Women's Golf —
Sara Adams
Women's Track & Field —
Mariah Atwater (track),
Jada Branch (field)
Wrestling —
Ike Byers
Volleyball —
Maya Winterhoff
