BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University athletics handed out a long list of end-of-year awards at its annual all-sports banquet, held on Thursday evening at the Holmes Center. The banquet was put on by ASU's Student-Athlete Advisory Board and Former Athletes Association.
Women's cross country's Hannah Parks earned the prestigious Brakefield Award, given to the graduating student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average. The award was established by legendary Appalachian football coach Jim Brakefield and his wife, Eloise. A scholarship fund continues in their names through the former student-athletes who played for Coach Brakefield along with the friends of the Brakefield family.
Men's tennis' Britton Webb was awarded the Rick Edmundson scholarship. The Rick Edmundson Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a native of North Carolina who is not on athletic scholarship, but one who has made uncommon contributions to the athletic program and to the University. Established in 1984 by his family and friends, the Rick Edmundson Memorial Scholarship Fund was created to honor his memory. A 1981 graduate of Appalachian State University, Edmundson was devoted to the institution and especially to the athletic program. At the time of his death, Edmundson was enrolled in Campbell University's Law School.
Academic advisor Jean Roberts took home the Jackson A. Branch Award. It was created to honor Branch's many years of unselfish service and support to Mountaineer student-athletes and teams. A fixture at Appalachian sporting events and behind-the-scenes efforts, Roberts is a devoted Mountaineer whose enthusiastic support of the Mountaineers has been a vital component of Appalachian's success in competition and in the classroom in 2008-09.
The third-annual Athletic Director's Award was given to Charissa Clearman for her involvement with the community and her efforts in getting student-athlete involvement throughout the High Country.
A new addition to this year's ceremony were the YOSEF Awards, in which current ASU student-athletes nominated and voted on several honors.
Each of Appalachian's 21 varsity teams also named their MVPs for the 2008-09 seasons. A full list of award winners is below.
Rick Edmundson Scholarship - Britton Webb (men's tennis)
Jack Branch Award - Jean Roberts
Brakefield Academic Award - Hannah Parks (women's cross country)
Athletic Director's Award - Charissa Clearman (volleyball)
Ron "Doc" Kanoy Award (Top Athletic Training Student) - Matthew Holman
2007-08 Team MVPs (* indicates repeat winner)
Baseball (2008) - Jason Altenhof (Sr., Santa Fe, Fla)
Men's Basketball - Kellen Brand (Jr., High Point, N.C.)
Women's Basketball - Brittany Mixon (Sr., Altamonte Springs, Fla.)
Cheerleading - Trisha Threatt (Sr.)
Men's Cross Country - Asmeron Desta (Sr., Old Fort, N.C.)
Women's Cross Country - Meghan Gaffney (Sr., Pompton Lakes, N.J.)
Field Hockey - Quantina Chau (Sr., Hummelstown, Pa.)
Football - Pierre Banks (Gr., Durham, N.C.)
Men's Golf - Casey Johnson (Jr., Rio Rancho, N.M.)
Women's Golf - Kerri Dice (So., Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Men's Soccer - Paul Pessina (Sr., Palmetto, Fla.)
Women's Soccer - Leigh Morrow (Jr., Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Softball (2008) - Katie Boyd (So., Walkertown, N.C.)
Men's Tennis - Bobby Lake (Sr., Boone, N.C.)
Women's Tennis - Caroline Mauch (Jr., Durham, N.C.)
Men's Indoor Track and Field - Matt Boruff (Jr., Raleigh, N.C.)
Women's Indoor Track and Field - Danielle Thorpe* (Jr., Durham, N.C.)
Men's Outdoor Track and Field - Malcolm Styers (So., Newton, N.C.)
Women's Outdoor Track and Field - Lily Tallent (Sr., Cherryville, N.C.)
Volleyball - Charissa Clearman (Sr., Austin, Texas)
Wrestling - Frank Celorrio (Jr., Hialeah, Fla.)
YOSEF Award Winners
Best Team Performance - Football vs. Wofford
Best Season - Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field (swept SoCon Championship)
"All for App" Award - Tim Prosser (baseball)
Overcoming Adversity - Baseball (overcoming the tragedy of the loss of Tom Prosser)
Best Record-Breaking Performance - Katie Boyd (softball) (home run record)
Best Coach - Jerry Moore (football)
Best Team Manager - Stanton Corley (men's basketball)
Best Athletic Trainer - Sarah Gill (cross country, track and field)
Best Upset - Chris Moen (men's indoor track and field) - (Won the SoCon mile run championship)
Best Breakthrough Athlete - Nick O'Keefe (men's cross country)
