Wesleyan Honors Student-Athletes at Annual Awards Banquet

The Wesleyan College athletics department honored its student-athletes on Thursday night at its annual Athletics Awards Banquet.  Attended by nearly all of the school's athletes as well as President Knox, Dean Fowler, athletics director Patty Gibbs and faculty athletics representative Tom Ellington, the evening was a time set aside to celebrate the strides being made throughout the Pioneer athletics program.

The 2012 Wesleyan College Athlete of the Year was awarded to junior Lindsay Haggerty, who was instrumental in bringing about change for the Wesleyan basketball program this season. The Battle Creek, MI, native helped lead the Pioneers to an 8-12 record, which marked the team’s best season in nearly a decade. For her consistent play throughout the season, Haggerty was named to the Great South Athletic Conference women's basketball All Conference team, marking the first All Conference selection for the Pioneers since the 2002-03 season. She wrapped up the year ranked in the top ten in six different Great South Athletic Conference categories, highlighted by her league-leading scoring average of 16.7 points per game. Haggerty led Wesleyan in scoring in 16 of their 19 games played, scoring 15 or more points in 13 of her 19 games.

This year’s Multi-Sport Athlete of the Year was remarkably enough awarded to a freshman, Christina Mayfield. The Macon, Ga., native was the top performer for Wesleyan’s cross country team this fall, while also starting at midfield for the soccer team, and this spring, she is the starting left fielder for the Pioneer softball team. Mayfield finished 17th overall at the 2011 Great South Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship, which was good enough to earn her a spot on the GSAC All-Freshman team. She was Wesleyan’s top finisher in each race she competed in, and she earned four top-25 finishes over the course of the season. On the soccer field, she started all 16 games and her speed was critical on the defensive side of the ball. New to the game of softball, Mayfield started every game thus far this season and has consistently improved both in the field and at the plate over the course of the season.

Spirited and lively, Suzra Antoine was the recipient of the 2012 Pioneer Spirit Award. A member of the Wesleyan soccer team, the junior defender played in every match this season and scored her first career goal in a victory over Johnson University. Not only a participant in Wesleyan athletics, “Suze” is also the department’s biggest cheerleader who can be found encouraging her classmates at nearly every event on campus.

Receiving the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the second consecutive year, senior Anna Plue is a dual sport athlete who competes for both the volleyball and equestrian teams. She has maintained a perfect grade point average over the course of her collegiate academic career and hopes to one day become an animator or work to make special effects for movies. Known for excellence both athletically and academically, she has earned a spot on the Great South Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference volleyball team each of the last two seasons. In the equestrian ring, Plue qualified to compete in Regionals in the Western horsemanship division this year.

The Team GPA Award is given to the team that holds the highest collective GPA on campus, and this year, the Equestrian team earned the honor by combining for an overall grade point average of 3.45, which was a full point higher than the second ranked team. A well-rounded student-athlete who excels not only but also academically and as a contributor to the campus community is what Wesleyan strives to produce. Under the supervision of coach Courtenay Bunn, the equestrian team is held to high standards both on horseback and in the classroom. Coach Bunn monitors the academic progress of each of her student-athletes over the course of the school year and requires regular study hall hours from each of her riders. Led by the team’s only senior, Anna Plue, the 2012 equestrian team has proven that they have found the proper balance between athletics competitiveness and academic excellence.

A new award added to the program this year was the Helping Hands Award, which essentially represents the department's volunteer of the year.  Megan Crissy has gone above and beyond in her efforts to help out the athletics department over the course of the entire school year.  From game day set up and tear down to selling concessions, the sophomore from Canton, Ga., was at nearly every home event assisting coaches and athletic trainer Christine Clancy in one way or another.

Each team honored its individual award winners at the dinner, and they are listed below:

Cross Country:
Runner of the Year- Christina Mayfield
Heart and Hustle- Turhonda Williams
Sportsmanship - Kaitlyn Rentz

Soccer:
Most Improved Player Award - Suzanne Smith
Freshman of the Year Award - Abby Stephens
MVP of the Year Award - Charly Harris

Volleyball:
Leadership Award- Alaina (Avera) Harrison
Leadership Award- Cecilia Cortez
Most Improved- Anna Plue

Basketball:
Leadership Award- Lindsay Haggerty
Most Improved- Evgenia Korun
Heart and Hustle- Sha'Vonda Jones

Softball:
Leadership Award- Kayla Lumley
Coach's Award- Tricia Velasco
Rookie Award- Colleen DeGraff

Tennis:
Most Dedicated - Joanna Esposita
Sportsmanship Award- Nozomi Hirai
Team Spirit - Lauren Mitchell

Equestrian:
Most Improved: Catherine Jordan
Best Sportsmanship: Jenna Ford
Coach's Award: Aaron South