Austin College coaches and athletics team members honored more than 50 student-athletes, including the Austin College male and female athletes of the year, in its annual Athletics Convocation in Hughey Gymnasium on the Austin College campus.
By virtue of head coaches’ selections, senior men’s water polo player Cayden Griffith and junior swimmer and women’s water polo player Sammi Thiele were named the Pete Cawthon Male Athlete of the Year and Gene Day Female Athlete of the Year, respectively.
Griffith earned the Cawthon Award following a season in which he was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation East Division Player of the Year after scoring 62 goals. He was also named second team All-America following his outstanding season. Griffith was also named first team All-MPSF East, and he was also a two-time MPSF Player of the Week. Griffith finished the year as the MPSF leader in goals scored during the 2022 campaign.
Thiele was named the Gene Day winner for the second straight year after becoming the first ‘Roo swimmer to ever qualify for the NCAA Division III National Championships, and won the 100 backstroke at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships. She was also named the SCAC Elite 19 Award winner as the top female swimming scholar-athlete in the conference, and has also been one of the top contributors for the nationally-ranked ‘Roo women’s water polo team that qualified for the USA Water Polo Division III Championships.
Men’s soccer player Pierce Wear and softball player Kaitlyn Barrett were named the male and female Tim Jubela Award winners as the most outstanding freshmen student-athletes of the year. Wear was an All-SCAC selection after finishing the year with three goals from his midfield position, while Barrett was an All-SCAC pick after finishing the season ranked second in the SCAC with seven home runs and adding 29 RBI.
Team Awards (as voted by teammates)
- Baseball – Cecil Grigg Award (most outstanding baseball player) – Greg Smith
- Baseball – Newcomer of the Year – Tripp Thoms
- Men’s Basketball – Hustle Award – Ocie Berry
- Men’s Basketball – Pat E. Hooks Award (most outstanding player) – Tristan Dick
- Women’s Basketball – Brittany Simpson Award – Kaylee Lewis
- Women’s Basketball – Pat E. Hooks Award (most outstanding player) – Sarah Gwin
- Football – William B. Traylor Award (for hard work and dedication) – Tyler Hanes
- Football – Gene “Duke” Babb Award (most outstanding football player) – Ben Meraz
- Men’s Soccer – Clayton Hustle Award – Sam Spencer
- Men’s Soccer – Most Outstanding Player – Pierce Wear
- Women’s Soccer – Carole Lomangino Award – Most Outstanding Player — Sarah Davis
- Women’s Soccer – Hustle Award – Ari Ruocco
- Softball – Spirit Award – Hailie Swiatkowski
- Softball – Most Outstanding Player – Chyrsi Hemby
- Men’s Swimming – Hannah Award (most outstanding swimmer) – Alex Lai
- Men’s Swimming – Most Improved – Tim Smith
- Women’s Swimming – Hannah Award (most outstanding swimmer) – Sammi Thiele
- Women’s Swimming – Most Improved – Jordan Armstrong
- Men’s Tennis – Carroll Pickett Award (most outstanding tennis player) – Tate Nelson
- Men’s Tennis – Most Improved – AJ Wueste
- Women’s Tennis – Carroll Pickett Award (most outstanding tennis player) – Bailey Standokes
- Women’s Tennis – Most Improved – Karina Alvarez
- Volleyball – Most Outstanding Player – Alyssa Holloway
- Volleyball – Team Impact – Chloe Miller
- Men’s Water Polo – Golden ‘Roo – Dylan Laventure
- Men’s Water Polo – Cap 15 Award – Cayden Griffith
- Women’s Water Polo – Golden ‘Roo – Kate Askew
- Women’s Water Polo – Cap 15 Award – Lauren Olivier
- Cheerleading – Most Improved Cheerleader – Karina Walker
- Cheerleading – Most Outstanding Cheerleader – Sarah Sandoval
- Athletic Training – Most Improved Student Athletic Trainer – Stephanie Cruz
- Athletic Training – Most Outstanding Student Athletic Trainer – Abigail Fuscone
Departmental Awards (selected by head coaches):
- Gene Day Most Outstanding Female Athlete Award – Sammi Thiele, water polo and swimming
- Pete Cawthon Most Outstanding Male Athlete Award– Cayden Griffith, water polo
- Tim Jubela – Most Outstanding Female Freshman Athlete Award – Kaitlyn Barrett, softball
- Tim Jubela Most Outstanding Male Freshman Athlete Award – Pierce Wear, soccer
- Robert T. Mason Sportsmanship Award – Tyler James, football
- Robert T. Mason Sportsmanship Award – Lauren Olivier, water polo and swimming
- Slats McCord Award for Senior Perseverance and Improvement – Garrett Gray, baseball
- Slats McCord Award for Senior Perseverance and Improvement – Shelby Smith, soccer
- Bo Miller Award for Outstanding Achievement in Academics and Athletics – Tate Nelson, tennis
- Bo Miller Award for Outstanding Achievement in Academics and Athletics – Avery Atencio, softball
- Sig Lawson Awards for Dedication and Commitment to Austin College Athletics – Mattie Duncan, volleyball; Sierra Thomas, tennis; Avery Atencio, softball; Emily Engberson, water polo; Heather Foster, soccer; Lily Brown, basketball; Becca Tobias, swimming.
- Sig Lawson Awards for Dedication and Commitment to Austin College Athletics – Justin Lambright, baseball; Christian Luera, basketball; Logan Newman, soccer; Tate Nelson, tennis; Alan Rosenberg, water polo; Tyler James, football; Sean Cookson, swimming; Kendall Johnson, cheer.
- Dr. Jack Pierce Academic Excellence Award – Highest Team GPA – Women’s Swimming & Diving.