It was time to put on your Sunday best, take a few bows and be proud and thankful for
the successes of another year of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
athletics.
It’s
Scrappys III … UTC’s answer to The Oscars.
Talented
student-athletes, along with successful coaches and support staff coming
together to celebrate another year of success on the courts, fields, gyms and
courses along with impressive high marks in the classroom.
“Tonight
is about memories … a celebration of great moments in your college careers,”
said UTC athletics director David Blackburn.
Two hundred and fifty patrons gathered Thursday night at The Chattanoogan Hotel to honor UTC coaches
and student-athletes.
Men's
and women’s basketball had multiple winners with three each.
Men’s
basketball’s head coach Will Wade was selected as Coach of the Year, senior Z
Mason was voted Male Athlete of the Year and Ronrico White received the
Comeback of the Year Award.
The
Southern Conference champion women’s hoops teams took home Team of the Year
honors, along with Rookie of the Year (Chelsey Shumpert) and Female Athlete of
the Year (Taylor Hall).
2012
Southern Conference women’s golf champion Jordan Britt was awarded the Brenda Lawson & Associates
Scholar-Athlete of the Year award with a 3.54 GPA as a Nursing major and
two-time WGCA All-American Scholar recipient.
Rookie
of the Year – Chelsey Shumpert (Women’s Basketball)
Chelsey Shumpert started 26 games at point guard for the Southern Conference
Champion women’s basketball team. She led the team with 34 three-pointers
and was third in scoring at 6.9 points per game. After the season,
Shumpert earned a spot on the Southern Conference All-Freshman team.
Nominees Included: Dawson Peck (Wrestling), Greg Pryor (Men’s
Basketball), Emily McLennan (Women’s Golf).
Victory
of the Year – Football’s SoCon Title Clinching Win Over No. 15 Wofford (Nov. 9,
2013)
The
23rd ranked Mocs took out No. 15 Wofford 20-10 on November 9.
That gave Chattanooga eight wins on the year and clinched a share of the SoCon
Title for the first time since 1984. Over 12,000 fans flocked to Finley
Stadium to see UTC outrush Wofford’s triple option attack and give the Mocs an
eight-win season for the first time since 1980.
Nominees Included: Wrestling’s win at No. 15 Stanford, Volleyball’s
3-0 upset win over Samford, Women’s Tennis defeating nationally-ranked Elon,
Women’s Golf winning the SoCon Championship, Teghan Henderson winning the SoCon
Cross Coutry Championship by 27 seconds.
Comeback
of the Year – Ronrico White (Men’s Basketball)
Ronrico
White Missed the first nine games with an injury. His return to the
lineup helped spark a 10-game winning streak that set the stage for a second
place finish in the SoCon race. White was third on the team with 10.8
points per game and second in the SoCon with a 2 to 1 assist to turnover
ratio.
Nominees Included: Kiaana Howard (Track & Field/Cross Country),
Faith Dupree (Women’s Basketball) returning to the lineup after missing six
games with an ankle injury, The football team’s second half comeback win over
The Citadel.
Individual
Performance of the Year – Teghan Henderson
Henderson
finished 20th at the 2013 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre
Haute, Ind. She is the third Cross Country All-American in school history
and the first Chattanooga sophomore to finish in the Top-20 at the NCAA
Division I Championships.
Nominees Included: Z. Mason’s (Men’s Basketball) 24 points, 13
rebounds and six blocks in a 63-44 win over Appalachian State, Taylor Hall’s
(Women’s Basketball) 25 points, 11 rebounds and four steals in a 72-60 win at
Georgia Southern, Agathe Sauzon’s Medalist Performance at the Women’s Golf
Championships, Nick Soto’s (Wrestling) 15-8 win over Stanford’s No. 1 ranked
Ryan Mango.
Behind
the Scenes Award – Lisa Tarr
Lisa
Tarr is finishing up her third year as the Coordinator of Student Support
Services for Mocs Athletics. Specifically, she handles the daily academic
needs of the Mocs Football program, and serves in a leadership role in the
Academic Office of Chattanooga Athletics.
Nominees Included: Greg Goldin (Assistant Director of Athletic
Performance), Laura Herron (Senior Associate A.D./SWA), Dale Rutemeyer
(Volunteer UTC Athletics Photographer), Jenni Martin (Marketing Graduate
Assistant).
Professor
of the Year – Dr. Jamie Harvey
Dr.
Jamie Harvey is an Assistant Professor in the Health & Human Performance
Department. An alum of UTC, her teaching focuses on Pedagogy and Exercise
Leadership. Over the years, she has worked with hundreds of
student-athletes who have gone through UTC’s HHP program.
Nominees Included: Julie Bingham (Chemistry), Dr. Joanie Sompayrac
(Business), Dr. Mohammad Ahmadi (Business).
Play
of the Year – Nakevion Leslie takes it to the house to beat App State
Nakevion
Leslie’s 28-yard interception return for a touchdown lifted Chattanooga to a
35-28 win at Appalachian State on November 2. The triumph propelled the Mocs
into first-place in the Southern Conference and gave the team its first win in
Boone since 1983.
Nominees Included: Gee McGhee’s 70-foot first half buzzer-beater
against Elon. Volleyball’s one-minute rally against Samford. Greg Pryor’s
game-winning charge taken against Wofford. Agathe Sauzon’s SoCon Championship
birdie putt on first playoff hole.
Fan
of the Year – David and Carol Gibbs
The
Gibbs are 30-year season ticket holders, but it is the extra things they do as
Mocs fans that set them apart. David is known for meeting teams in the middle
of the night at McKenzie Arena as they return from road trips win or lose.
David and Carol have both been honored with the Harold Wilkes Award from the
UTC Athletics Hall of Fame.
Nominees Included: David Martin, Erik Gray, Bud Hennebaul.
Coach
of the Year – Will Wade (Men’s Basketball)
Coach
Wade guided the Mocs to an 18-15 overall record and second place in the
SoCon race at 12-4. He is the first Moc to earn SoCon Coach of the Year honors
since Mack McCarthy in 1993. He was also a finalist for the Lou Henson Award
given annually to the top “Mid-Major” coach in the country and the Joe B. Hall
Award given to the top first-year head coach.
Nominees Included: Jim Foster (Women’s Basketball), Russ Huesman
(Football), Mark Guhne (Men’s Golf), Colette Murray (Women’s Golf), Heath
Eslinger (Wrestling).
Male
Student-Athlete of the Year – Z. Mason (Men’s Basketball)
Z.
Mason capped an outstanding senior season with first team All-Southern Conference
recognition along with the league’s Defensive Player of the Year honor. He led
the team with 18.2 points per game and led the conference with 9.7 rebounds per
contest along with a school record 92 blocks.
Nominees Included: Lucas Cotter (Cross Country), Davis Tull (Football),
Jacob Huesman (Football), Corey Mock (Wrestling).
Female
Student-Athlete of the Year – Taylor Hall (Women’s Basketball)
Taylor
Hall had one of the most amazing seasons in Southern Conference history. She is
the first student-athlete to earn Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the
Year and Tourney MVP honors in the same season. She led the Mocs in scoring,
rebounding, assists and steals guiding the SoCon Champs to their 12th
NCAA Tournament appearance while tying the school record with 29 wins.
Nominees Included: Taylor Deason (Softball), Teghan Henderson (Cross
Country), Agathe Sauzon (Women’s Golf).
Brenda
Lawson & Associates Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Jordan Britt (Women’s
Golf)
Jordan
Britt is a two-time WGCA All-American Scholar and a multiple Academic All-SoCon
performer. The Chattanooga native has a 3.54 GPA as a Nursing major. The 2012
SoCon Champion was also honored with the 2014 Scrappy Moore Award from the UTC
Athletics Hall of Fame.
Nominees Included: Lucas Cotter (Cross Country), Davis Tull (Football),
Taylor Mangrum (Soccer), Jenna Nurik (Women’s Tennis).
Powerade
Team of the Year – Women’s Basketball
The
Chattanooga Mocs women’s basketball team had one of the most successful seasons
in school history. UTC won its 18th Southern Conference Regular
Season title and 15th tournament trophy in 2014. The Mocs also
advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time. Chattanooga tied
a school record with 29 wins and Hall of Fame Head Coach Jim Foster made headlines
nationwide with his 800th career victory. UTC owns the nation’s
longest home-court winning streak at 39 games and the squad has captured 34
consecutive SoCon regular season contests.
Nominees Included: Men’s Cross Country (Nation’s Highest GPA), SoCon
Champion Men’s Golf Team, SoCon Champion Wrestling Team, SoCon Champion Women’s
Golf Team, SoCon Champion Football Team.
contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net