HARROGATE, Tenn. – The Lincoln Memorial University athletic department has announced the nominees for the first-annual Lincoln Awards, which will be hosted on the LMU campus inside of Duke Hall at 6 p.m. on April 25.
The Lincoln Awards will take the place of the LMU Athletics Banquet, transitioning the end-of-the-year event to a department-wide, awards-based show that will celebrate the teams, athletes and games that made the 2015-16 seasons memorable. In total, 15 awards will be presented on what should be a special night at Duke Hall, with selected student-athletes serving as the presenters.
Two Chattanoogans are up for top awards: former Ooltewah standout Allie Jones as Female Newcomer of the Year and ex-Arts & Sciences softball star Briana Taylor as the Female Breakthrough Athlete of the Year.
Jones, who led the Lady Owls to a third-place finish in the 2015 Class 3A state softball tournament, is enjoying a solid rookie season with the Lady Railsplitters. Jones, who has started 41 of 42 games, is batting .291 with six doubles, two triples, four home runs and 29 RBIs.
Taylor, a sophomore, has a 10-11 pitching record with a team-leading 2.84 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 104.2 innings.
Below is a list of the awards that will be presented and the nominees for those respective awards.
Game of the Year
-Men's Basketball advances to National Championship with win over West Liberty
-Men's Soccer stuns Tusculum with last-second goal in SAC Tournament
-Women's Basketball knocks off No. 20 Carson-Newman
Female Newcomer of the Year
-Reagan Greene, Golf
-Allie Jones, Softball
-Amara Moss, Lacrosse
Male Newcomer of the Year
-Sam Broadhurst, Golf
-Ethan Elliott, Baseball
-Danilo da Silva, Soccer
Female Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
-Britney Guy, Basketball
-Roksolana Prudyvus, Tennis
-Brianna Taylor, Softball
Male Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
-Adam Golia, Lacrosse
-Eric Kalman, Baseball
-Emanuel Terry, Basketball
Female Performance of the Year
-Whitney Elliott finishes runner-up in Bulldog Stampede
-Megan Pittman tallies 24 points and 18 rebounds in 2OT showdown vs. Anderson
-Samantha Smith throws a no-hitter vs. Anderson in SAC Tournament
Male Performance of the Year
-Mason Ewers smashes three home runs vs. Davis & Elkins
-Gerel Simmons collects 35 points and 7 assists in Final Four win over West Liberty
-Emanuel Terry's 24 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks in Southeast Region final
Upset of the Year
-Women's Basketball takes down No. 20 Carson-Newman
-Volleyball dethrones Carson-Newman in straight sets
-Baseball sweeps No. 20 Newberry
Play of the Year
-Adam Golia's last-second goal against Emmanuel
-Britney Guy's near half-court game-winner against Mars Hill
-Nick Spielman's last-second goal against Tusculum in SAC Tournament
Female Team of the Year
-Women's Golf
-Women's Basketball
-Volleyball
Male Team of the Year
-Men's Basketball
-Men's Soccer
-Men's Golf
Female Athlete of the Year
-Whitney Elliott, Cross Country and Track and Field
-Sydney Gallant, Golf
-Megan Pittman, Basketball
Male Athlete of the Year
-Ethan Elliott, Baseball
-Gerel Simmons, Basketball
-Danilo da Silva, Soccer