Student-Athletes Recognized At Night of Champions
5/6/2014 8:26:00 AM | Athletics
Setter Tayler Gray from the volleyball team and catcher Anthony Azar from the baseball program received the Sam Houston athletics department's top student-athlete award at the SHSU “Night of Champions” celebration Sunday, May 4, at the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center.
In addition, 16 student-athletes and two support staff members from the 15 sports teams that have completed their 2013-14 schedules were honored as “Most Valuable Players”.
The event also honored Southland Conference championship teams from baseball (2013), women's indoor track and field (2014) and men's golf (2014) plus the 2014 NCAA Division I National Championship women's bowling team.
Gray and Azar were announced at the 2014 recipients of the Fred Gibson Student-Athletes of the Year honor.
Gray, who earned her Bachelor's degree in health with a 3.82 overall grade point average and holds a perfect 4.0 GPA in her graduate studies, was a four-year letter winner in volleyball, earning All-Southland Conference honors her junior and senior years.
Azar, a geology major, holds a 3.46 overall GPA and has earned All-Southland honors while helping lead Sam Houston to back-to-back Southland Conference championships.
Fall sports MVP winners included Karl Schreiber (men's cross country); Alyssa Dooley (women's cross country); Brian Bell, Timothy Flanders and Torrance Williams (football); Tricia Mallory (soccer) and Tayler Gray (volleyball).
Spring sports MVP honorees were Paul Baxter (men's basketball); Angela Beadle and Jasmine Johnson (women's basketball); Anthony Azar (baseball); Kimi Davidson (bowling); Zach Cabra (men's golf); Paige Nelson and Alisa White (women's golf); Jay Roberson (men's indoor track and field) and Lygia Foreman (women's indoor track and field).
Recognized as MVPs from the 2013 spring season were Matthew Viverette (men's outdoor track and field); Adrienne Quillin (women's outdoor track and field) and Maddie Mortimore (women's tennis).
Student athletic-trainer Dante Johnson and student manager Alex Padron also received “most valuable” recognition for their departments.
Other groups recognized were each of the Bearkat student-athletes who received first team All-Southland Conference recognition, All-America honors and special Southland Conference awards.
The 2014 "Night of Champions" event was sponsored by Vice President for Student Services (Gold Sponsor); Aramark Dining Services (Silver Sponsor) and Vice President for Finance & Operations, Vice President for University Advancement, Joe & Winnie Sandel, Robert & Kim Wynn and Clayton & Kay Plucheck (Star Sponsors).
