MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), in conjunction with Leatherneck Athletics, will hold the inaugural WESPYS banquet this Thursday (May 1). The event, sponsored by McDonough Telephone Cooperative (MDTC), will take place in the evening inside Western Hall.
More than 500 student-athletes, staff and guests are expected to attend the ceremony, the first of its kind in what is anticipated in turning into an annual event.
“Thursday night's WESPYS awards ceremony will be a mix of honoring our athletic and academic achievements from the 2013-14 season. SAAC and (Assistant Athletics Director) Lisa Melz-Jennings have done a great job organizing this event,” said Director of Athletics Tommy Bell. “Everyone is looking forward to Thursday night, and we would love to turn this into an annual event.”
The event can be viewed live online (GoLeathernecks.com) for free and on television (locally on WIU-TV3) at 7:45 p.m.
Several awards will be handed out throughout the night, including the Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. The following are the finalists for the awards to be handed out at the WESPYS.
Female Athlete of the Year Nominees
Soccer – Amber Davis
Basketball – Ashley Luke
Track – Chelsea Lynes
Softball – Sammy Marshall
Volleyball – Ann Miller
Swimming – Julia Rasmussen
Golf – Kristi Tschudin
Tennis – Jenna Wallace
Male Athlete of the Year Nominees
Basketball – Garret Covington
Golf – Nate Davis
Baseball – Neil DeCook
Tennis – Christoph Haertel
Soccer – Husref Jupic
Football – Kevin Kintzel
Swimming – Tyler Neaveill
Track – Jamario “6” Taylor
Female Rookie of the Year Nominees
Track – Jasmine Brown
Swimming – Natalie Cumbie
Tennis – Nicole Jones
Softball – Nina Maggio
Soccer – Tyra Markey
Basketball – Tori Niemann
Volleyball – Sarah Sikula
Male Rookie of the Year Nominees
Football – J.C. Baker
Golf – Andrew Blackburn
Basketball – Garret Covington
Track – Xavier Levy
Soccer – Diego Lopez
Swimming – Chris Neaveill
Baseball – Chris Tschida
Female Unsung Hero Nominees
Softball – Tierney Bottino
Swimming – Daniella Bresler
Tennis – Ese Davis
Volleyball – Jordan Jackson
Golf – Ashley Jeffers
Soccer – Victoria Kappel
Track – Megan McGlone
Basketball – Liz Skotowski
Male Unsung Hero Nominees
Swimming – Kevin Arakaki
Tennis – Max Cederkall
Soccer – Ben Fiddes
Football – Antoine Ford
Golf – Connor Jachino
Basketball – Adam Link
Baseball – Robbie Nunn
Track – Tyler Younkin
Female Leatherneck Nominees
Swimming – Mary Betsworth
Tennis – Jessica Callahan
Basketball – Rebecca Henricson
Golf – Jessica Knepp
Softball – Karissa Kouchis
Track – Breanna Moore
Volleyball – Heather Smith
Soccer – Jordan Spaciel
Male Leatherneck Nominees
Swimming – Matt Abercrombie
Golf – Dan Bidle
Tennis – Mitch Granger
Basketball – Jason Hawthorne
Football – Jimmy Holtschlag
Track – Nathaniel Marshall
Baseball – Brent Turner
Coach of the Year
Ryan Brownlee – Baseball
Ted Flogaites – Women's Soccer
Drew Kramer – Strength and Conditioning
Greg Naumann – Swimming
Team Performance of the Year
Women's Soccer defeats Northwestern (2-1 in double overtime on August 23rd, 2013).
Baseball defeats Iowa 8-6 in 10 innings on April 15th, 2014 in Iowa City.
Men's Soccer team advanced to the Summit League Tournament championship for the third straight year.
