The MU Ancilla Chargers Athletic Department celebrated Athletic Awards Night, hosted by Swan Lake Resort. The night was a huge success as over 125 athletes were in attendance to see 47 awards passed out. The evening began with Chancellor Heidt addressing the student-athletes to highlight many individual and team successes while also presenting a message about hard work and resiliency. Chancellor Heidt pointed out the many teams who saw increases in wins this year which included: Women's Soccer, who set a school record for wins and also MCCAA wins this season, Women's Volleyball, who ended a long winless streak and also had a 5-match winning streak during their season, and the Women's Basketball Team who improved from 9 wins to 21 wins while also qualifying for the post-season. Chancellor Heidt also recognized the spring sports teams who are making progress during their seasons which will not end until after the school year ends.
Athletic Director Shaun McAllister continued the evening by recognizing the Athletic Department setting a new high academically by earning a cumulative GPA of 2.95 in the fall semester which was a dramatic increase from the previous year. McAllister continued by recognizing the 22 All-MCCAA and All-Region awards that were earned by Charger Athletes. Each of these athletes were able to be recognized in front of their peers for their accomplishments at the MCCAA and Region level.
Each coach was then able to come to the front and recognize their team award winners. Each team's award winners are listed below:
Men's Cross Country: MVP - MaxKendzicky, Most Improved - Johnny Gonzalez
Women's Cross Country: MVP - Kalei Cave, Most Improved - Megan Byrd and Edith Teeter, Coach's Award - Baylee Ambrose
Men's Soccer: MVP - Kevin Cruz, Most Improved - Dalian Leach, Coach's Award - Mario Perez
Women's Soccer: MVP - Abbigail Cutler, Most Improved - Tori Minix, Coach's Award - Jane Wright
Volleyball: MVP - Leah Thompson and Ella Norwood, Most Improved - JCarla Harris, Coach's Award - Tori Highland
Wrestling: MVP - Sergio Bueno and Reese Hamblen, Most Improved - Reese Hamblen, Coach's Award - Bryan Chavero and Gunner Connaughton
Men's Bowling: MVP - Kody Horan, Most Improved - Peter Kenney, Coach's Award - Sean White
Women's Bowling: MVP - Jasmine Huff, Most Improved - Erin Stacy, Coach's Award - Katherine Ford
Men's Basketball: MVP - Maurice Russell, Most Improved - Aaron Clark, Coach's Award - Ben Jones
Women's Basketball: MVP - Jayci Allen and Kyra Duncan, Most Improved - Nicole Swain, Coach's Award - Samaria Freeman
Cheer: MVP - Victoria Minix, Most Improved - Autumn Garling, Coach's Award - Camryn Buchert
Softball: MVP - Mia Wojcik, Most Improved - Lexi Janeczko, Coach's Award - Izzy Johnson
Baseball: MVP - Connor Boone, Most Improved - Matteo Lindia, Coach's Award - Josh Ledgard
Men's Golf: MVP - Andy Clark, Most Improved - Bryan Chavero
Women's Golf: MVP - Clair Prior, Most Improved - Sarah Kim
Athletic Director Shaun McAllister and Assistant Athletic Director Ryan Gould introduced the most prestigious awards of the night, the Male and Female Athlete of the Year. Ryan Gould introduced the Male Athlete of the Year, Kody Horan, from Men's Bowling. Kody was recognized for his outstanding season where he finished as the 8th ranked bowler in the MCCAA Western Conference, earned a spot on the All-Region Tournament team, and finished in 8th place out of 130 bowlers at the NJCAA National Championships which earned him All-American honors. Horan was the only MU Ancilla athlete to earn All-American this year.
Shaun McAllister introduced the Female Athlete of the Year, Jayci Allen, from Women's Basketball. Jayci was recognized for her outstanding season that included numerous honors. Jayci earned 1st Team All-MCCAA Western Conference, All-MCCAA Western Conference Freshman Team, All MCC-Western Conference Defensive Team, All-MCCAA, and All-Region XII Tournament Team. Jayci was also named MCCAA Western Conference Player of the Week twice during the season. Her 375 total rebounds led the MCCAA.
McAllister also named Tori Highland as the recipient of the Charger Award which is given to a student-athlete who goes above and beyond to help the athletic department. Highland spent many hours working for athletics in preparation for the banquet, helping with game management and event coverage, was a team captain in her sport, and showed a selfless attitude in helping the athletic department.
The MU Ancilla Assistant Coach of the Year award was given to Josh Pitts. Coach Pitts is the top assistant for the MU Ancilla Baseball team while also being the Recruiting Coordinator for Softball, a program he will take over as head coach in the fall of 2023. Coach Pitts has been instrumental in game planning, travel preparation, budget management, recruiting, and is the baseball team's first base coach. He has also been able to sign 12 softball players for next year's softball team. He has accomplished all of this while also maintaining his full time position on campus.
The MU Ancilla Head Coach of the Year award was given to Ryan Gould from Women's Basketball. Coach Gould's team finished their season at 21-9 which is the 2nd most wins in school history and is up from 9 wins last season. The women's basketball team finished 9-4 against the MCCAA Western Conference, had two players, Kyra Duncan and Jayci Allen, earn 1st Team All-MCCAA Western Conference and All-MCCAA awards, and advanced to the Great Lakes District A Semi-Finals this year. The team also compiled a team GPA of 3.18 in the 1st semester this year.
