The evening featured an hourlong formal banquet that brought together the more than 200 student-athletes from Longwood's 14 athletics programs as well as coaches, administrators, faculty and friends of the programs, including Longwood Hall of Fame coaches Dr. Barbara Smith and Shirley Duncan.
Dr. Jes Simmons, Longwood lecturer in composition and rhetoric, was honored with the Roy Nunnally Special Recognition Award for her commitment to the success of student-athletes, coaches and staff, both on and off the playing field.
Top awards included the following:
Male Athlete of the Year Dan Campos ’18, a business administration major from Bergen, Norway, and Female Athlete of the Year Edel Nyland ’18, a psychology major from Tipperary, Ireland. Campos, men’s soccer, and Nyland, field hockey, were among their sports’ top 10 in the nation, with Campos leading the NCAA with 12 assists per game and Nyland ranking fourth with 1.06 goals per game. Nyland, meanwhile, led the Mid-American Conference and ranked among the top 10 in the NCAA in both goals and points per game.
Jimmy M. Yarbrough Award winner Jessica O’Bryant ’17, a liberal studies major from Forest. O’Bryant earned the Yarbrough
Award through her work on and off the field. A former walk-on who not only worked her way into the starting lineup but also became a team captain for women’s soccer, O’Bryant dedicated her time outside of soccer to preparing herself for a career in special education, drawing her own inspiration from her brother, Austin, who has autism.
Henry I. Willett Scholar-Athlete Award winners Gina D’Orazio ’17, a psychology major from Moseley, and Clayton Forren ’17, a business major from Rustburg. D’Orazio, women’s soccer, and Forren, men’s golf, were recognized for excelling on the field and in the classroom. D’Orazio was a four-year starter who started 74 games and played nearly 5,000 minutes during her career while maintaining a 3.87 GPA. Forren was a four-year contributor who maintained a 3.54 GPA.
Complete list of the 2016-17 Longwood Student-Athlete Awards Banquet Winners:
SAAC A.C.E.S. Award
Tyler Wrenn, assistant director of sports performance
SAAC Coach of the Year
Pierre Tafelski, men’s tennis
Roy Nunnally Special Recognition Award
Dr. Jes Simmons, lecturer in composition and rhetoric, English and Modern Languages
Academic PRIDE Award
Lauren Bernard, field hockey
Dan Campos, men’s soccer
Cormier Award for Team Academic Excellence
Men’s golf (spring 2016)
Men’s golf (fall 2016)
Women’s golf (spring 2016)
Women’s soccer (fall 2016)
Freshman Athlete of the Year
Molly Barkman, women’s lacrosse
Amadeo Blasco, men’s tennis
Jimmy M. Yarbrough Inspiration Award
Jessica O’Bryant, women’s soccer
Athlete of the Year
Dan Campos, men’s soccer
Edel Nyland, field hockey
Henry I. Willett Scholar-Athlete Award
Gina D’Orazio, women’s soccer
Clayton Forren, men’s golf
LancerSTRONG Challenge Cup
Women’s tennis
LancerSTRONG Most Outstanding Lancer Award
Madelynn Rollins, women’s lacrosse
Longwood All-Academic Team
Field hockey, coaching staff
Ian Walker, athletic training
Carlos Garrido, baseball
Isaac Belton, men’s basketball
Kate Spradlin, women’s basketball
Tatianna Griffin, cheerleading
John Bapties, men’s cross country
Erica Mawyer, women’s cross country
Brenna Kinzel, field hockey
Jordan Boulton, men’s golf
Crystina Kertsos, women’s golf
Stephanie Roberts, women’s lacrosse
Paige Robertson, women’s soccer
Zach Morgan, men’s soccer
Jessica Smith, softball
Mason Thomas, women’s tennis
Florian Uffer, men’s tennis
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