TWU Celebrates Outstanding Year |
Texas Wesleyan also announced that through the outstanding efforts of Marty and Patsy Clifford as well as Gene and Ann Burge, the school has purchased all new training equipment for what will be christened the “Patsy and Marty Clifford Fitness Center.” The Rams also honored their seniors and presented numerous special awards.
One of the most inspirational stories of the year was CJ Higginbotham of the men’s basketball team. Higginbotham was a walk-on with the Rams junior varsity squad four years ago. This season, his senior year, he earned an opportunity to start. He proceeded to light up the world by leading all collegiate divisions in three-point percentage at 53% (89-168) while leading the Rams with 15.7 points per game. He earned All-American status while earning a second All-American Scholar Athlete award (available only to juniors and seniors). On Friday, he received the school’s Most Outstanding Male Athlete Award and the O.D. and Maurice Bounds Men’s Scholar Athlete Award, given to the individual male junior or senior athlete with the highest cumulative GPA.
Volleyball’s Liz Meng, who earned All-American recognition during a 20-win campaign, was recognized as the school’s Most Outstanding Female Athlete.
The Gene and Ann Burge Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to the male and female athlete who best exemplifies the characteristics of true sportsmanship during the year, went to Brooke McNabb (Jr. softball) and Jason Diaz (Sr. baseball).
The Ram Mentor Award, given to the faculty member who has shown support for the concept of the student-athlete through a nurturing but challenging role as a faculty member and advisor, went to Dr. Pam Rast (Exercise and Sport Studies).
The Ram Administrator Award went to the department’s administrative assistant Melanie Ford for her tremendous effort that frequently goes above and beyond her normal duties to help the Athletic Department reach its goals. Each team also awarded a Coaches’ Award (selected by the coaching staff), a Lewis and Dorothy Peek 3-D Award (given to the student athlete who shows the most desire, determination, and dedication to the team), and a Most Valuable Player Award.
Team Awards: Men’s Soccer Coaches Award – Austin Salles 3-D Award – Thomas Hansen MVP – Damien McBrien Women’s Soccer Coaches Award – Heather Fowler & Brittany O’Brien 3-D Award – Stefanie Blowers & Aubrey Rice MVP – Brianna McKernon Volleyball Coaches Award – Ashley Mock 3-D Award – Erinn Miller MVP – Liz Meng Cheerleaders Coaches Award – Sabe Whiple 3-D Award – Daniel Duckett MVP – Nikkina Robinson Men’s Basketball Coaches Award – Jeremy Fox 3-D Award – Kelvin Williams MVP – CJ Higginbotham & Evan Patterson Women’s Basketball Coaches Award – Keegan Harry 3-D Award – Christina Haywood MVP – Nastassia Brown Table Tennis Coaches Award – Mike Meier 3-D Award – Ines Perhoc MVP – Mark Hazinski Scholar Athlete – Peter Lindsay-van der Puije Spirit Award – Orlagh Lynch 110% Award – Melanie Ford Softball Coaches Award – Michelle Jones 3-D Award – Brooke McNabb MVP – Ariel Raley Athletic Training Coaches Award – Crystal Carrizales 3-D Award – Laura Pideras MVP – Staff Baseball Coaches Award – Weston Wood 3-D Award – Jason Diaz MVP – Josh Vander Hey Golf Coaches Award – Ryan Stephens 3-D Award – Kevin Doskocil MVP – Mitch Hendon |
FORT WORTH, TX: The Texas Wesleyan University Athletic Department celebrated the outstanding achievements of its student-athletes on Friday. With three teams still in competition, the Rams have won two conference championships and seven national titles. They boast four All-Americans with several more to come by spring’s end, and over 30% of their athletes have posted GPA’s of 3.0 or higher.
Mrs. Maurice Bounds graced the department with her presence by attending the Athletic Banquet for a 64th time. She was on hand to presented the Scholar Athlete Award to Higginbotham and Brooke McNabb (Jr. softball).
The Rams Spirit Award, given to the individual or individuals outside the institution who best epitomizes the spirit of fair play and competitiveness, was awarded to Marty and Patsy Clifford for their continued support of athletics at Texas Wesleyan.The Rams Online was created by College Sports Online, Inc. It is maintained by Josh Lacy, SID, Texas Wesleyan University.