Anyka Wilkin and Christopher Kirksey were selected by the athletic staff and presented the 2023 MBU Athlete of the Year awards at the annual awards picnic held Thursday, May 11 at SMA Worth Field.  A variety of games as well as a picnic-style dinner were featured in the event co-sponsored by the athletic department and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.  

 

Wilkin was the starting all-conference goalie for the women's soccer team while Kirksey won nine medals, including four first-place awards, at conference indoor and outdoor track & field championships.

 

The Newcomer of the Year awards were presented to softball second baseman Trinity Thomas, who was named the USA South Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, and baseball catcher Josh Lallo, who is the first MBU baseball player to earn all-conference recognition in the three-year history of the team.

 

Four student-athletes were chosen for athletic and academic awards, including soccer defenders Katie Hayes and Kyle Creamer, softball outfielder Samantha "Bama" Grimsley and baseball utility player Juan Vascones.  Hayes and Creamer were presented the Senior Scholar-Athlete awards, combining athletic and academic achievement, while Grimsley and Vascones were presented the Mary Jane Donnalley Award for the student-athletes with the highest grade point averages.

 

Also recognized for their contributions were graduate assistants Erik Recke (men's and women's soccer), Sam Breeden (softball) and Brady Goode (baseball) as well as Director of Event Management, Facilities and Student Engagement Stephen Peters.  All three grad assistants were presented plaques of appreciation for two years of contributions to their team.  Recke was also selected as the third recipient of the Christy Shelton Award for Athletic Leadership Excellence.  Peters, the 2022 Christy Shelton Award winner, was thanked for his two year term of dedicated service and support to MBU Athletics as an NCAA Intern.