VIDEO | Winner Announcements & Speeches

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University has announced the five winners of the 2020 WUSPYS awards. Despite Wingate not being able to host the eighth annual WUSPYS this year, nominees were still announced for five categories, and ballots were sent out to over 100 voters which included coaches, administration and Wingate's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The nominees for Male and Female Athletes of the Year, along with nominees for Male and Female Freshmen of the Year, came only from fall and winter sports. Geddings Award nominees came from all sports. In addition, team awards were announced during April and are listed below. To learn more about the WUSPYS, follow @WUSPYS on Twitter or go to wingatebulldogs.com/wuspys.

Below is a breakdown, featuring the winner of each category along with the highlights of all the nominees in each category. The team awards are also listed at the bottom. 

Freshman Female Athlete of the Year - Lily Sanocki, Swimming



Other Nominees
Hannah Clark, Basketball
Danielle Crawford, Track & Field
Jess LaFrancis, Soccer
Maggie Young, Volleyball

Freshman Male Athlete of the Year - Paul Ngongo, Soccer



Other Nominees
Ethan Evans, Football
Slava Ohnov, Swimming
Brent Surratt, Cross Country

Female Athlete of the Year - Anna Miram, Swimming



Other Nominees
Franziska Althaus, Cross Country/Track & Field
Kristen DeBiase, Soccer
Teliyah Jeter, Basketball
Sophie Schaff, Volleyball

Male Athlete of the Year - Javon Graham, Track & Field



Other Nominees
Iran Almeida, Swimming
Elliot Cutts, Soccer
Micah Kipchumba, Cross Country
Robbie Wallace, Football

Geddings Award (Top Overall Student-Athlete) – Daniel Belsito, Tennis



Other Nominees
Mary Claire Coyne, Softball
Abbey Frail, Soccer
Andrew Strickland, Football
Giacomo Viazzo, Swimming
Kendall Wells, Lacrosse

OTHER AWARDS

Haskins Awards (WU Senior with top GPA)
Matthew Livingstone, Men's Soccer

Football Team Awards
MVP - Robbie Wallace
Leadership Award - Davion Washington

Volleyball Team Awards
MVP - Rachel Alles
Coaches Award - Marianna Warren

Men's Soccer Team Awards
Offensive MVP - Paul Ngongo
Defensive MVP - Owen Marshall

Women's Soccer Team Awards 
Offensive MVP - Taylor Krakower
Defensive MVP - Kristen DeBiase

Men's Cross Country Team Awards
MVP - Micah Kipchumba
"The Rock" Award - Brent Surratt 

Women's Cross Country Team Awards
MVP - Franziska Althaus
"The Rock" Award - Shona Blades

Men's Basketball Team Awards
Offensive MVP - Jarren Cottingham
Rebound Award - Quantra Taylor

Women's Basketball Team Awards
Offensive Player of the Year - Hannah Clark
Defensive Player of the Year - Teliyah Jeter

Men's Swimming Team Awards
Norman Family Most Valuable Swimmer - Iran Almeida
Kevin Polansky Live Life, Love Life Award - Ben Evans

Women's Swimming Team Awards
Norman Family Most Valuable Swimmer - Anna Miram
Bridget Beth Melvin Award - Kate Agger

Men's Track & Field Team Awards
Track Performer of the Year - Javon Graham
Field Performer of the Year - Elliot Zirwas

Women's Track & Field Team Awards
Track Performer of the Year - Franziska Althaus
Field Performer of the Year - Danielle Crawford

Baseball Team Awards
Player of the Year - McCann Mellett
Pitcher of the Year - Mac Callari

Softball Team Awards
Player of the Year - Haley Cashwell
Pitcher of the Year - Aubrey Reep

Men's Lacrosse Team Awards
Offensive MVP - Bobby Padden
Defensive MVP - Reese Orman

Women's Lacrosse Team Awards
Offensive Player of the Year - Kendall Wells
Defensive Player of the Year - Megan Biase

Men's Tennis Team Awards
MVP - Daniel Belsito
Coaches Award - Tamir Geva

Women's Tennis Team Awards
MVP - Alisa Rudenko
Coaches Award - Camilla Ciaccia

Men's Golf Team Awards
MVP - Charles Joubert
Coaches Award - Nicolas Brown

Women's Golf Team Awards
MVP - Hailey McLaughlin
ACE Award - Sam Fritzinger

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

A comprehensive, independent and growing university, Wingate serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Founded in 1896, the University offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as graduate and professional programs. Wingate is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences. Wingate blends in-class exploration with out-of-class application to deliver an uncommon and life-changing educational experience.

In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 13 years. Wingate is first in the 2000s among NCAA Division II and North Carolina's colleges and universities with 115 CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 124 lifetime Academic All-America® honorees. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com. Current news and videos can be found at www.wingate.edu.