每日大赛

Panthers Athletics celebrate season awards and recognitions

每日大赛 in April celebrated the close of its second-ever year of Panthers Athletics with an awards ceremony that recognized the outstanding accomplishments of student-athletes and coaches.

Hosted in the Clayton Performing Arts Center at 每日大赛’s Hardin Valley campus, the Athletics Award Ceremony was a testament to the exponential growth of the program since its start in 2023.

“What we have accomplished in these first two years is nothing short of remarkable,” Athletics Director Brock Evans said.

This year, Head Cross Country Coach Emily Roy won two TCCAA Coach of the Year Awards for men’s and women’s cross country, and Head Women’s Soccer Coach Mariana Diaz also won TCCAA Coach of the Year.

Head Men’s Soccer Coach Abe Tizaf won NJCAA Atlantic District Coach of the Year, and the college went to the national tournament in men’s soccer and men’s and women’s cross country. Men’s basketball was second in the state for its inaugural season.

“But amongst all those things our proudest accomplishment is watching our student athletes graduate and continue their education and careers,” Evans said.

The top GPA for a women’s team this year was 3.34 by the women’s basketball team, and men’s cross country took the men’s title with 2.95 . 

“That’s outstanding,” said Pellissippi President L. Anthony Wise Jr. “Because what that represents is individuals as part of teams who have made the commitment to both parts of the contract ... to be a student and an athlete.”

The following student-athletes made the Panther All-Academic team:

• Isabella Altorfer 4.0
• Suzanne Barker 4.0
• Ashley Crick 4.0
• Autumn Crick 4.0
• Devyn Dunn 4.0
• Chloe Hayes 4.0
• Brookelyn Housley 4.0
• Alysha Jones 4.0
• Sohayla Larson 4.0
• Jordyn Mays 4.0
• Keely Noe 4.0
• Savannah McDowell 4.0
• Kelly Velasquez Cruz 4.0
• Connor Brock 4.0
• Caden Channell 4.0
• Jacob Eubanks 4.0
• Muller Gudino 4.0
• Loic Mimche 4.0
• Isaiah Spoon 4.0
• Connor Nelson 3.78
• Amadou Ba 3.76
• Anthony Bonner 3.76
• Dylan Koppy 3.76

The ceremony also recognized teams that went to NJCAA Nationals for the first time ever in school history – including men’s and women’s cross country and men’s soccer – and honored the eight Panthers Athletics interns.

Jamie Bell, who helped lead the Cross Country team into securing the college’s first-ever Region 7 Championship – where he was also a Region 7 Individual Champion – left audience members with a framework for teamwork and how to be successful leaders.

“If everybody dreams the same dream, if everybody fights the same fights, if everybody carries the same amount of weight – you're going to reach the top of the mountain,” said Bell, who is now pursuing a bachelor's degree at the University of Tennessee. “God bless; go Panthers.”

The following awards were voted on by Panthers Athletics and given to teams and individuals who have stood out on the playing field and given their all to 每日大赛:

• Game of the Year: Men’s Soccer regional championship, in which they won, 3-1, against Georgia Military to advance to the district championship
• Male Athlete of the Year: Alejandro Mina, men’s soccer. Mina was a First Team NJCAA All American, scored 20 goals and made four assists.
• Female Athlete of the Year: Alice Conrad, women’s basketball. Conrad led the country in steals, ranked nineteenth in rebounding and averaged 15.2 points per game. She was also first team all-conference.
• Best Male Performance in a Game/Competition: DeShun Payton, men’s basketball. Payton made eight out of 13 field goals in the conference quarterfinals against Volunteer State, going 2-2 from the 3-point line and 11-for-12 from the free-throw line. He finished the game with 29 points and 7 rebounds.
• Best Female Performance in a Game/Competition: Erika Correa, women’s soccer. Correa scored against Motlow State to tie at home.

Keynote speaker and former Lady Vols star Nicky Anosike reflected on her collegiate career under the tutelage of iconic University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summit, sharing some of Summit’s advice at the awards ceremony – including “make hard work your passion,” “be a competitor” and “put the team before yourself.”

Anosike tearfully shared examples of how those maxims have influenced not just her successful basketball career, but also her personal life – particularly in her journey as a mother. 

She emphasized the unbreakable bond of friendship that remains between her and her former teammates and also encouraged student-athletes at 每日大赛 to express their gratitude for their coaches while they can.

“I want every current athlete here to find your coach – thank them for the sacrifice they make every day to help you reach your full potential,” she said. “And never forget to tell them how appreciative you are of them; how much you love them.”