SHERMAN, Texas – The Austin College coaches and team members have announced honors for more than 50 student-athletes with its annual end of the year awards, recognizing many of the standout members of the athletics department's 18 varsity programs.
The 2019-20 athletics year was an historic one for Austin College. The department saw records fall in a number of sports this year, including several in football, cross country, swimming and diving, and water polo, among others. Both the women's basketball and women's water polo teams received national accolades, with the women's basketball program finding itself ranked in the Top 25 by both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and D3Hoops.com for the majority of the year while the 'Roo women's water polo team finished the spring ranked No. 5 in the nation by the Collegiate Water Polo Association.
Austin College claimed both individual and team championships in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference this year, with men's swimmer Ethan Nguyen earning gold at the 2020 SCAC Championship Meet while the women's basketball team cut down the nets at the 2020 SCAC Tournament. The 'Roos advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the first time in more than 20 years after winning their first SCAC conference tournament crown.
Numerous student-athletes earned All-Conference and Player of the Week recognition throughout the course of the year, many of whom were recognized by their teammates and coaches for their outstanding contributions in 2019-20.
- Baseball – Cecil Grigg Award (Most Outstanding Player): Ryan Culp
- Baseball – Newcomer of the Year: Zack Mahoney
- Men's Basketball – Pat E. Hooks Award (Most Outstanding Player: Devin Roland
- Men's Basketball – Hustle Award: Kameron Hill
- Women's Basketball – Pat E. Hooks Award (Most Outstanding Player): Ann Savage
- Women's Basketball – Brittany Simpson Award: Ann Savage
- Men's Cross Country – Ron Munden Award (Most Outstanding Runner): Raymond Navarro
- Men's Cross Country – Most Improved: Chris Biffar
- Women's Cross Country – Ron Munden Award (Most Outstanding Runner): Victoria Dodd
- Women's Cross Country – Most Improved: Madison Barnum
- Men's Distance Track – Ron Munden Award (Most Outstanding Runner): Johnny Biffar
- Men's Distance Track – Most Improved: Charlie McIntyre
- Women's Distance Track – Ron Munden Award (Most Outstanding Runner): Carrie McIntyre
- Women's Distance Track – Most Improved: Madison Barnum
- Football – Gene Babb Award (Most Outstanding Player): Colt Collins
- Football – William B. Traylor Award (Hard Work and Dedication): Connor Carnes
- Men's Soccer – Most Valuable Player: Juan Rodriguez
- Men's Soccer – Clayton Hustle Award: Xander Spurlock
- Women's Soccer – Carole Lomangino Award (Most Outstanding Player): Lina Cruz
- Women's Soccer – Hustle Award: Meredith Harris
- Softball – Most Outstanding Player: Ashley Mayorga
- Softball – Spirit Award: Hannah Richendollar
- Men's Swimming – Hannah Award (Most Outstanding Swimmer): David Mowles
- Men's Swimming – Most Improved: Ben Rafalski
- Women's Swimming – Hannah Award (Most Outstanding Swimmer): Chloe Hunt
- Women's Swimming – Most Improved: Zuni Rubio
- Men's Tennis – Carroll Pickett Award (Most Outstanding Player): Andres Padilla
- Men's Tennis – Most Improved: William Dixon
- Women's Tennis – Carroll Pickett Award (Most Outstanding Player): Georgia Moore
- Women's Tennis – Most Improved: Maya Leisey
- Volleyball – Most Outstanding Player: Brooklyn Talley
- Volleyball – Team Impact Award: Shelbi Cook
- Men's Water Polo – Golden 'Roo Award: Zachary Griffith
- Men's Water Polo – Cap 15 Award: Max Wade
- Women's Water Polo – Golden 'Roo Award: Shannon Berry
- Women's Water Polo – Cap 15 Award: Ally DeRado
- Athletic Training – Most Outstanding Trainer: Nicole Garrow
- Athletic Training – Most Improved Trainer: Karsen Lampkin
- Sig Lawson Award – Dedication and Commitment to Austin College Athletics: Josh Boring (Baseball), Michael Holland (Men's Basketball), Lily Brown (Women's Basketball), Johnny Biffar (Men's Cross Country), Becca Tobias (Women's Cross Country), Andrew Thomas (Men's Distance Track), Victoria Dodd (Women's Distance Track), Tim Crossley (Football), Jean Marie Luundo (Men's Soccer), Maya Erwin (Women's Soccer), Ashley Elliott (Softball), Zach Magers (Men's Swimming & Diving), Sophie Garriga (Women's Swimming & Diving), Travis Fortune (Men's Tennis), Katie Seibert (Women's Tennis), Cricket Watson (Volleyball), Taiton Fox (Men's Water Polo), Madison Taylor (Women's Water Polo)
- Dr. Jack Pierce Academic Excellence Award – Highest Team GPA: Women's Swimming & Diving
- Bo Miller Award – Outstanding Achievement in Academics and Athletics: James Wyche (Baseball), Anna Sergiovanni (Women's Tennis)