INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- Starting this year, an annual awards ceremony will be held to honor the achievements of student-athletes, coaches, and staff involved with WVSU Athletics. The inaugural Stinger Awards, as they are now known, will recognize the most outstanding accomplishments of the 2019-20 season. While the current edition of the Stinger Awards will be conducted virtually, future editions will be carried out in "red-carpet style" to culminate the athletic season.
Nominees for various awards were carefully chosen by the Sports Information Department since it is involved in every sport, both at home and away. Head coaches, along with administrators and staff members, then voted to determine winners of the 16 different categories. The categories were based on the ESPY Awards and typical conference-wide award categories.
Without further ado, here are the winners of the inaugural 2020 Stinger Awards:
Male Athlete of the Year (Best overall male athlete)
Glen Abram (Men's Basketball)
Female Athlete of the Year (Best overall female athlete)
Jenna Dufresne (Volleyball)
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Excelled both academically and athletically)
Jake Harms (Football) -- 3.88 Cumulative GPA (Senior) / Starting defensive end
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Excelled both academically and athletically)
Kierstin Hensley (Women's Tennis) -- 4.0 Cumulative GPA (Senior) / No. 1 player on team
Male Freshman of the Year (Best freshman male athlete)
Anthony Pittman (Men's Basketball)
Female Freshman of the Year (Best freshman female athlete)
Emily Davis (Volleyball)
Male Iron Yellow Jacket Award (Put forth the most effort in the weight room)
Tyler Jones (Football)
Female Iron Yellow Jacket Award (Put forth the most effort in the weight room)
Jordan West (Volleyball)
Male Comeback Player of the Year (Returned from injury and performed at a high level)
Austin Hensley (Football) -- Rehabbed all of last year following a season-ending injury and led the Yellow Jackets to the MEC Championship Game.
Female Comeback Player of the Year (Returned from injury and performed at a high level)
Emily Davis (Volleyball) -- Played most of this season with a fractured back and was named to the All-MEC Freshman Team.
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year (Player with the most dramatic improvement from previous season)
Glen Abram (Men's Basketball) -- Went from seven games started and 9.7 ppg last season to 28 games started and 18.9 ppg this season.
Coach of the Year
John Pennington (Football)
Game of the Year
Men's Basketball vs. Charleston (Jan. 26) W, 74-72 -- [Game Recap] {On Demand Video}.
Upset of the Year
Men's Basketball vs. West Liberty (Feb. 5) W, 96-93 -- WVSU defeats No. 20 WLU with three starters out due to illness [Game Recap].
Come-From-Behind Performance of the Year
Football @ Fairmont State (Oct. 12) W, 42-38 -- Yellow Jackets rally back after going down 24-7 in first half; win with last-minute drive after kickoff returned for TD by Falcons [Game Recap].
Best Individual Performance of the Year (Best single game effort)
Women's Basketball vs. West Virginia Wesleyan (Jan. 11) W, 93-84 -- Charity Shears breaks MEC record for most 3PT FGM in a game with 12 [Game Recap].
Play of the Year
Senior wide receiver Zach Pate flipping into the end zone for a two-point conversion!
Sportsmanship Award (Athlete or coach who treats others with the utmost respect)
Female -- Shian Meeks (Softball) / Male -- Jamison Hunt (Men's Basketball/Men's Golf)
"Shian plays with a lot of fire but never fails to have a smile on her face and respects her teammates as well as her opponents and umpires. She leads by example and helps teammates when they get frustrated with the umpires or other team."
-Head Coach Mattie Best
"Simply put, there is not a nicer kid on campus than Jamison."
-Head Coach Bryan Poore
Teammate of the Year (Athlete who always put the team before themselves)
Female -- Lainey Armistead (Women's Soccer) / Male -- Andrew Massey (Baseball)
"In a very diverse team, and a team that has many players that do not have cars or places to go during breaks, Lainey has helped so many of our players. With trips to Walmart, taking half the team home for Thanksgiving, taking a player home with her to stay during the whole of quarantine, these are just some of the things that Lainey does everyday for her teammates."
-Head Coach Lisa Mann
"Andrew is our primary catcher. However, in the fall he met with our sophomore and freshman catchers and told them as a group they have to step up and work together. He told them that it doesn't matter who is in the game, the other two guys have to do whatever they can to support the guy playing by using charts and studying the hitters. He would organize the extra work for the group and cultivate an attitude of teamwork and selflessness that spread throughout the team."
-Head Coach Sean Loyd
Black & Gold Award (Transcends their own sport by being active on campus and promoting athletics as a whole)
Female -- Colleen Miller (Women's Cross Country) / Male -- Austin Gessel (Men's Tennis/Football)
"Without a doubt, there is not a student-athlete more involved than Colleen Miller on our campus. I can attest to her personally attending every home game throughout the school year. She even created student sections and handed out t-shirts to promote various athletic events. Not only that, she was the SGA President all the while."
-Sports Information Director James Garcia
"Austin is a multisport athlete with Dean's List academics as well as a campus bookstore employee. He has a hand in literally everything available on campus and promotes the Yellow Jacket Nation both on and off campus with a smile."
-Head Coach Ryan Pulliam
Award for Service (Individual or collective team that contributed most to the community throughout the year)
Volleyball Team
The volleyball team collected more service hours than any other team this year. Their contributions to the community included:
- Reading books to as well as providing food, clothing, and Christmas presents for women and children at Sojourners Homeless Shelter
- Organizing Ronald McDonald House dinners
- Participating in afterschool programs at the local YMCA
- Volunteering with the 2nd Avenue Community Center
- Spending time with children at local preschools
The 'Cal Bailey' Career Achievement Award (Must be a graduating senior that played all four years at WVSU or a coach/staff member that spent the majority of his/her career at WVSU)
The Career Achievement Award will hereby be known as the 'Cal Bailey' Career Achievement Award to honor the late Calvin L. Bailey, the winningest college coach in any sport in the state of West Virginia and head coach of the WVSU baseball program for a remarkable 36 years. He sustained success for nearly four decades and remained committed to West Virginia State University for the entirety of his career. He undoubtedly defines what this award represents.
The first recipient of the 'Cal Bailey' Career Achievement Award will therefore be Cal Bailey, awarded posthumously, to serve as an example for every Yellow Jacket to strive towards.
In addition to Cal Bailey being recognized for his career achievements, there were two extraordinary seniors deserving of recognition this year. They are:
Male -- Devon Bradshaw (Football)
"Devon was a four-year starter on the offensive line and three-time All-MEC honoree with an over 3.0 GPA. He battled multiple injuries and fought through them, not just physically but financially. He worked extra jobs to have to pay for multiple surgeries just to get back healthy enough for the start of every season. He had great grades, great individual performance and overcame a lot to stay in school and help our team win games."
-Head Coach John Pennington
Female -- Kierstin Hensley (Women's Tennis)
"Kierstin is a four-time All-MEC First Team selection and the first All-American tennis player in school history. She achieved the highest-ever individual ranking in the history of the conference when she was ranked No. 12 in women's singles. She's led the team to three MEC Championships, three NCAA Tournament appearances, and two Sweet 16 appearances. She lost only one singles match against conference opponents in her entire career while securing 30 victories. She did it all while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA and always putting her teammates before herself."
-Head Coach John Simms
