Louisville Athletics Presents Awards at The Louies
April 20, 2015 | General
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Celebrating another year of banner accomplishments on the field and in the classroom, the University of Louisville athletic department honored its student-athletes and teams on Monday night at the second annual Louies.
The adidas High Performance Athlete of the Year, top honor of the evening, was presented to Nick Burdi (baseball) and Kelsi Worrell (swimming and diving). The award is based solely on athletic performance.
Burdi, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's Stopper of the Year (nation's best closer), produced a 3-1 mark and a school-record 18 saves in 2014. In 37.0 innings pitched, he had a 0.49 ERA and 65 strikeouts. The program's career saves leader, Burdi earned first team All-America honors from four media outlets and was chosen 46th in the Major League Baseball draft - the highest pick in school history.
Worrell won a pair of titles at this year's national championships, capturing victories in the 100-fly and 200-fly. The Honda Award finalist earned All-America honors in five additional events and secured two individual conference titles. The junior broke the American record in the 100-fly and posted the fastest split (22.34) in the 50 fly in the sport's history.
Worrell also collected the female record-breaking performance award.
Gerod Holliman (football) was the male recipient of the record-breaking performance following his NCAA-record tying mark of 14 interceptions, first set in 1968.
The football team had three other award honorees: Lorenzo Mauldin (inspiration), Brandon Radcliff (breakthrough athlete), and DeVante Parker (senior).
Mauldin, an Atlantic Coast Conference first-team pick by the coaches, overcame a difficult lifestyle at an early age as he was moved to multiple foster homes. Radcliff took over as the team's primary running back and paced the Cardinals with 737 yards and 12 touchdowns after accumulating just 90 yards the year prior.
Women's basketball's Shawnta' Dyer was named the comeback player of the year. The redshirt senior battled through countless injuries over the course of her career, missing time due to a foot injury, a torn ACL and MCL, and a stress fracture in her hip. She played her first injury free season in 2014-15 and averaged single-season bests of 8.4 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Sebastian Stiefelmeyer (men's tennis) earned the award for best championship performance. The senior seized the outdoor Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championship in September, winning nine-consecutive matches for the title, including six upset victories.
Women's golf's Emily Haas also had a solid championship performance and collected the moment of the year award. The then-junior sank a 10-foot birdie in April 2014, delivering Louisville its fifth conference championship and edging UCF by one stroke. Haas finished runner-up.
The Cardinals' field hockey team earned the upset of the year, beating top-ranked North Carolina 3-2 for the first ACC win in program history. Becca Maddock broke the tie with five minutes remaining for the program's first win over a No. 1-ranked opponent.
Men's basketball's Wayne Blackshear and women's lacrosse's Monica Negron were bestowed the leadership awards.
Blackshear, a highly decorated academic student-athlete, helped Louisville to the NCAA Elite Eight and became the first player in program history to play in four-consecutive Sweet 16s. Negron, a co-captain, helped the Cardinals to their first NCAA Tournament in school history and became the first four-time all-region honoree in program existence.
The full list of awards is below:
adidas High Performance Athlete of the Year
Male: Nick Burdi (baseball)
Female: Kelsi Worrell (swimming and diving)
Record-Breaking Performance
Male: Gerod Holliman (football)
Female: Kelsi Worrell (swimming and diving)
Inspiration Award
Lorenzo Mauldin (football)
Breakthrough Athlete
Brandon Radcliff (football)
Comeback Player of the Year
Shawnta' Dyer (women's basketball)
Best Championship Performance
Sebastian Stiefelmeyer (men's tennis)
Moment of the Year
Emily Haas (women's golf)
Upset of the Year
Field Hockey (win over No. 1 North Carolina on Sept. 20, 2014)
CardsCARE Individual
Male: Andrew Stewart (track and field)
Female: Becca Maddock (field hockey)
CardsCARE Team
Field Hockey
Cardinal Cup
Male: Tennis
Female: Field Hockey
Leadership Award
Male: Wayne Blackshear (basketball)
Female: Monica Negron (lacrosse)
Freshman of the Year
Men: Tim Kubel (soccer)
Female: Mariya Moore (basketball)
Sophomore of the Year
Male: Kyle Funkhouser (baseball)
Female: Kaylin Morissette (lacrosse)
Junior of the Year
Male: Montrezl Harrell (basketball)
Female: Faye Brust (lacrosse)
Senior of the Year
Male: DeVante Parker (football)
Female: Tanja Kylliainen (swimming and diving)
Players Mentioned
