Athletics Applauds Accomplishments with The Louies
April 17, 2017 | Baseball, Field Hockey, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Men's Tennis, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Women's Lacrosse, Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis, Women's Volleyball, Cross Country, Track & Field
Football’s Lamar Jackson and swimming and diving’s Mallory Comerford were the top award winners.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich's mission is succinct – to inspire student-athletes to achieve their highest goals in their respective fields of play and careers.
Empowering young men and women to lead – and succeed – is core to the University of Louisville's athletics department with Jurich at the helm.
That's never more evident than at The Louies, the Cardinals' annual award show designed to highlight the many achievements of Louisville's student-athletes.
On Monday night, Louisville's student-athletes walked the red carpet, posed for photos, and then enjoyed a presentation that included 36 awards documenting success in the classroom and on the playing surface as well as community service.
The 'Louisville First' award, one of the highest honors of the evening, was delivered to baseball's Brendan McKay. The honor is given to a student-athlete who exemplifies the meaning of the athletic department's culture, humble and hungry. The individual sets the standard by achieving for being 'Louisville First' by excelling in the classroom, in the community, and in athletic competition.
In the 2016 season, McKay repeated as the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year, while collecting a plethora of All-America accolades. On the mound, he went 12-4 with 128 strikeouts and a 2.30 earned run average in 109 innings. At the plate, he hit .333, with 19 doubles, six home runs, and 41 RBIs.
Cross country's Rachel Pease was identified for the Inspiration Award. As she was heading down the final stretch at the ACC Cross Country Championship, she noticed a collapsed Boston College runner. Pease exchanged her position in the final standings for a courageous display of sportsmanship, and with the help of a Clemson runner, the duo helped BC's Madeline Adams cross the finish line.
The adidas High Performance Athlete of the Year awards were presented to Lamar Jackson (football) and Mallory Comerford (swimming and diving). The award is based solely on exceptional athletic performance.
Jackson had a 2016 campaign that is difficult to summarize. The Florida native, the youngest winner of the Heisman Trophy, was named the ACC Player and Offensive Player of the Year. The first team AP All-America finished the year with 1,571 yards rushing, the school record for a quarterback, and 5,114 yards of total offense. Jackson ran for 21 scores and tossed 30 touchdowns.
Jackson also secured The Louies Play of the Year award for his viral leap over a Syracuse defender, as he was heading toward the end zone.
Comerford, the ACC Swimmer of the Year, won the 200-yard freestyle national championship to also secure the best individual performance award. She currently holds eight different UofL school records and is an All-American in seven events. Comerford is a Team USA member and swam the 200 free at SC World Championships. As a USA National Team member, she contributed to winning the inaugural Team USA College Challenge.
Men's golf was recognized for the best team championship performance. The program earned a fourth-place finish at one of the four regional championships, ensuring its third trip to the NCAA Championships. There, the team finished 14th.
Will Smith (baseball) and Sidney Melton (softball) locked up the breakthrough athlete of the year honors.
Smith, who contributed sparingly during his freshman and sophomore seasons, led the team in hitting with a .382 average as a junior. He logged seven home runs and 43 RBIs in 46 starts, helping him become a first round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He earned all-ACC third team honors and was selected to the Louisville Regional all-Tournament team.
Melton, after starting only six games her freshman season, moved from the outfield to starting shortstop and took over the role as the team's leadoff hitter. A 2016 ACC all-Tournament selection, she led the squad with 43 runs and 15 stolen bases and stood second on the team with a .365 batting average.
Women's golf's Olivia Cason was picked for the record-breaking performance of the year. During the 2015-16 season, she became the first freshman, third student-athlete in program history, to qualify as an individual for the NCAA Championship. She tied for sixth at the NCAA Bryan Regional with a 3-under-par 213, guaranteeing her berth to the national stage, where she tied for 45th.
Asia Durr, who starred as a sophomore on the women's basketball team, was voted comeback player of the year. The Douglasville, Ga., native suffered a groin injury prior to her freshman season, limiting her first year on the college scene. She responded in 2016-17 by breaking the school's single-season record for 3-pointers with 119, while averaging 19.2 points and 3.4 rebounds. She was named to the Blue Ribbon Panel and all-coaches' first teams and earned all-region honors.
Men's soccer's Mohamed Thiaw's game-winning goal against top-ranked Notre Dame was selected as the moment of the year. His lob over the Fighting Irish's goalkeeper in the first half helped UofL earn the win over a top-ranked foe for the second time in three seasons.
The best team wins of the year came from football's victory over No. 2 Florida State and women's lacrosse's upset over No. 4 Notre Dame. Football's 63-20 decision marks its highest-ranked win in school history and the largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent in program history. Lacrosse reached its best start in program history at 7-0 with the win.
The spirit award was created last year to highlight the dedication and support from Louisville's spirit squads, which make hundreds of community appearances and serve as lead ambassadors for the Louisville Cardinals. Shelby Rich (pep band), Anjelica Cirone (cheer), and Lauren Dale (Ladybirds) each were recognized.
Robin Sciot-Siegrist (men's golf) and Grigory Tarasevich (swimming and diving) shared the male senior of the year award. One of the school's all-time leaders in career stroke average, Sciot-Siegrist won the individual ACC Championship for the second-straight year, becoming only the lefty golfer in league history to accomplish such a feat. Tarasevich scored 84 points at the ACC Championships this year, largely in part from his titles in the 100- and 200-backstroke and the 400-medley relay.
Kaylin Morissette was tabbed the female senior of the year. A three time All-American for the lacrosse team, she ranked second in the nation in draw controls last season and owns the school record with 572. The first team all-ACC selection led the Cardinals in 2016 with 56 points, scoring 37 goals and adding 19 assists.
Corey Ray (baseball) and Myisha Hines-Allen (women's basketball) were selected as the juniors of the year. Ray, the fifth overall pick in the MLB Draft, hit .310 last season with 16 doubles, 15 home runs, and tallied 60 RBIs. An All-American for the second-consecutive season, he ranked second nationally with 44 stolen bases. Hines-Allen produced 13.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, logging 17 double-doubles to tie the school's single-season record that was set twice by Angel McCoughtry. Hines-Allen's joined the school's 1,000-point club during the year and has risen to ninth on the all-time scoring list.
Donovan Mitchell (men's basketball) and McKay (baseball) tied for male sophomore of the year. Mitchell, a first-team all-ACC and USBWA and NABC All-District selection, led the ACC in steals (70, 2.0 per game, 23rd in the nation) and paced the Cardinals in scoring (15.6 points per game), 3-point field goals (80), and minutes played (32.3 per game). His 18.1 scoring average in ACC games was the sixth best in the league.
Field hockey's Ayeisha McFerran, the female sophomore of the year, earned All-America honors for the second-straight year. She led the ACC in shutouts and finished second in the conference with a 1.27 goals against average. Earlier this year, McFerran helped the Irish National Team to gold and was named Goalkeeper of the World League Two Tournament.
Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff (men's tennis) was chosen as the male freshman of the year, while Minout Mink (field hockey) and Dorcas Wasike (cross country) share female freshmen of the year accolades.
Morin-Kougoucheff, had an impressive freshman campaign, posting 20 singles wins with 10 of those coming at the No. 2 singles position and three against nationally-ranked players. He complemented his singles tally with 22 doubles wins while registering a 14-9 mark at the No. 2 spot.
Mink, an NFCHA all-West region first team selection, led the Cardinals with 15 goals and 33 points. She was tied atop conference standings with five game-winning goals. Wasike, the ACC Freshman of the Year, led the women's cross country team to its first NCAA Championship appearance. She was the top freshman finisher at the ACC Championship and earned all-region honors with a seventh-place showing at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
The full list of awards is below:
adidas High Performance Athlete of the Year
Male: Lamar Jackson (football)
Female: Mallory Comerford (swimming and diving)
Louisville First Award
Brendan McKay (baseball)
Inspiration Award
Rachel Pease (cross country)
Record-Breaking Performance
Olivia Cason (women's golf)
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
Male: Will Smith (baseball)
Female: Sidney Melton (softball)
Comeback Player of the Year
Asia Durr (women's basketball)
Best Championship Performance
Individual: Mallory Comerford (swimming and diving)
Team: Men's Golf (NCAA Championship)
Moment of the Year
Mohamed Thiaw (men's soccer; game-winner versus No. 1 Notre Dame)
Play of the Year
Lamar Jackson (football; the leap over a Syracuse defense)
Best Team Win of the Year
Male: Football (vs. Florida State)
Female: Lacrosse (vs. Notre Dame)
Top Team Finish
Male: Men's Soccer (NSCAA national ranking: No. 6)
Female: Swimming and Diving (CSCAA national ranking: No. 8)
CardsCARE Individual
Male: Daniel Fecteau (swimming and diving)
Female: Lauren Kelly (lacrosse)
Cardinal Dames CardsCARE Team
Male: Football
Female: Soccer
Cardinal Cup
Male: Swimming and Diving
Female: Rowing
Cunningham Family Leadership Award
Male: Tim Kubel (soccer)
Central Cardinal Club Leadership Award
Female: Maryssa Becker (softball)
Outstanding Senior Spirit Award
Pep Band: Shelby Rich
Cheer: Anjelica Cirone
Ladybirds: Lauren Dale
Highest Senior GPA Award
Lotta Kahlert (field hockey)
Claire Noser (women's track and field)
Freshman of the Year
Male: Christopher Morin-Kougoucheff (tennis)
Female: Minout Mink (field hockey), Dorcas Wasike (cross country)
Sophomore of the Year
Male: Brendan McKay (baseball), Donovan Mitchell (basketball)
Female: Ayeisha McFerran (field hockey)
Junior of the Year
Male: Corey Ray (baseball)
Female: Myisha Hines-Allen (basketball)
Ed Kallay Senior of the Year
Male: Robin Sciot-Siegrist (golf), Grigory Tarasevich (swimming and diving)
Female: Kaylin Morissette (lacrosse)
Players Mentioned
