Louisville Athletics Presents Awards at The Louies Student-Athletes Awards Show

Louisville Athletics Presents Awards at The Louies Student-Athletes Awards Show

April 20, 2022 | Field Hockey, Football, General, Men's Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Men's Tennis, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Lacrosse, Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball

By: Sam Gercak

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville celebrated the widespread success of its student-athletes and teams during the 2021-22 school year at The Louies Student-Athletes Awards Show on Wednesday night.

In a year filled with strong performances throughout the athletic department, three teams (women's basketball, field hockey, and volleyball) were awarded the Moment of the Year for their accomplishments throughout the season.

The women's basketball team advanced to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in school history and first time since 2018. The Cardinals finished the season with a record of 29-5 which ties for the fifth most wins in program history and includes a spotless 16-0 record at home in the KFC Yum! Center.

In a season that spanned the fall and spring, field hockey reached the program's first Final Four as the nation's No. 3 seed in the spring of 2021. The Cardinals advanced to the semifinals following a 1-0 win over No. 6 UConn and finished the season with a 14-6 overall record. Alli Bitting and Aimee Plumb were named to the NCAA Division I Field Hockey All-Tournament Team and Meghan Schneider earned the Elite 90 Award. Louisville also won the 2020 ACC Fall Regular Season title.

The Louisville volleyball team advanced to the first Final Four in program history behind an undefeated regular season (28-0) that allowed them to win the ACC Championship outright. Louisville led the ACC in nearly every category including aces per set, blocks per set, and hitting percentage. Three players earned All-American honors while seven players were tabbed for All-ACC teams.

The UPS Leadership Award, nominated by head coaches, was awarded to Alli Bitting (field hockey) and C.J. Avery (football). The Leadership Award recognizes an athlete who combines in-game performance, academic excellence, and ambassadorship of the program to exemplify what it means to be a Louisville Student-Athlete.

In her final season at Louisville, Bitting led the field hockey team to one of the best seasons in program history. She received numerous accolades for her performance on the field including being recognized as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, a member of the All-ACC First Team, and a member of the NFHCA All-America First-Team. She also represented Louisville well in the classroom, being recognized as the ACC Field Hockey Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year and was one of seven Cardinals to be named to the ACC Field Hockey All-Academic Team.

Avery was one of the leaders of the Louisville defense in a season where the Cardinals finished 6-7 and posted a 4-4 record in ACC play. Avery started all 13 games and led the Cardinals in tackles for the third season in a row with a career-high of 97. He also tied his career-high with 3.0 sacks on the year and recorded three games of 10 or more tackles. Avery was also selected to the All-ACC Academic Football Team for the fourth straight season while completing his degree in Sport Administration.

The adidas High Performance Athlete of the Year, the top athletic honor of the evening, was awarded to Anna Stevenson (volleyball) and Nicolas Albiero (swim and dive).

Stevenson was an integral part of the volleyball team's historic season, earning AVCA First-Team All-American honors as well as being selected to the All-ACC First Team for the second straight season. She finished the season ranked seventh nationally in hitting percentage (.427) and 13^th nationally in blocks per set (1.35). Stevenson also led the ACC in hitting percentage and was third in blocks per set. She was also honored as a member of the All-ACC Academic Team for the second straight season.

Albiero continued his dominant Louisville career as he established himself as one of the premier collegiate swimmers in the nation. He was named ACC Men's Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive year after winning the 200 butterfly at the ACC Championships for an ACC-record fifth consecutive year. He earned seven All-America honors this season, finishing third in the 200 butterfly, sixth in the 100 butterfly, and sixth in the 100 backstroke. He was also a member of the 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay, and 400 freestyle which all earned All-America honors. He was also named as the ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year and was selected to the All-ACC Academic Team for the fifth straight year.

The Newcomer Athlete of the Year was earned by Emily Engstler (women's basketball) and Sander Roed (men's soccer).

Engstler, a transfer from Syracuse, helped lead the Cardinals to the fourth Final Four in program history in her first year at Louisville. She was named All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Defensive Team, while also finishing as a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award. Engstler finished the season with averages of 11.9 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game, and 1.8 blocks per game. Her 2.7 steals per game led the ACC and her 23 steals in the NCAA Tournament tied a record for most steals in a single NCAA Tournament. Engstler was also named to the All-ACC Academic Team for the second consecutive season. In April, Engstler became the 15^th Louisville player selected in the history of the WNBA draft and the fifth to be selected in the first round when the Indiana Fever tabbed her with the No. 4 overall pick.

Roed immediately made an impact in Louisville during his freshman season, playing in 17 matches and starting 14 for the Cardinals. He finished the season with three goals, while ranking second on the team with five assists and third on the team with 11 points. He was honored as a member of both the All-ACC Third Team and the ACC All-Freshman Team. He was the first UofL freshman to garner All-ACC honors since 2014. He was also recognized as a member of the All-ACC Academic Team while majoring in Communications.

Reigan Lines (rowing), Kiana Klein (women's soccer), and Sam Minrath (field hockey) all were recognized for the Highest Senior GPA while the Field Hockey team was honored for the Highest Team GPA. The Field Hockey team posted a 3.76 team GPA, tying for third in the national academic standings. 23 student-athletes were named to the NFHCA D-I National Academic Squad, nine student-athletes were recognized as NFHCA Scholars of Distinction, and sophomore Aimee Plumb was named the NFHCA National Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becoming the second straight University of Louisville student-athlete to earn this honor.

The Teammate Award was bestowed upon Etienne Donnet (men's tennis), Elana Ornelas (softball), and Arina Openysheva (swim and dive).

The Outstanding Support Staff award was given to Becky Schroeder, the Director of Sports Nutrition.

The CardsCARE Award was earned by Kaylee Wheeler (swim and dive) and Bradley Sample (men's soccer). The CardsCARE Team Award was given to the Lacrosse Team and the Men's Soccer Team.

The Spirit Award highlights the dedication and support from Louisville's spirit squads, which make hundreds of community appearances and serve as lead ambassadors for the Louisville Cardinals. Evan Schneider (pep band), Terrell Cabral (cheer), and Maddy Robinson (Ladybirds) were each recognized.

The Cardinal Cup was awarded to the Coed Cheer squad.

The full list of award winners is below:

Moment of the Year
The outstanding seasons of the women's basketball, field hockey, and volleyball teams

UPS Leadership Award
Female: Alli Bitting (field hockey)
Male: C.J. Avery (football)

adidas High Performance Athlete of the Year
Female: Anna Stevenson (volleyball)
Male: Nicolas Albiero (swim and dive)

Newcomer of the Year
Female: Emily Engstler (women's basketball)
Male: Sander Roed (men's soccer)

Highest Senior GPA
Reigan Lines (rowing)
Kiana Klein (women's soccer)
Sam Minrath (field hockey)

Highest Team GPA
Field Hockey

Teammate Award
Female: Elana Ornelas (softball) and Arina Openysheva (swim and dive)
Male: Etienne Donnet (men's tennis)

Outstanding Support Staff
Becky Schroeder
Director of Sports Nutrition

CardsCARE Award
Female: Kaylee Wheeler (swim and dive)
Male: Bradley Sample (men's soccer)

CardsCARE Team Award
Lacrosse
Men's Soccer

Outstanding Senior Pep Band
Evan Schneider

Outstanding Senior Cheer
Terrell Cabral

Outstanding Senior Ladybird
Maddy Robinson

Cardinal Cup
Coed Cheer