CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Four Austin Peay athletes were recognized Monday night with APSU's most revered athletic honors.
Senior basketball guard Derek Wright, who led the Governors basketball team to both an Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and conference tournament championship, was named Most Outstanding Male Athlete. Senior track star Leeann White, who won the OVC Indoor long jump and championship and accounted for 20.75 points in the league championship event, was named Most Outstanding Female Athlete.
Grant Leaver, a two-time first-team All-OVC selection who set the Austin Peay career golf record for most individual tournament championships, has been named the Male Joy Award recipient as the most valuable senior athlete.
Meanwhile, Virginia Penner, a two-sport talent who was named OVC Scholar-Athlete last fall, has been named has been named the Female Joy Award recipient as the most valuable senior athlete. Penner, who owns a 3.955 grade-point average in pre-physical therapy, also received the Female Scholar-Athlete Award for a second straight year while also being awarded the Governors Club Academic Achievement Award, presented to the graduating senior with the highest grade-point average.
In addition, senior football player Duncan Williams, Jr., who has a 3.65 GPA as a history distributive teaching major, has been named Male Scholar-Athlete while junior softball player Lacey Briscoe, who owns a 3.70 GPA in interdisciplinary studies (education 4-8), has been named the Governors Club Academic Achievement Scholarship recipient. It is awarded each year to the rising senior with highest grade-point average.
Those awards highlighted Austin Peay's annual athletics banquet in the Morgan University Center.
In being named Most Outstanding Male Athlete, Wright averaged 11.4 points. 4.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a senior while earning second-team All-OVC. He also was named to the OVC all-tournament team in leading the Governors to the tourney title and an NCAA tournament appearance. Recently, CollegeInsider.com named the 5-9 point guard the OVC's most valuable player for the 2007-08 season.
In earning such distinction, the Los Angeles, Calif., native smashed APSU's record for single-season steals (89), breaking the previous mark by 18. Wright also set APSU's career record for steals (228). His 487 career assists ranks third all time. He also tied with teammate Todd Babington for first all time at APSU and the OVC for total games played (131).
Wright opened the 2008 portion of the schedule with a 12-assist performance at UT Martin?it was the most assists by a Governor since Trenton Hassell had 13 during the 2000-01 season. His 43-point effort against Southeast Missouri, including 20 in the three overtimes, was the most points scored by a Governor since Bubba Wells had 43 in 1997.
After redshirting a year ago because of injury, White has bounced back with a terrific senior season to date (the OVC championship are this weekend). She easily won the OVC Indoor long jump title with a leap of 20-feet-1 and one-half inch, the second longest indoor jump in APSU history. It also ranked 40th best in the country.
In addition, she finished second in the indoor triple jump and was a finalist in the indoor 55-meter dash.
White owned a 147-6 indoor record this season against all long jump opponent this season and 61-6 mark in the triple jump for a combined 94.5 winning percentage in the jumps. In the spring, she has been limited to three meets because of a leg injury. However, this past weekend, White qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Regional in the long jump with a leap of 19-11.75, an OVC best this spring.
Leaver, meanwhile, recently completed an outstanding Governors career, losing by just one stroke at the OVC championships. Still, he earned OVC all-tourney honors on top of his second straight first-team All-OVC selection. The Centerville native also was second-team All-OVC as a freshman as well as earning OVC Freshman of the Year honors in 2005.
As a senior, he averaged a school-record (breaking his own mark) 72.09 strokes per round, ranking in the nation's Top 100, in posting a 729-94 record. He finished in the Top 20 in all but one of 11 tournaments played.
Last fall, Leaver claimed tourney titles at the Earl Yestingsmeier and Belmont Invitational. The latter title was his fourth medalist honor, setting the record for most individual titles. He added to it this spring by claiming the Aldila/Middle Tennessee Intercollegiate.
He played in 42 of 44 available golf events during his APSU career and recorded 18 Top 10 finishes.
Off the course, he is a six-time Athletics Director's Honor Roll member and two-time OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll selection.
Penner, meanwhile, managed to combine playing two sports with a brilliant academic career. The Murfreesboro native provided impact during her four-year soccer career, starting as a midfielder over the final three seasons before suffering a surgery-necessitating knee injury late in her senior campaign.
She also walked on to the tennis team as a sophomore and played two seasons, earning most improved each season and team MVP honors a year ago. However, the soccer knee injury prevented her from playing this spring.
Off the court and field, last fall Penner was named an OVC Scholar-Athlete Award. The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC student-athletes, and is given annually to three men and three women student-athletes of junior or senior status for their accomplishments in both the classroom and athletic arena, and because of their leadership qualities.
In addition, she has been both an OVC Medal of Honor and Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient as well as being named to the APSU President's List, Athletics Director's Honor Roll and Dean's List multiple times.
She was the 2007 recipient of the Perkins-Freeman Governors Club Award for the junior student-athlete with the highest GPA in addition to being the recipient of the Ross Hinson Biology Pre-Physical Therapy Scholarship and the Kimbrough Scholarship.
She has also been an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection by the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA). She is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Phi Kappa Phi honor society and a two-year member of the Austin Peay Honors Program.
The Joy Award was originated in 1947 by the late Wilson Goodrich, owner of Joy's Jewelers, with the individual award being a watch. Widow Alice Goodrich continued the tradition through 1989 and current Joy's Jewelers owner David Baggett sustained the presentation each spring after a vote of all head coaches, athletics director and athletics administrative staff. A permanent plaque display with recipients names is located in the Governors Club Room in the Dunn Center.
Twelve years ago, with Baggett's blessing, it was determined to name both a male and female Joy Award recipient. Last year's recipients were baseball's Shawn Kelley and women's soccer player Adonia Bivins.
The first Joy Award recipient in 1947 was Dr. George Fisher, who also is a member of both the Austin Peay and Ohio Valley Conference Halls of Fame.
2007-08 Major Awards
Joy Award (men)?Grant Leaver, golf
Outstanding Male Athlete?Derek Wright, basketball
Joy Award (women)--Virginia Penner, soccer
Outstanding Female Athlete?Leeann White, track and field
Female Scholar-Athlete Award? Virginia Penner, soccer
Male Scholar-Athlete Award?Duncan Williams Jr., football
Governors Club Academic Achievement Award?Virginia Penner, soccer
Governors Club Academic Achievement Scholarship?Lacey Briscoe, softball
2007-08 Team Awards
Baseball: Most Valuable?Tyler Farrar (2006-07), Pitcher of the Year??Shawn Kelley (2006-07), Most Improved?Matt Smith (2006-07), Scholar-Athlete?Josh Kemph
Men's Basketball: Most Valuable?Derek Wright, Most Improved?Ernest Fields, Scholar Athlete?Todd Babington
Women's Basketball: Most Valuable?Ashlee McGee, Most Improved?Ashley Herring; Coaches Award?-Keri Reese; Scholar Athlete?Amber Bacon
Men's Cross Country: Most Valuable?Tim Hall, Scholar Athlete?Lukas Siska
Women's Cross Country: Most Valuable?Bertha Castillo, Scholar Athlete?Bertha Castillo
Women's Indoor Track: Most Valuable?Leeann White, Newcomer of the Year?Keyvia Davis, Scholar Athlete?Amy Josephson
Football: Most Valuable Offense?Chris Fletcher, Most Valuable Defense?Josh Hackett, Most Valuable Special Teams?Terrence Holt, Scholar Athlete?Duncan Williams, Jr.
Men's Golf: Most Valuable?Grant Leaver, Most Improved?Luke Sherrod, Scholar Athlete?Ben Glover
Women's Golf: Most Valuable?Chelsea Harris, Most Improved?Catie Tucker, Scholar Athlete?Lindsey Pippins
Women's Soccer: Most Valuable?Ashley Beck, Most Improved?Michelle Smith Scholar Athlete?Virginia Penner
Softball: Most Valuable?Natasha Anderson (2006-07), Most Improved?Krista Henke, Scholar Athlete?Lacey Briscoe
Men's Tennis: Most Valuable?Leonardo Locatelli, Most Improved?Jay Wilkinson, Scholar Athlete?Leandro Tolosa Zenklusen
Women's Tennis: Most Valuable?Michelle Liew, Most Improved?Mary Lefler, Scholar Athlete?Mariana Pagan
Volleyball: Most Valuable?Kristen Kirch, Most Improved?Jessica Mollmann, Scholar Athlete?Lisa Nedow
Pom Squad: Most Valuable Dancer?Amanda Cooksey, Most Improved??Tearza Hollis, Senior Award?Sarah Myers, Tasia Ottey; Scholar Athlete?Amanda Cooksey
Cheerleading: Most Valuable ?Ashley Crum, Most Improved?Heather White, Scholar Athlete?Ashley Crum
