By: Alex Allard, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Celebrating the 2025-26 athletics season, Austin Peay State University athletics honored its top performers on the field, in the classroom, and in the community at the ninth-annual ESPEAYs, Monday, in the Winfield Dunn Center.
Highlighting the night was the presentation of the 2025-26 The Legends Award continues APSU's long-standing tradition of honoring the most valuable male and female senior athletes. The honor began with the Joy Award in 1947, which the late Wilson Goodrich, then owner of Joy's Jewelers, created.
The Female Legends Award was earned by softball's Sammie Shelander. A two-year letterwinner for the Govs on the diamond, Shelander was a Second Team All-ASUN selection and National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar Athlete for the Governors a season ago. Despite coming to Clarksville just prior to last season, Shelander ranks top 15 in program history in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBI, home runs, and hit by pitch.
The Male Legends Award went to football's Chandler Kirton, who was a William V. Campbell Trophy Finalist this past season. An All-American offensive lineman, Kirton is a three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection and two-time United Athletic Conference All-Academic Team recipient. Kirton started a program-record 47-straight games on the offensive line and was a seven-time selection to the dean's list during his career.
Softball's Brie Howard was named the 2025-26 Female Athlete of the Year. Still with two weeks remaining in the regular season, Howard already has broken the single-season program record in both RBI and home runs with 63 and 20, respectively – both of which rank top 15 in the NCAA this season. Howard also paces the Govs in runs (50), extra-base hits (28), and slugging percentage (.794), which all rank top three across a single season in program history.
Football's Chris Parson was named the Male Athlete of the Year after posting one of the best seasons by a signal caller in program history. The All-American quarterback set a program-record with a 160.8 passing efficiency rating, while his 23 touchdown passes and 63.2 completion percentage ranked third and second in program history, respectively. Parson also led the Govs with 743 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns – both of which are the most by a quarterback in program history.
Emma Loiars of the beach volleyball team and AJ Crowder the mascot also were presented the Smash! Bang! Award, selected by Director of Athletics Jordan Harmon. In its fourth year, the award honors a male and female student-athlete who embodied the ideology of what it means to be a Governor and sought excellence in all aspects of their student-athlete experience and their teammates during the year.
The department also recognized its 2025-26 Scholar-Athletes of the Year, recognizing the ungraduated student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade-point average. Football's Kendyle Ball was the male honoree after compiling a 4.0 GPA while working toward a bachelor's degree in sports communications, sciences, and disorders. Alexis Arnett, of the women's track & field, was named the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year after posting a 3.93 cumulativegrade-point average while working toward a bachelor's degree in nursing.
Those eight major awards were the tip of the iceberg as the Austin Peay athletics department recognized its best performances of 2025-26.
Head basketball coach Corey Gipson was named the Coach of the Year after leading the Governors to their first-ever ASUN Championship and the first regular-season title in 18 years. Additionally, the Govs' 21 regular-season wins are tied for the most since the 1976-77 season, while the program also earned a record six postseason accolades including ASUN Newcomer of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and a selection on the First, Second, and Third Team All-ASUN teams. The men's basketball team also took home Team of the Year honors for their work on the hardwood this season.
Remaining on the hardwood, women's basketball's JaNiah Newell earned Female Breakout Athlete of the Year honors. Newell, who had been sidelined due to injury each of the last two seasons, helped lead the Governors to their first ASUN Championship game, while being a key contributor on both sides of the ball throughout the team's postseason run.
Baseball's Paris Pridgen earned Male Breakout Athlete of the Year honors. After totaling two hits and 12 runs across nine at-bats last season, Pridgen is third on the team with 48 hits and 40 runs this season, while also adding 15 extra-base hits.
The Male Rookie of the Year went to the 2025-26 ASUN Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year, Zyree Collins. A Third Team All-ASUN selection and unanimous selection to the ASUN All-Freshman Team, Collins led all Division I freshmen and ranked 21st nationally with 2.13 steals per game – the fifth most in program history – while his 4.3 assists per game led the Govs and ranked 15th nationally amongst his team. Women's basketball's Jim'Miyah Branton earned Female Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 10.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. An All-Freshman and ASUN All-Tournament selection, Branton scored in double figures across all five postseason games the Govs appeared in during the 2025-26 season, including 20 points in the first round of the WNIT against UTRGV.
The ASUN Newcomer of the Year and the men's basketball team's first First Team All-ASUN selection, Collin Parker was tabbed the Newcomer of the Year. Parker was named a finalist for the Riley Wallace Award – given annually to the most impactful transfer in Division I basketball – and led the Govs in points, field goals, defensive rebounds, three-point percentage, and free throw percentage, while ranking second on the team in assists, rebounds, and three points – ranking top 12 in the ASUN in all categories. The Female Rookie of the Year award was presented to lacrosse's Lauryn Warfield. Throughout the program's inaugural season, Warfield paced the team in goals, shots, shots on goal, and draw controls, and has started all 14 games she has appeared in throughout her graduate season.
Moment of the Year
- Lacrosse – First goal in program history vs. Gardner-Webb
- Men's Basketball – Anton Brookshire buzzer-beater at North Florida
- Softball – Brie Howard breaks season home run record
Game of the Year
- Football – 34-14 win at MTSU
- Lacrosse – 15-14 win vs. Gardner-Webb in inaugural game
- Women's Basketball – 45-41 win vs. No. 1 EKU in ASUN Tournament
Female Athlete of the Year
- Brie Howard – Softball
- Madelyn Kocik – Track & Field
- Lauren Warfield – Lacrosse
Male Athlete of the Year
- Collin Parker – Men's Basketball
- Chris Parson – Football
- Zion Taylor – Baseball
Female Rookie of the Year
- Jim'Miyah Branton – Women's Basketball
- Samantha Houttekier – Lacrosse
- Isabella Russell – Beach Volleyball
Male Rookie of the Year
- Zyree Collins – Men's Basketball
- Houston Hebert – Baseball
- Jake Stonebraker – Football
Female Newcomer of the Year:
- Alanah Jones – Softball
- Lauren Warfield – Lacrosse
- Mya Williams – Women's Basketball
Male Newcomer of the Year
- Rashaud Marshall – Men's Basketball
- Collin Parker – Men's Basketball
- Zion Taylor – Baseball
Female Breakout Athlete of the Year
- Grace Austin – Beach Volleyball
- Vivian Burke – Soccer
- JaNiah Newell – Women's Basketball
Male Breakout Athlete of the Year
- Trevor Hardy – Football
- Paris Pridgen – Baseball
- Courtland Simmons – Football
Team of the Year
- Football
- Men's Basketball
- Women's Basketball
Coach of the Year:
- Jeff Faris – Football
- Corey Gipson – Men's Basketball
- Brittany Young – Women's Basketball
Female Legends Award:
- Sammie Shelander – Softball
Male Legends Award:
- Chandler Kirton – Football
Female Smash! Bang! Award
- Emma Loiars – Beach Volleyball
Male Smash! Bang! Award
- AJ Crowder "The Gov' – Cheer/Mascot
Support Staff Member of the Year
Graduate Assistant of the Year
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Alexis Arnett – Track & Field
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Courtney Turner Memorial Scholarship
Govs Cup
Donor of the Year
Highest GPA
- Andres Matias – Baseball
- JaNiah Newell – Women's Basketball
- Anton Brookshire – Men's Basketball
- Grace Austin – Beach Volleyball
- Gill Reed – Cheerleading
- Mary Kate French – Women's Cross Country
- Richard Lebron – Men's Cross Country
- Madelyn Steele – Dance
- Kendyle Ball – Football
- Autumn Spencer – Women's Golf
- X - Men's Golf
- Alexis Arnett – Track & Field
- Lauryn Berry – Soccer
- Sammie Shelander – Softball
- Luca Bohlen – Women's Tennis
- Glen Arnet – Men's Tennis
- Nya Browne – Volleyball
- Samantha Poe – Lacrosse
