July 26, 2019

2019 President's Awards honor 13 Golden Eagle student-athletes

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Thirteen student-athletes have been chosen as the outstanding representative of their teams at Tennessee Tech University and are the winners of the 26th annual President's Awards, presented by the TTU Athletics Department. Ten of the 13 are first-time winners, two have captured the honor twice, and one more has claimed the accolade a whopping four times.

By TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Thirteen student-athletes have been chosen as the outstanding representative of their teams at Tennessee Tech University and are the winners of the 26th annual President's Awards, presented by the TTU Athletics Department. Ten of the 13 are first-time winners, two have captured the honor twice, and one more has claimed the accolade a whopping four times.

Senior softball veteran Gabby LaSala earned her fourth straight President's Award, making her the first Golden Eagle softball player to earn the honor in each of her four seasons with the program. Overall, she is just the third Tech student-athlete to accomplish the feat, joining women's basketball's Molly Heady (2011-14) and men's cross country's Stephen Gordon (2000-03). Volleyball's Susie Jeziorowski earned the honor for the second straight year while football's Josh Poplar earned the second of his career.

One member from each of Tech's intercollegiate athletic programs was selected based on a combination of their career academic performance and athletic accomplishments. The indoor and outdoor women's track teams are combined for one award.

"The President's Award has been presented for more than 25 years now," said TTU Director of Athletics Mark Wilson, "and the list of winners that has developed throughout the years is simply impressive. Each and every one of these young men and women represent the best student-athletes Tennessee Tech Athletics has to offer and are clearly someone the program's they represent can be extremely proud of. These are the very best in each of our 13 programs, and they certainly deserve this special recognition."

The 2019 recipients include two seniors, five juniors, one sophomore and five freshmen. The recipients also demonstrate the diversity of Tech's student-athletes, hailing from three different states and four other countries, including Tennessee (seven), Ohio (one), Wisconsin (one), Canada (one), Kenya (one), Spain (one) and Trinidad and Tobago (one).

The President's Award was established in 1994.

In alphabetical order, the 2019 President's Award winners are:

Abby Buckner | Women's Basketball | Sophomore | Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Abby Buckner took on a crucial leadership role throughout her sophomore campaign, often acting as the team's vocal leader while starting each of the women's basketball team's 33 games in 2018-19. On the court, she averaged 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while playing 29.0 minutes per contest. One of the team's best defenders, she tallied 36 steals on the year while often guarding the opponents top player, regardless of position. She helped the Golden Eagles lead the conference in free throw percentage, hitting 82.9 percent of her attempts. In the classroom, she wrapped up the year with a 3.64 cumulative GPA in EXPW/occupational therapy.

Susie Jeziorowski | Volleyball | Senior | Green Lake, Wis.
Susie Jeziorowski earned her second straight President's Award representing the volleyball team after also claiming Tech's prestigious Woman of the Year honor. The senior setter racked up over 1,100 assists on the year, ranking in the top-five in the OVC and bringing her career total to over 2,100. In her final campaign as a Golden Eagle, she posted career-highs in kills, assists, service aces, digs, total blocks and points. Off the court, Jeziorowski completed her undergraduate career in December with a perfect 4.0 GPA, earning her degree in computer science with concentrations in software and scientific applications, and cybersecurity.

Shelby Johnson | Women's Golf | Junior | Sparta, Tenn.
Shelby Johnson was an easy choice for her first career President's Award, representing the women's golf team. In her final year in the purple and gold, the junior turned in the best year of her career on the links, playing all 28 rounds while turning in the fourth-lowest scoring average in program history with a mark of 76.28. She was named the team's co-MVP and Best Putter while also serving as team captain. Following her best season as a Golden Eagle, she was honored as a member of the All-OVC Team. Graduating with her degree in agriculture, Johnson completed her academic career with a 3.47 GPA.

Gabriel Kiprono | Men's Cross Country | R-Freshman | Kapsabet, Kenya
Gabriel Kiprono claimed his first career President's Award for the men's cross country team following his first season representing the purple and gold. A redshirt freshman and transfer from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, he competed in each of Tech's seven meets throughout the year, showing improvement throughout the year. His season-best, eight-kilometer time of 23:56.9 ranked in the top-25 in program history. He also finished second among the Golden Eagle racers at the NCAA South Regional, placing 35^th overall. In the classroom, he put forth a 3.52 GPA while working on his major in computer science.

Gabby LaSala | Softball | Senior | Mason, Ohio
Gabby LaSala became just the third Golden Eagle student-athlete ever to win the President's Award four times, once again representing the softball team. In her senior campaign, she ranked second on the Tech squad with a .295 batting average while starting 43 of the team's 45 games. LaSala led the team with 28 RBI and 17 extra-base hits while finishing second with nine home runs, 30 runs scored, 38 hits and 14 walks. Off the field, she was even more impressive, sporting a 3.92 GPA while earning her degree in biology and representing athletics as a finalist for the prestigious Derryberry Award.

Courtney McCowan | Women's Cross Country | R-Freshman | Cookeville, Tenn.
Courtney McCowan earned the President's Award for women's cross country while displaying an unmatchable passion for her team, despite battling injury for the majority of the season. After earning a top-10 finish in the team's Golden Eagle Invitational to kick of the season, boasting a time of 23:59.7, she missed the remainder of Tech's year with an injury. McCowan never wavered in showing her leadership skills throughout practice and in the classroom. Completing her redshirt freshman year, she posted a 3.8 GPA while pursuing her degree in biochemistry.

Nathan McMeans | Baseball | R-Freshman | Cordova, Tenn.
Nathan McMeans earned his first career President's Award after locking down a starting role with the Tech baseball team in his first full season in the purple and gold. Starting 48 of the team's 54 games, the second baseman finished the year third on the team with a .294 batting average and 12 doubles. He also struck out just 13 times all year, by far the least on the squad and also the fewest in the entire OVC among players with at least 100 at bats. His performance earned him a place on the OVC All-Freshman team. Off the diamond, he worked a 3.44 GPA while working towards a degree in agriculture.

Josh Poplar | Football | R-Junior | Knoxville, Tenn.
Josh Poplar was named football's President's Award winner for the second time in his career, just one year after missing the 2017 season following a stroke and eventual surgery to repair a hole in his heart. In his return, all he did was rack up 101 tackles, force a fumble and return an interception for a touchdown in his first game back in the purple and gold. The Tech veteran was named a finalist for the STATS FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award, FCS ADA Academic All-Star and Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year honorable mention while sporting a 3.97 GPA in undergraduate classes and 4.0 while working towards his MBA.

Kaitie Shipley | Soccer | Junior | Barrie, Ontario
Kaitie Shipley proved to be an unquestioned leader of the Golden Eagle soccer team, both on and off the pitch, on her way to earning her first President's Award honor. Shifting from forward to defense, she never missed a beat, playing all 1,573 minutes for Tech while anchoring a defensive unit that finished fourth in goals against average and second in total goals allowed. Her defensive prowess led to All-OVC First Team honors. Academically, Shipley was again a team leader, earning Google Cloud Academic All-District First Team honors after sporting a 4.0 GPA in pursuit of her degree in EXPW/fitness and wellness.

Carlos Vicente | Tennis | Freshman | Valencia, Spain
Carlos Vicente needed little time to establish himself among the best in the conference on his way to his first President's Award while representing the tennis team. Named the OVC's Freshman of the Year and to the All-OVC First Team, the rookie turned a 4-1 mark in OVC singles play and 3-1 record in doubles play in the league. Overall, Vicente finished his first year in the purple and gold with a 16-22 overall record, including a 5-5 mark out of the No. 2 singles position. He also posted a 3.84 GPA while beginning work towards a degree in general education.

Hunter Vick | Men's Basketball | R-Freshman | Camden, Tenn.
Hunter Vick enjoyed a highly successful first season for the Golden Eagle men's basketball team, leading to his first President's Award honor. As a redshirt freshman, he ranked second on the team in scoring with 11.2 points per game while starting all 31 contests. He led the team with 33.0 minutes per game and a 39.7 percent showing from 3-point range. His 54 made triples shattered the program's previous rookie record and he also joined Jr. Clay to become the first pair of Tech rookies to average at least 10 points per game since 1978-79. Off the court, he turned in a 3.06 GPA while continuing his pursuit towards a degree in business.

Lisa Wickham | Track & Field | Junior | Petit Valley, Trinidad and Tobago
Lisa Wickham earned her first President's Award despite only having one more of indoor track & field season left on her eligibility. She made it count, helping lead Tech to its second straight OVC title with a championship-clinching performance in the 4x400-meter relay. In addition to the relay title, she placed second in the 60-meters and fifth in the 200-meters. Throughout the season, she earned two OVC Female Track Athlete of the Week honors and broke her own program record for the 60-meter. In the classroom, she was highly effective while boasting a 3.59 GPA while working towards an EXPW/fitness and wellness degree.

Cameron Yeary | Men's Golf | Junior | Knoxville, Tenn.
Cameron Yeary took over as the President's Award recipient for the men's golf team for 2019, earning the honor with improved play on the course and consistent production off of it. The team's Most Improved Player award winner for the second straight year, the junior played in all 11 of Tech's events while turning in a scoring average of 74.31. He earned a pair of All-Tournament honors during the season and was named a Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar for the 2018-19 campaign. While working towards a degree in accounting and finance, Yeary finished the year with a 3.86 cumulative GPA.