June 22, 2020

Thirteen Golden Eagle student-athletes selected as 2020 President's Award winners

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 27th annual President's Awards, presented by the TTU Athletics Department. Eight of the 13 are first-time winners while the remaining five are all winners for a second time in their respective careers.

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 27th annual President's Awards, presented by the TTU Athletics Department. Eight of the 13 are first-time winners while the remaining five are all winners for a second time in their respective careers.

Repeating as President's Award winners for a second-straight year were men's golf's Cameron Yeary, women's basketball's Abby Buckner, women's cross country's Courtney McCowan and soccer's Kaitie Shipley. After winning the honor from men's cross country in 2018, Ababu Mohamed earned his second President's Award this season.

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.

"I am incredibly proud of each of our student-athletes, particularly with the work they put in this past semester amid the COVID-19 pandemic," TTU Director of Athletics Mark Wilson said. "The 13 winners of this year's President's Awards represent the very best in each of their respective programs and I am thankful for their leadership throughout this unprecedented time in our country. Many of them saw their seasons end prematurely, and they never let that stand in the way of their academic responsibilities. To put together the best semester this department has seen is simply remarkable and couldn't have been done without each of these award winners. I am honored to know each of these young men and women and am excited to see them all continue to grow."

The 2020 recipients include five seniors, five juniors, two sophomores and one redshirt freshman. The recipients also demonstrate the diversity of Tech's student-athletes, hailing from six different states and three other countries, including Tennessee (five), California (one), Georgia (one), Iowa (one), Michigan (one), Texas (one), Canada (one), Japan (one) and Trinidad and Tobago (one).

The President's Award was established in 1994.

In alphabetical order, the 2020 President's Award winners are:

Anya Akili | Track & Field | R-Freshman | Mason Hall, Trinidad and Tobago
Anya Akili demonstrated remarkable leadership through her efforts both on and off the track during her redshirt freshman season, one that saw the outdoor season canceled before it even began due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the indoor campaign, the rookie competed in the 200-meter, 400-meter and 500-meter races, representing the Golden Eagles in both the 200-meter and 400-meter events at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships. In the classroom, she boasted a 3.95 GPA while working towards her degree in EXPW/fitness and wellness.

Hannah Bratton | Women's Golf | Junior | Jackson, Tenn.
Hannah Bratton was a model of consistency for her teammates during the 2019-20 campaign. As a junior, she posted a 77.75 scoring average, improving steadily from last year's mark of 79.60 and earning the team's Most Improved Player Award. She also tied for the team lead with four top-25 finishes on the year and led the Golden Eagles in two events during the COVID-19-shortened season. Pursuing her degree in marketing, Bratton was a model student as well, maintaining a 3.84 GPA.

Abby Buckner | Women's Basketball | Junior | Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Abby Buckner took home the President's Award for the women's basketball team for the second-straight year, once again displaying her knack for leadership through effort and attitude. She made 13 starts while playing in 28 games, averaging 3.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Her 26.2 minutes per game ranked fourth on a Tech squad that held opponents to 64.6 points per game. Buckner excelled in the classroom as well, achieving a 3.83 GPA while continuing work towards her degree in EXPW/occupational therapy.

Cade Crosland | Men's Basketball | Senior | Sparta, Tenn.
Cade Crosland inspired his teammates to be their best by constantly giving his own, earning a captain's role in head coach John Pelphrey's first year directing the program. The local Sparta product played in 29 of his team's 31 games, making five starts and averaging 4.9 points per game while embracing "The Code" and rebuilding the culture of Tech men's basketball. He shot 36.8 percent from 3-point range on the year and hit the game-winning triple against Jacksonville State. He earned his degree in communications with a 3.43 GPA.

Gavin Johns | Baseball | Senior | Temecula, Calif.
Gavin Johns embraced a leadership role while the Golden Eagle baseball team went through its coaching transition in November, and continued to display his abilities as a role model throughout the COVID-19-shortened season. Limited to just 15 games because of the pandemic, he hit .264 with a team-high six doubles while helping the Tech squad welcome new coach Steve Smith to Cookeville. In the classroom, he was exemplary, earning a 3.8 GPA while working on his master's degree in professional studies.

Riku Kubota | Tennis | Junior | Takasaki, Gunma, Japan
Riku Kubota helped lead the Tech tennis team to a strong start to the season before COVID-19 put an end to the spring. The junior compiled a 6-2 duals record, highlighted by a three-set victory over #21 Mississippi State's Jonas Hartenstein. He also led Tech to in-state victories over an 11-3 Chattanooga squad and a previously undefeated, 9-0 Lipscomb team, earning singles and double wins in both. Academically, he continued work on his degree in business management, compiling a 3.53 GPA.

Raleigh Lewis | Softball | Sophomore | Ringgold, Ga.
Raleigh Lewis got off to a hot start in the 2020 campaign, helping lead her Tech softball squad to 10 early wins and its best start to the year since the 1997 season. Playing in 18 of the team's 19 games, all starts, the sophomore posted team-highs of five home runs and 14 RBI. She batted .327 (second on the team), scored 10 runs and slugged .655 (first on the team) as well. Lewis continued to excel off the field as well, accumulating a 3.62 GPA while continuing to pursue her degree in communications.

Courtney McCowan | Women's Cross Country | Sophomore | Cookeville, Tenn.
Courtney McCowan claimed President's Award honors for the women's cross country team for the second-straight year due in large part to her relentless work ethic and leadership qualities. While competing in four of the team's five meets, she turned in a career-best time of 22:10.7 and helped her team to a first-place finish in the 5K at the Upstate Invitational. She showed the same determination and propensity for hard work in the classroom, posting a 3.87 GPA while working on her degree in biochemistry.

Ababu Mohamed | Men's Cross Country | Junior | Houston, Texas
Ababu Mohamed took home his second career President's Award for the men's cross country team, having earned the honor in 2018 as well, after moving into a larger leadership role as a junior. He led the Golden Eagles in all five of its events on the year, claiming first-place honors overall at the Murray State Open. His 8K time of 25:31.1 while placing second at the Upstate Invitational marked the best time on the team during the season. He continued to work towards his degree in mechanical engineering while earning a 3.45 GPA.

Kaitie Shipley | Soccer | Senior | Barrie, Ontario, Canada
Kaitie Shipley completed her career at Tech with her second-straight President's Award honor for the soccer team, adding to an impressive list of accolades on the year. Tech's Woman of the Year and an Academic All-District selection, Shipley closed out her last year by earning All-OVC First Team honors while anchoring the Golden Eagle defense. She totaled two goals and four points while playing all 1,817 minutes on the year. She completed her degree in EXPW/fitness and wellness with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Ali Verzani | Volleyball | Junior | Sioux City, Iowa
Ali Verzani led her teammates by example all year, ranking first on the volleyball team in kills (395), kills per set (3.59), service aces (33), and points (455.0). Her 313 digs were the second-most on the team while her 49 total blocks ranked third. She took home All-OVC First Team honors while finishing in the top-six in the league in points, kills and service aces, all while leading the Golden Eagles to the OVC Tournament for the first time since 2015. Verzani also maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA in pursuit of her degree in business administration.

Cameron Yeary | Men's Golf | Senior | Knoxville, Tenn.
Cameron Yeary collected his second-consecutive President's Award for men's golf while continually earning his teammates' respect through his work both on and off the links. Named a Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar and the team's first winner of the new Bobby Nichols Award for Leadership, he totaled a scoring average of 74.88 while competing in eight rounds over three events before COVID-19 shortened the spring season. He earned his degree in accounting while boasting an impressive 3.86 GPA.

Haidar Zaidan | Football | Senior | Dearborn, Mich.
Haidar Zaidan took advantage of his lone year as the primary kicker for the Tech football team, earning his first President's Award honors as well as Tech Athletics' Man of the Year honors. He finished the season 12-for-16 on field-goal tries and converted all 22 of his extra-point attempts. The senior drilled three field goals of more than 50 yards, becoming just the third Tech kicker to accomplish the feat in one season. His 54-yarder versus Jacksonville State marked the second-longest in program history. He earned his degree in biology with a 3.54 GPA.