MORROW, Ga. – For the 27^th straight year, Clayton State Athletics recognized its accomplished student-athletes, this year more than 140 individuals from its 12 athletics programs, at the Annual Athletics Awards Banquet held at the Harry S. Downs Center for Continuing Education on Friday, April 28.
 
Student-athletes Jordan Knight (men's soccer) and Joy Diaz (women's cross country/track & field) served as the evening's emcees and adeptly guided the audience through an enjoyable evening. They handled the role of introducing each team's season recap video, coaching staff and team. Those videos, including a season highlight package, were shot and edited by Clayton State freshman Caleb Lorentz and Quinn Reeder.
 
Highlighting the specialty awards were the Male and Female Laker Award Winners as the Student-Athletes of the Year. This year those prestigious awards went to Kristiin Mets of women's tennis and Iain Smith of men's soccer.
 
Mets is just the fifth women's tennis player to earn the award, and the first since 2004. In her four years she has won 10 doubles matches in three of those four seasons while taking on some of the best competition in NCAA Division II. This year Mets went 10-8 in doubles but was 10-5 while playing with Darina Drozdova, including an impressive 7-3 in the PBC.
 
That pairing won seven in a row to close the season and nine of their last 10, good for the second best mark in the PBC. She was also named a PBC All-Academic Team selection for a maximum of three straight seasons.
 
For Smith, he was a team captain and finished with eight goals and five assists for 21 points while starting all 17 games. On the year he averaged 1.24 points and 0.47 goals per game, tied for eighth in goals in the PBC and had two goals and an assist in a win at Auburn-Montgomery. Smith was also named All-Peach Belt Conference Second-Team, All-PBC Preseason-Team and All-PBC Academic Team.

Also among the special presentations were two memorial awards that honor the contributions of three long standing members of Clayton State Athletics and celebrate the highest academic and athletic achievement by one male student-athlete and one female student-athlete.

The Dotty H. Bumbalough and Pat Keane Academic Award and H. Mason Barfield Academic Award each are presented to an individual who has achieved the highest Grade Point Average while having been enrolled at Clayton State for at least four traditional semesters (Fall/Spring) and competing in a minimum of 20-percent of their team(s) contests.

This year Pat Keane presented the women's award to senior Joy Diaz (Riverdale, Ga.) of cross country and track & field. She earned that honor with a perfect 4.0 GPA while fellow cross country and track & field student-athlete senior Troy Hickom (Cartersville, Ga.) took home the H. Mason Barfield Award with a 3.46 GPA.

In addition to those awards, longtime Faculty Athletic Representative R.B. Rosenburg presented women's tennis with the Team Academic Award as the program with highest team GPA. They collected the program's record 11 such honor, doing so with a 3.50 GPA.
 
In just its second year, the Laker Leadership Award recognizes the team that has excelled in the areas of Academics, Community Service and Laker Leadership participation over the past season. Presented by Merlene Aitken, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and Senior Woman Administrator, this year's award went to women's basketball, who shared the inaugural award last year.
 
Additionally, Clayton State also recognized 16 Forest Park Chick-fil-A Student-Athletes of the Month. Since the Fall of 2014, Clayton State has presented this award to a male and female student-athlete for outstanding athletic achievement.
 
Recognized on the evening by Director of Athletics Tim Duncan were Iain Smith (September), Jessica Charman (September), Ryan King (October), Maria Marti Bartis (October), Jaumonee Byrd (November), Tierra Johnson (November/December), Dantez Bennamon (December), Alfonso Davis (January), Andrea Benford (January/February), Andres Caballero (February), Keith Egan (March), Latrese Hubbard (March/April) and Marcus Lafleur (April).
 
The evening would then cap with one of the most important recognitions that a student-athlete can receive – the presentation of stolls honoring their upcoming graduation. This year a record 15 current or former student-athletes had that accoutrement bestowed upon them by Faculty Athletic Representative R.B. Rosenburg and Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance Merlene Aitken.
 
Receiving stolls were Brooke Bortles (Women's Soccer), Tatiana Bradley (Cheerleading), Ashley Cunningham (Women's Basketball), Alfonso Davis (Men's Basketball), Dejoun Dennard (Women's Basketball), Paulencia Dixon (Cheerleading), Jonny Evans (Men's Soccer), Troy Hickom (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field), Tierra Johnson (Women's Basketball), Jessica Matthews (Women's Track & Field), Carolina Monterrubio (Women's Tennis/Cross Country), Darrius Moore (Men's Basketball), Bilal Nakhli (Men's Soccer), Saiquan Terry (Men's Basketball) and Ciaran Lane (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field). The latter honoree is completing his Masters.

With nearly 200 individuals enjoying the evening, the event was well attended at the Harry S. Downs Center for Continuing Education and highlighted a very successful year on the fields, courts and tracks for Clayton State Athletics.

2017 Clayton State Athletics Awards Banquet Recipients
 
Men's Basketball
Individual Academic Award – Dantez Bennamon
Coaches Award – Dantez Bennamon
Charlie Frazier, Jr. Laker Award – Jaumonee Byrd
Most Valuable Player – Alfonso Davis
 
Women's Basketball
Individual Academic Award – Ashley Cunningham
Most Improved Award – Dejoun Dennard
Marie St. Fort Award – Tierra Johnson
Most Valuable Offensive Player Award – Andrea Benford
 
Cheerleading
Individual Academic Award – Ashley Williams
Most Improved Award – Kyla Davis
Coaches Award – Brittany Pettus and Kymble Talps
Most Spirited Award – Shalafonte Walls

Men's Cross Country
Individual Academic Award – T.J. Witherspoon
Most Improved Award – Ryan Polk
Hugh Toro Coaches Award – Troy Hickom
Most Valuable Runner – Marcus Lafleur
 
Women's Cross Country
Individual Academic Award – Joy Diaz
Most Improved Award – Ariel Boyd-Ghani
Coaches Award – Joy Diaz
Most Valuable Runner – Carla Catala
 
Men's Golf
Individual Academic Award – Ivan Emiliano
Most Valuable Newcomer Award – Andres Caballero
Joe Hamilton Award – Ivan Emiliano
Most Valuable Player – Keith Egan
 
Men's Soccer
Individual Academic Award – Jordan Knight
Iron Man Hustle Award – Iain Smith
Offensive Most Valuable Player – Ryan King
Defensive Most Valuable Player – Leuri Fraire
 
Women's Soccer
Individual Academic Award – Jessica Charman
Most Improved Award – Paige Lievsay
Offensive Most Valuable Player – Manoly Baquerizo
Defensive Most Valuable Player – Janne Brouer
 
Women's Tennis
Individual Academic Award – Darina Drozdova and Kristiin Mets
Most Improved Award – Alina Ageichik
Coaches Award – Darina Drozdova
Most Valuable Player – Kristiin Mets
 
Men's Track & Field
Individual Academic Award – T.J. Witherspoon
Most Improved Award – T.J. Witherspoon
Clive Caesar Coaches Award – Tyler Askew
Most Valuable Player – Marcus Lafleur
 
Women's Track & Field
Individual Academic Award – Joy Diaz
Most Improved Award – Nia Elmore
Clive Caesar Coaches Award – Sierra Glenn
Most Valuable Player – Latrese Hubbard
 
Forest Park Chick-fil-A Student-Athletes of the Month
September – Iain Smith, (Men's Soccer) and Jessica Charman, (Women's Soccer)
October – Ryan King, (Men's Soccer) and Maria Marti Bartis, (Women's Soccer)
November – Jaumonee Byrd, (Men's Basketball) and Tierra Johnson, (Women's Basketball)
December – Dantez Bennamon, (Men's Basketball) and Tierra Johnson, (Women's Basketball)
January – Alfonso Davis, (Men's Basketball) and Andrea Benford, (Women's Basketball)
February – Andres Caballero, (Men's Golf) and Andrea Benford, (Women's Basketball)
March – Keith Egan, (Men's Golf) and Latrese Hubbard, (Women's Track & Field)
April – Marcus Lafleur, (Men's Track & Field) and Latrese Hubbard, (Women's Track & Field)
 
Team Academic Award
Women's Tennis – 3.50 GPA
 
Laker Leadership Award
Women's Basketball
 
Dotty H. Bumbalough & Pat Keane Academic Award
Joy Diaz (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field)
 
H. Mason Barfield Academic Award
Troy Hickom (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field)
 
Male Laker Award (Student-Athlete of the Year)
Iain Smith, Men's Soccer

Female Laker Award (Student-Athlete of the Year)
Kristiin Mets, Women's Tennis

Graduation Stolls
Brooke Bortles (Women's Soccer)
Tatiana Bradley (Cheerleading)
Ashley Cunningham (Women's Basketball)
Alfonso Davis (Men's Basketball)
Dejoun Dennard (Women's Basketball)
Paulencia Dixon (Cheerleading)
Jonny Evans (Men's Soccer)
Troy Hickom (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field)
Tierra Johnson (Women's Basketball)
Jessica Matthews (Women's Track & Field)
Carolina Monterrubio (Women's Tennis/Cross Country)
Darrius Moore (Men's Basketball)
Bilal Nakhli (Men's Soccer)
Saiquan Terry (Men's Basketball)
Ciaran Lane (Men's Cross Country and Track & Field)*
*Completing Master's Degree

2017 ATHLETICS BANQUET TEAM VIDEOS