Lipscomb sweeps ASUN All-Sports Awards for first time in university history
Lipscomb Athletics takes top ASUN sports honors for first time, marking the end of an excellent year.
Kim Chaudoin |
Lipscomb Athletics put an exclamation mark on a tremendous 2023-24 academic year by winning all three of the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Sports Awards announced at its annual Hall of Fame dinner May 30 in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Bill Bibb All-Sports Trophy is awarded to the ASUN institution with the top overall athletic program within the current academic year. Eighteen of the league's 22 championships determine the ASUN All Sports Standings, with the exceptions being both men’s and women’s lacrosse and swimming & diving. In addition, the Bisons won the Jesse C. Fletcher Men's All-Sports Trophy and the Sherman Day Women's All-Sports Trophy.
“This has been a fantastic year that continues a tradition of excellence at Lipscomb University,” said President Candice McQueen. “Our coaches and student athletes have delivered their best all year long in every sport and have represented the Bison Herd at the highest level. This also reflects the tremendous leadership of our Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson and the vision he has set for Lipscomb Athletics. The entire Lipscomb community is proud of this outstanding accomplishment.”
“I am so proud of our coaches and our student athletes in winning this trophy for the first time-ever and for sweeping the men’s and women’s trophies. This is a testament not only to the exceptional skill and determination of our student athletes but also to our unwavering commitment to excellence in every arena,” said Hutcheson. “These honors reflect our department’s mission statement — ‘Highest Level, Higher Calling.’ It underscores our dual dedication to achieving top athletic performance while focusing on a spirit of a deeper purpose — our faith. Well done to our entire Lipscomb community.”
This spring, Lipscomb won the men’s golf championship. In winter sports, the Bisons finished tied for second in the men's basketball standings and closed the regular season fourth in women's basketball. They were also runners-up in the women's indoor track & field championship and recorded a fourth-place team finish in the men's indoor championship. In the fall the Bisons won ASUN conference championships in women’s cross country, women’s soccer and men’s soccer and volleyball was conference tournament runners-up.
In addition to championship results, Lipscomb Athletics earned numerous other ASUN conference awards and titles. Highlights include:
Coach of the Year: Jamie Aid, women’s tennis; Will Brewer, men’s golf; Charles Morrow, men’s soccer; Kevin O'Brien, women’s soccer; and Nick Polk, women’s cross country.
Basketball: Derrin Boyd, Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Cross Country: Kiara Carter, Women’s Runner of the Year; Harley Kletz, Women’s Freshman of the Year.
Golf: Will Holan, men’s conference tournament individual medalist, Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Lauren Thompson, women’s conference tournament individual medalist, Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Indoor Track & Field: Braeden Ofosu-Kwarteng, Men’s Most Outstanding Freshman; Kiara Carter, Women’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete; Aislinn McElhaney, Women’s Most Outstanding Field Athlete. ASUN championships: Women's Mile: Kiara Carter, Men's 400m Dash: Braeden Ofosu-Kwarteng, Women's 800m: Kiara Carter, Women's 3,000m: Lydia Miller.
Outdoor Track & Field: Braeden Ofosu-Kwarteng, Men’s Most Outstanding Freshman. ASUN championships: Women's 1500m: Kiara Carter; Men's 400m: Braeden Ofosu-Kwarteng; Men's 800m: James Schmidt; Men's 400m Hurdles: Nathan Wallace; Women's 5000m: Colbi Borland; Women's 10,000m Finals: Lydia Miller; Women's Long Jump: Aislinn McElhaney and 3,000m Steeplechase: Leonie Saurer.
Soccer: Tyrese Spicer, Men’s Player of the Year; Kelli Beiler, Women’s Player of the Year, Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Logan McFadden, Women’s Defensive Player of the Year; Bella Carapazza, Women’s Freshman of the Year.
Tennis: Sasha Dobranos, Women’s Player of the Year; Mariya Dolzhekno, Women’s Freshman of the Year; Sasha Dobranos and Rut Galindo, Women’s Doubles Pair of the Year.
Volleyball: Meg Mersman, Player of the Year; Sophia Hudepohl, Setter of the Year; Delaney Smith, Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Also at the dinner, Whitney Kiihnl-Hickmon, a standout member of the Lipscomb softball team from 2009-12, was inducted into the ASUN Hall of Fame.
“It’s an honor and privilege to be here tonight with the other inductees. I want to thank God for the opportunity to play at Lipscomb University,” said Kiihnl-Hickmon in her acceptance remarks at the ceremony. “Lipscomb is a wonderful school. … I feel like my teammates should be up here with me. They were awesome teammates.
Kiihnl-Hickmon is one of the most decorated players in ASUN history as she was named both the Player and Pitcher of the Year in 2010, the only player in league history to win both in the same season. She was also named Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2012) and Freshman of the Year (2009) while being a four-time All-ASUN selection. Her 12 Pitcher of the Week awards rank second in ASUN history while leading the Bisons to a 154-67 record (.697) in her career.
She ranks in the top 10 of ASUN career records in seven categories including third in strikeouts (1,118), wins (93) and shutouts (40), fourth in innings pitched (876.0) and appearances (158), sixth in complete games (93) and seventh in games started (115). She helped guide the Bisons to their first-ever ASUN Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010 and led the team to three top-three finishes in the conference during her time. She is one of only eight players in league history to earn three All-Tournament Team nods and one of only three pitchers to record 1,000 career strikeouts.
Keep up with the latest in Lipscomb Athletics at lipscombsports.com.