SE: K-State Student-Athletes Celebrate Each Other, Say Thanks at Powercat Choice Awards
Apr 30, 2019 | Sports Extra, Athletics
By Corbin McGuire
Sometimes it's good to get out of routine.
For K-State student-athletes used to regimented days of workouts, classes, practices, traveling and games, that break from the norm came on Monday night. In their version of the ESPYs, Wildcat student-athletes from all 16 sports showed up for the 10th annual Mark A. Chapman Powercat Choice Awards, dressed in their best attire, on Monday night to celebrate each other.
"I love dressing up. It's just a different feel," K-State football's D.J. Render said. "I feel like it's good to get out of your comfort zone and it's cool to be different sometimes. We're always in our routine, going to workouts, class or at practice, so it's always cool to get out and enjoy something formal."
"I think the best part of PCAs is being able to have a night for us all to step away from only being athletes," K-State rowing's Kennedy Felice added. "We get to celebrate each other, our accomplishments on the field, off the field, in academics, so being able to see that we really are more than athletes and just acknowledge that, while also getting to dress up, is something that's exciting and we look forward to."
The event offered a chance to reflect on a year of great accomplishments, from conference championships won to academic All-American honors earned. It also gave the Wildcats a chance to laugh with each other, sometimes at the expense of their head coaches.
Throughout the event, Wildcats came up and answered five random trivia questions — For example: What's the largest continent in the world? Hint: Not Australia. After each student-athlete answered, a pre-recorded video played of a coach from their staff answering the same questions to see who was smarter: Coach or student-athlete.
Render and women's basketball's Ashley Ray also added a humorous twist to the event. The duo served as the first student-athlete co-hosts ever for the Powercat Choice Awards.
"What I enjoyed most about it was just using my personality, trying to get the crowd going, not make it as dull as possible, just trying to have fun with the event," Render said. "I like seeing all the people winning the awards. It's cool to see people, for all the work they put in, get rewarded for it."
More than 25 awards were handed out during the night. All the performance-based awards were voted on by members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
K-State women's track earned its second-straight Women's Team of the Year award for its Big 12 Outdoor Championship repeat last spring. Men's basketball claimed the other Team of the Year nod, after winning a Big 12 Championship this season to follow last year's Elite Eight run. Head coach Bruce Weber, now with a pair of conference titles at K-State, was named Coach of the Year.
Rowing received the Inspiration Award, while the baseball team went home with the coveted Wildcat Cup.
The individual awards covered a wide range of accomplishments.
There were performance-earned recognitions, like Male and Female Athletes of the Year — taken home by national champion high jumper TJ Shankar and two-sport star Peyton Williams, respectively — and the Show-Stopping Moment of the Year — Cartier Diarra's dunk versus Kansas.
Ample academic- and community-driven honors were handed out as well.
Men's golf's Jeremy Gandon and women's basketball's Kayla Goth each earned Scholar Athlete of the Year recognition, while baseball's Brogan Heinen and rowing's Grace Brennan each took home Outstanding Service to the Community awards. Collectively, K-State student-athletes compiled more than 1,700 hours of community service this past school year.
Felice, who earned the Veryl and Fern Switzer Campus Leadership Award, said the honor and the night, in general, reminded her of how many people have helped her along her journey at K-State.
"It definitely wasn't just me. It's been my family, my coaches, my teammates and everybody who's part of K-State Athletics," she said. "Having their support, their guidance and just having people that really pour that love, support and guidance into you, it's just a culmination of the whole journey of coming in as that freshman who doesn't know what she's doing and being able to graduate, come full circle and be able to say thank you."
One portion of the night was exactly that. A staff member from each team was thanked on screen for his or her efforts. Performance table manager Kylie Hanson received the PCA's first ever K-State Athletics Staff Member of the Year Award.
"We know that we can't do what we do without all the people that put in countless hours, who are always positive and helping us, whether it's staying in one piece through rehab and appointments or it's coaches putting their lives on hold to make sure we can have those moments of being great competitors and seeing what we can become," Felice said. "It was important for us to continue to say thank you because without them we can't have days like this where we get to celebrate and see our own potential. So, it was important to every single sport, every single athlete to be able to reach out and say, 'Thank you for everything that you've done. I know that we don't say thank you every single day, but we do appreciate everything that you do.'"
2018-19 Mark A. Chapman Powercat Choice Awards
Athletic Award Winners
Male Newcomer of the Year — Aaron Booth, men's track and field
Female Newcomer of the Year — Gloria Mutiri, volleyball
Male Unsung Hero — Mike McGuirl, men's basketball
Female Unsung Hero — Zsofia Gyimes, volleyball
Male Athlete of the Year —TJ Shankar, men's track and field
Female Athlete of the Year — Peyton Williams, women's basketball and volleyball
Inspiration Award — Rowing Team
Purple Pride Award — Pierson McAtee, men's basketball
Show-Stopping Moment of the Year — Cartier Diarra's Dunk vs. KU, men's basketball
Women's Team of the Year — Track and Field
Men's Team of the Year — Basketball
Coach of the Year — Bruce Weber
Academic Award Winners
Scholastic Achievement Award — Grace Reilly, rowing
Scholastic Achievement Award — Morgan Coffman, women's track and field
Scholastic Achievement Award — Zach Reuter, football
Scholastic Achievement Award — Reilly Killeen, volleyball
Bob & Lila Snell Academic Award for Excellence & Effort — NaTron Gipson, men's track and field
Bob & Lila Snell Academic Award for Excellence & Effort — Selena Wapelhorst, rowing
Gina Sylvester Memorial Award — Trey Dishon, football
Veryl & Fern Switzer Campus Leadership Award — Kennedy Felice, rowing
Male Scholar Athlete of the Year — Jeremy Gandon, men's golf
Female Scholar Athlete of the Year — Kayla Goth, women's basketball
Community/Staff Award Winners
Outstanding Service to the Community — Brogan Heinen, baseball
Outstanding Service to the Community — Grace Brennan, soccer
K-State Athletics Staff Member of the Year — Kylie Hanson, Performance Table
Wildcat Cup Trophy Winner
Baseball
Sometimes it's good to get out of routine.
For K-State student-athletes used to regimented days of workouts, classes, practices, traveling and games, that break from the norm came on Monday night. In their version of the ESPYs, Wildcat student-athletes from all 16 sports showed up for the 10th annual Mark A. Chapman Powercat Choice Awards, dressed in their best attire, on Monday night to celebrate each other.
"I love dressing up. It's just a different feel," K-State football's D.J. Render said. "I feel like it's good to get out of your comfort zone and it's cool to be different sometimes. We're always in our routine, going to workouts, class or at practice, so it's always cool to get out and enjoy something formal."
"I think the best part of PCAs is being able to have a night for us all to step away from only being athletes," K-State rowing's Kennedy Felice added. "We get to celebrate each other, our accomplishments on the field, off the field, in academics, so being able to see that we really are more than athletes and just acknowledge that, while also getting to dress up, is something that's exciting and we look forward to."
The event offered a chance to reflect on a year of great accomplishments, from conference championships won to academic All-American honors earned. It also gave the Wildcats a chance to laugh with each other, sometimes at the expense of their head coaches.
Throughout the event, Wildcats came up and answered five random trivia questions — For example: What's the largest continent in the world? Hint: Not Australia. After each student-athlete answered, a pre-recorded video played of a coach from their staff answering the same questions to see who was smarter: Coach or student-athlete.
Render and women's basketball's Ashley Ray also added a humorous twist to the event. The duo served as the first student-athlete co-hosts ever for the Powercat Choice Awards.
"What I enjoyed most about it was just using my personality, trying to get the crowd going, not make it as dull as possible, just trying to have fun with the event," Render said. "I like seeing all the people winning the awards. It's cool to see people, for all the work they put in, get rewarded for it."
More than 25 awards were handed out during the night. All the performance-based awards were voted on by members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
K-State women's track earned its second-straight Women's Team of the Year award for its Big 12 Outdoor Championship repeat last spring. Men's basketball claimed the other Team of the Year nod, after winning a Big 12 Championship this season to follow last year's Elite Eight run. Head coach Bruce Weber, now with a pair of conference titles at K-State, was named Coach of the Year.
Rowing received the Inspiration Award, while the baseball team went home with the coveted Wildcat Cup.
The individual awards covered a wide range of accomplishments.
There were performance-earned recognitions, like Male and Female Athletes of the Year — taken home by national champion high jumper TJ Shankar and two-sport star Peyton Williams, respectively — and the Show-Stopping Moment of the Year — Cartier Diarra's dunk versus Kansas.
Ample academic- and community-driven honors were handed out as well.
Men's golf's Jeremy Gandon and women's basketball's Kayla Goth each earned Scholar Athlete of the Year recognition, while baseball's Brogan Heinen and rowing's Grace Brennan each took home Outstanding Service to the Community awards. Collectively, K-State student-athletes compiled more than 1,700 hours of community service this past school year.
Felice, who earned the Veryl and Fern Switzer Campus Leadership Award, said the honor and the night, in general, reminded her of how many people have helped her along her journey at K-State.
"It definitely wasn't just me. It's been my family, my coaches, my teammates and everybody who's part of K-State Athletics," she said. "Having their support, their guidance and just having people that really pour that love, support and guidance into you, it's just a culmination of the whole journey of coming in as that freshman who doesn't know what she's doing and being able to graduate, come full circle and be able to say thank you."
One portion of the night was exactly that. A staff member from each team was thanked on screen for his or her efforts. Performance table manager Kylie Hanson received the PCA's first ever K-State Athletics Staff Member of the Year Award.
"We know that we can't do what we do without all the people that put in countless hours, who are always positive and helping us, whether it's staying in one piece through rehab and appointments or it's coaches putting their lives on hold to make sure we can have those moments of being great competitors and seeing what we can become," Felice said. "It was important for us to continue to say thank you because without them we can't have days like this where we get to celebrate and see our own potential. So, it was important to every single sport, every single athlete to be able to reach out and say, 'Thank you for everything that you've done. I know that we don't say thank you every single day, but we do appreciate everything that you do.'"
2018-19 Mark A. Chapman Powercat Choice Awards
Athletic Award Winners
Male Newcomer of the Year — Aaron Booth, men's track and field
Female Newcomer of the Year — Gloria Mutiri, volleyball
Male Unsung Hero — Mike McGuirl, men's basketball
Female Unsung Hero — Zsofia Gyimes, volleyball
Male Athlete of the Year —TJ Shankar, men's track and field
Female Athlete of the Year — Peyton Williams, women's basketball and volleyball
Inspiration Award — Rowing Team
Purple Pride Award — Pierson McAtee, men's basketball
Show-Stopping Moment of the Year — Cartier Diarra's Dunk vs. KU, men's basketball
Women's Team of the Year — Track and Field
Men's Team of the Year — Basketball
Coach of the Year — Bruce Weber
Academic Award Winners
Scholastic Achievement Award — Grace Reilly, rowing
Scholastic Achievement Award — Morgan Coffman, women's track and field
Scholastic Achievement Award — Zach Reuter, football
Scholastic Achievement Award — Reilly Killeen, volleyball
Bob & Lila Snell Academic Award for Excellence & Effort — NaTron Gipson, men's track and field
Bob & Lila Snell Academic Award for Excellence & Effort — Selena Wapelhorst, rowing
Gina Sylvester Memorial Award — Trey Dishon, football
Veryl & Fern Switzer Campus Leadership Award — Kennedy Felice, rowing
Male Scholar Athlete of the Year — Jeremy Gandon, men's golf
Female Scholar Athlete of the Year — Kayla Goth, women's basketball
Community/Staff Award Winners
Outstanding Service to the Community — Brogan Heinen, baseball
Outstanding Service to the Community — Grace Brennan, soccer
K-State Athletics Staff Member of the Year — Kylie Hanson, Performance Table
Wildcat Cup Trophy Winner
Baseball
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