Fall Frosty Awards Nominees: Male Newcomer of the Year

From now until Jan. 2, the Carson-Newman Athletic Communications Department will debut the Frosty Award nominees for the fall semester.  These are the fall nominees for Male Newcomer of the Year. Friday, we'll unveil the candidates for Coach Newcomer of the Year. 

The fifth annual Frosty Awards will take place in early May and honor athletic excellence in Carson-Newman's athletic department. 

Categories: 

• Team Performance of the Year 
• Female Newcomer of the Year
• Male Newcomer of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Team of the Year
• Game of the Year
• Play of the Year
• Male Freshman of the Year
• Female Freshman of the Year
• Upset of the Year
• Comeback of the Year
• Male Performance of the Year
• Female Performance of the Year
• Female Athlete of the Year 
• Male Athlete of the Year

Male Newcomer of the Year:

Grant Teichmann: Grant Teichmann has proved to be an impact player for Carson-Newman head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson.  The Freed-Hardeman transfer is averaging 12.6 points , 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.  He has scored double figures in all but one game this season for the Eagles.  Teichmann's top effort came against Lee when he scored 16 on the Flames. He came two rebounds and two assists within a triple-double in the Eagles' 17-point comeback against Lenoir-Rhyne. He's shooting 50 percent from the field and 38 percent from three.

Twan Verweij: In his first year with the Eagles, the Utrecht, Netherlands native recorded 52 saves with just 19 goals allowed. He recorded 8.1 shutouts on the season, the fourth-most in an individual season in school history, including a shutout against No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne. He had the most shutouts in the league and the 16th-most in the nation. He garnered a SAC Player of the Week honor in October, making him the first goalkeeper in program history to receive the accolade. He was tabbed an All-Conference Honorable mention at the conclusion of the season.

Diantae Thomas: Diantae Thomas transferred to Carson-Newman from South Alabama and made an instant impact in the Eagles' offensive backfield.  Thomas rushed for 585 yards and four touchdowns in his lone season with the Eagles. He pounded the rock 16 times for a career-best 121 yards in a downpour in Carson-Newman's 27-7 win over Tusculum.  He had a career long run of 37 yards that day.  

Mario Mezier: Mario Mezier helped Carson-Newman's defense lock things down for the Eagles in the defensive backfield.  He and the rest of the Eagles' secondary limited every receiver they faced under their season averages, with the exception of Mars Hill's Keshaun Taylor and Craig Rucker. Mezier finished the year with 45 tackles and a pick against Newberry.  He finished the year with his top effort, and eight-tackle, one tackle for loss day against UNC Pembroke.  His 24 solo tackles on the year were the third most of anyone on the team.