The Carson-Newman Athletic Communications Department has been debutting the Frosty Award nominees for the fall semester. These are the fall nominees for Male Athlete of the Year, the final category that we unveil over the holiday break.
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
- Plays 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 Athlete of the Year:
Luke Greer: The Abington, United Kingdom native had one of the best season's in men's cross country history. The junior began the season with three consecutive wins at the Tusculum Open (5K - 15:38.0), Asheville Cross Country Invitational (4-mile run, 20:15.91), and the Allen and Phyllis Morgan Invitational-Battle at Mossy Creek (5K – 15:10.0). Greer, also finished runner-up in the South Atlantic Conference Championships (8K – 24:39.21) and fourth at the Southeast Regional Meet (10K - 31:35.44). The junior was also the first men's cross country runner since 2005 to compete in the NCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships, he finished in 42nd place. Greer, was an All-Region selection and All-South Atlantic Conference First Team selection during his junior season.
Charles Clark: Clark has picked up where he left off from his junior year where he was named the South Atlantic Conference's Player of the Year and won the Frosty Award for Male Athlete of the Year. Clark is averaging nearly 20 points per game as a senior. He has bypassed 1,900 points for his career and ranks in the top five in scoring all-time for both the South Atlantic Conference and Carson-Newman. He has been named the South Atlantic Conference's player of the Week twice this season and for seven times in his career. His top two efforts came against King and Coker. Clark poured in 28 points to go with six assists and a pair of rebounds as the Eagles rallied against the Tornado. In foul trouble for much of the first half against King, Clark exploded in the second half for 26 points. Against the Cobras, Clark exploded for 37 points, the third highest mark in his career.
Tanner Stepp: The three-time All-American comes off a 2017 season in which he was the National Runner-Up in the NCAA Division II Championships in the high jump. The senior out of Jefferson City, Tennessee has recorded multiple indoor and outdoor school records for the Eagles and has made the Outdoor National Championships in every year. He claimed the top spot in the high jump in the team's first event of the indoor season at the Bast-Cregger Invitational, completing the high jump at 2.08 meters
Sha'heem Stupart: Stupart concluded one of the greatest careers for a Carson-Newman linebacker in program history. The native of the Palmetto State finished his C-N career with 312 career tackles, the seventh most all-time in Carson-Newman history. He also racked up 24 stops behind the line and 6.5 sacks in his C-N career. As a senior, Stupart finished with the year as Carson-Newman's leading tackler and the third leading tackler in the South Atlantic Conference. He made a career-best 94 stops to go along with 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles. Stupart finished his career with 11, 10-tackle performances, including a career-high 16 against Limestone on Oct. 7. He is one of three players in the last decade for the Eagles to have a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception in one game. He was named All-SAC first team at the conclusion of the season, his third All-league accolade.
Tom Read: The London, England native picked up four awards following his senior season with the Eagles including All-Conference First Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team, D2CCA All-Region First Team and All-America Honorable Mention. 2017 saw him score 11 goals, two of those being game-winners, with three assists. He was the team's co-leader for goals alongside Tobias Solem Karlsen. He also led the Eagles with 25 points, 71 shots and 28 shots on goal. His best performance came in a Sept. 16 victory over Newberry, scoring two of C-N's five goals on the day.
Tobias Solem Karlsen: The sophomore forward/defender hailing from Kongsvinger, Norway had a breakout season with the Eagles, scoring a team-high 11 goals, a total that tied senior Tom Read, along with two assists for 24 points. He netted a team-high five game-winners, the second-most in the South Atlantic Conference and 16th-most nationally. His five game-winners are the second-most in an individual season in program history. He scored a pair of hat tricks this season, the first coming on Sept. 9 against Clayton State and then almost a month later against Lincoln Memorial, making him the first Eagle to score multiple hat tricks in a season. He garnered two SAC Player of the Week awards this season following those trifecta performances. At the conclusion of the season, he was tabbed an All-Conference First Team member, his first postseason award in his career.
Derrick Evans: A second team All-SAC quarterback, Evans led the South Atlantic Conference in rushing touchdowns with 18. He also rushed for 625 yards on 149 carries, including back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances to close out the year. He topped out at 126 yards on the ground in the Eagles' regular season finale against UNC Pembroke. His 18 rushing touchdowns are the seventh most for a single season in Carson-Newman history and the second most among quarterbacks at Carson-Newman. Aerially, Evans completed 78-of-137 passes for 1,460 yards and eight scores. He ranked fifth in the nation in yards per completion and 14th in the country in passing efficiency. With a completion percentage rate of 56.9 percent, he has the third-most efficient season in Carson-Newman football history passing the pigskin. His top effort through the air came at Wingate with 213 yards and two touchdowns. His five rushing touchdown day against Lenoir-Rhyne registered as a school-record tying performance, matching Kenneth Tyson (1987 v. Elon) and Buck Wakefield (2009 v. Tusculum) for the most rushing touchdowns in one day. He also has the two longest runs by a Carson-Newman quarterback for the last decade, wheeling off a 79-yard tote against UNC Pembroke and a 76-yarder against Lenoir-Rhyne.
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