JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Over the next 12 days, the Carson-Newman Athletic Communications Department will debut the Frosty Award nominees for the fall semester. Here are the fall nominees for coach of the year. Monday, the nominees for Female Performance of the Year will be released.
The second annual Frosty Awards will take place in April and honor athletic excellence in Carson-Newman's athletic department.
Dan Ahiers – Volleyball
Ahiers' first year in charge of Carson-Newman women's volleyball was a historic season in many ways as the team finished 27-7 with a trip to the regional semifinals. The list of accomplishments for the volleyball program are:
• The team won the second-most games in program history at 27
• Recorded the fewest losses with seven
• Tallied the first sweep in NCAA Tournament play
• Ventured the furthest in NCAA Tournament play by reaching the Regional Semifinal
• Notched the most wins in South Atlantic Conference play at 20
• Finished undefeated in SAC road games at 11-0
• Placed the most players on a postseason All-Conference team with five players
• Defeated the highest ranked team, No. 7 Wingate on November 1, in history
• Most wins by a first-year head coach (27)
• Highest SAC finish by a first-year head coach (second)
• First All-American in program history, Jenna Wilson by AVCA and Daktronics
• Most AVCA All-Southeast Region selections in one year (3) - Rachel Harper, Jenna Wilson and Kristen Pickett
Ken Sparks – Football
Carson-Newman head football coach Ken Sparks celebrated his 35th season at the helm of the Eagle football program by moving into fifth on the all-time wins list. Sparks' 324th career win wasn't an easy one. The Eagles trailed by 21 points midway through the second quarter, but rallied to outscore North Greenville (4-4) 28-6 over the final 32:16 of the game to move Sparks past Bear Bryant and into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time wins list Saturday afternoon at Burke-Tarr Stadium. In addition, Sparks saw Carson-Newman get its third Harlon Hill Finalist when Andy Hibbett (Corryton, Tenn.) made it to the final nine. Four Eagles have earned All-America honors in Hibbett, offensive lineman Robby Ignagni and return specialist Lonnie Williams. Running back Randall Freeman garnered academic All-American honors.
Randy Wyle – Men's Golf
Wylie's first full season on Mossy Creek includes three top-five finishes and an individual tournament win in the Fall portion of the schedule. The Eagles finished second at the Smokey Mountain Intercollegiate hosted by Carson-Newman and LMU's State Farm Intercollegiate. The Eagles' other top-five finish came in the North Georgia Fall Invitational, which also featured the team's individual win of the season. Junior Nicklaus Kennedy won a four-hole playoff for the individual win.
Suzanne Strudwick – Women's Golf
Strudwick, the reigning Co-SAC Coach of the Year, is in her second year at Carson-Newman and her team features four top-10 finishes and the first individual win since 2009. During the Fall schedule, the Etowah Intercollegiate was the highlight of the season. The Lady Eagles picked up their top finish of the year with a second-place showing and Elizabeth England picked up her first career win.
