JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Carson-Newman's athletic department will play host to the inaugural Frosty Awards Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Gentry Auditorium on C-N's campus. The awards will highlight the best of the best from Carson-Newman's 18 varsity teams over the course of the 2013-14 academic year.
The Frosty Awards are named for legendary Carson-Newman head football and baseball coach Sam "Frosty" Holt, who guided the 1965 C-N baseball team to an NAIA national title. Holt Fieldhouse is also named for him.
Dress is formal and the event is open to the public. The event will be streamed in HD for free at cneagles.com/live
The nominees and categories are listed below.
Male Athlete of the Year
Antoine Davis (Men's Basketball)
Davis was fifth in the South Atlantic Conference in scoring with 19.1 points per game en route to earning all-region honors. He has scored more than 20 points on 15 occasions this season. He's hit 29 points on two occasions, both against Anderson. He had six games with 25 points or more this year. The reigning South Atlantic Conference player of the year had 16 games with five or more rebounds and six games with five or more assists. The Eagles were unbeaten this year when he dropped five or more dimes in a game. Davis is a two-time first team All-SAC selection and earned All-American honors a year ago. Davis helped Carson-Newman to its first NCAA tournament in a decade. The Eagles fell in the opening round to LMU 76-65. He concluded his Carson-Newman career with 1,526 points and at 18.3 points per game, the highest scoring average for any Eagle in the Division II era.
Ish Sanders (Men's Basketball)
The men's hoops team's other all-region selection. Sanders Sanders ends his career with 1,922 points – fifth on C-N's all-time scoring list and fourth on the South Atlantic Conference's. He winds up as the all-time leader in made threes for both the SAC and C-N with 343. In his senior campaign, he led the league with 2.0 steals per game. Sanders crested the 30-point mark on three occasions and was selected a SAC Player of the Week.
He had 15 20-point games this year and has scored double figures in all but two games. Sanders was more than just a scorer, dishing out at least five assists on seven occasions. He produced a career high six steals against Mars Hill. Produced a season high seven assists against Lee-McRae. He ranked second in the league with 3.2 made threes per game and he led the league among players who have played more than 20 games in FT percentage at 90.9 percent.
Ross Frame (Men's Soccer)
An All-American selection and the SAC men's soccer Player of the Year, Frame was one of two members of the South Atlantic Conference to earn All-American honors this season. He is the first C-N men's soccer All-American since 2008, and the program's 10th overall. This fall, Frame put up 20 goals, three away from the school record, landing him the no. 5 spot in the nation and making him the fourth player in C-N history with 20 goals or more in a single season. Frame's 11 assists on the season tie him for seventh in the nation.
Frame was a fundamental part of the team this season; Carson-Newman made program history this year by advancing to the final match of the national tournament, two rounds further than the previous record set in 2005.
Jonathan Kim-Moss (Men's Golf)
A first team All-South Atlantic Conference golfer for a third consecutive season, Kim-Moss boasted a 73.2 stroke average for the year. He notched six top 20 finishes, five top 10 finishes and a pair of top five finishes. Kim-Moss touted a 84.7 win/loss percentage for the season. He had six under-par rounds in his senior year out of 20 rounds.
He produced three of the top four rounds for Carson-Newman with a low of 68 at the McDonough Cup. He also rifled a 69 at the AFLAC/Cougar Invitational and a 70 at the Kiawah Island Invitational.
Jaycob Coleman (Football)
A member of three All-American teams in his senior year, turned in arguably the greatest season for a Carson-Newman defender since the turn of the century. The linebacker from Norton, Va. finished the year with 137 tackles, sixth most for a single season at Carson-Newman. The 137 stops are the most for a player at C-N since 1996. Coleman finishes his career with 270 tackles, 10th on C-N's all-time list. The Norton, Va.-native put together seven consecutive games with 10 tackles or more to close the season. His 17 tackles against Tusculum are the second highest total since 1996 and tied for 11th all-time at C-N. He is the first player with multiple 15-tackle performances in a single season since current Carson-Newman defensive coordinator and consensus All-American Mike Clowney was playing for C-N in his senior season back in 1996. Coleman was fourth in the league and 23rd in the nation in tackles per game. He also recovered a fumble for a touchdown and picked off two passes this year.
Cassadine Blassingame (Track and Field)
Has ripped the long jump to shreds for Carson-Newman track and field this year. A provisional qualifier for the national tournament, Blassingame set the Terrier Relays record with a leap of 7.24 meters en route to earning SAC Field Athlete of the Week honors. He's won the high jump, triple jump and long jump at various events this season. Earned all-region honors in the long jump and the triple jump during the indoor season.
Bo Ausmus (Baseball)
A second team All-SAC selection in the outfield for Carson-Newman baseball. He had a 12-game hitting streak from 2-5 to 2-22 where he went 19-45, with two homers, eight runs batted in and eight runs scored. He also posted an 11-game hitting streak that ended on 3/30 (17-45, 5 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 12 R). Ausmus is C-N's leader with seven home runs and is top 25 in the nation for the category.
Female Athlete of the Year
Meridith Hawkins (women's golf)
Hawkins is the first SAC women's golfer of the year honoree for C-N since Jessica Tarbet won the honor in 2011 and the third in the Eagles' history.
Hawkins turned in a 78.1 stroke average for her sophomore year. Out of eight events, Hawkins finished in the top 20 four times and earned all-tournament honors at the Smokey Mountain Intercollegiate and the World Golf Invitational. She has the only two par/under-par rounds for Carson-Newman women's golf this season. She shot a 71 in the second round of the Smokey Mountain Intercollegiate and a 72 in the final round of the World Golf Invitational. Hawkins was the top overall seed at the SAC tournament and a second team all-tournament selection.
Katie Brown (women's tennis)
Pulled off one of the more remarkable seasons in Carson-Newman women's tennis history, going 16-0 at no. 5 and 6 singles. Her year includes victories over a nationally-ranked Wingate club and every team that advanced to the semifinals and finals of the South Atlantic Conference championship.
Jai Jai McLaughlin (women's basketball)
She became the first Carson-Newman women's basketball player this century to turn in a triple double, a feat she accomplished on two occasions. She had a 10-point, 14-rebound, 13-assist effort in a win at Tusculum before helping C-N to its sixth SAC final four in seven years with an 11-pont, 10-rebound, 12-assist game against Catawba in the quarterfinals.
Kelli Hensley (softball)
Hensley has a chance at becoming just the third player in SAC and the second in Carson-Newman history to hit for .500 or better in a single season. She's hitting .494 heading into the South Atlantic Conference tournament. She is a first team All-SAC selection and C-N softball's 13th conference player of the year. Hensley needs two more hits to match Carson-Newman's single season hits record and five more to match the conference mark. She leads the nation in triples with nine and is eighth in the nation in batting average. Hensley needs for more triples to match the conference and school single season record.
Tiana Mills (track)
Mills was an all-region selection during the indoor season in the long jump and the triple jump. She won the SAC championship for the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 6.25 inches. Mills had her best performance at the PowerSox Invitational when she broke the school records for long jump, triple jump and was a part of the school record-breaking 1600 meter relay team. She earned SAC field athlete of the week honors for her efforts at that event.
Rachel Harper (volleyball)
Harper was a second team All-SAC pick after finishing third in the SAC in points (441), fourth in kills per set (3.59), fourth in kills (381) and fourth in service aces (36). The junior compiled 18 double-doubles including a double-double in eight of the final nine contests. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native had double-digit kills in 24 of 28 games including 20+ kills in four matches and double-digit digs in 20 of 28 contests including 15+ digs in seven matches.
Play of the Year
Rachel Harper's under-the-net save (volleyball)
Rachel Harper (Chattanooga, Tenn.) ducked under the net to play a ball back in a 3-2 loss to rival LMU. Lauren Santarelli's (Colorado Springs, Colo.) first ball flew over the net, but outside the antennas. Harper scooted over to LMU's side to make the over-the-shoulder save before Kristen Pickett (Cleveland, Tenn.) gave a free ball back to the Railsplitters to keep the point rolling. Emily Schultz gave the point to the Eagles with a kill from the right side. The play was featured on ESPN, Deadspin, AVCA, and the NCAA for its incredible nature.
Joao Pedro Dowsley's semifinal game winner (men's soccer)
An improbable play for several reasons, The play was improbable for several reasons. One, there's the absolute gem of a clearance from keeper Rumwald Le Guevel to put the ball onto the Eagles' offensive third, two, there's the majestic flick on by Kristian Speake, three, there's Dowsley's actual goal, which itself was improbable. Dowsley had spent the first half of the season on the bench with an injury and the between-the-legs game winner with 1:11 left on the clock proved to be his first and only goal of the season. Dowsley went five-hole on both a defender and SFU's keeper.
Tyron Douglas' 64 yard pinball run (football)
With rain pouring down and the Eagles ahead of Brevard by seven, Carson-Newman faced a 69-yard field. Tyron Douglas made that up in a hurry. He took a dive hand-off off the left side and proceeded to make eight men miss, including a safety twice, en route to a 64-yard touchdown jaunt.
Joe Tipton's walk-off bomb (baseball)
Carson-Newman did not lead in the final game of a three game set with Brevard until Joe Tipton drove a first pitch fastball over the fence in right center field to propel the Eagles to a 4-3 walk-off win. The first two men were retired to start the top of the eighth inning before sophomore Shade Jett (Talbott, Tenn.) worked a five pitch walk to set the stage for his teammate. Tipton's home run was his first since April 21, 2013 against Lincoln Memorial.
Jonathan Kim-Moss conference-title-clinching chip (men's golf)
Jonathan Kim-Moss had the Eagles ahead of Wingate by a stroke headed to the par-five 18th hole at the 2014 South Atlantic Conference Championship. The result was somewhat in doubt as Kim-Moss' third shot planted square in a bunker sloping up on the front side of the green while Wingate's Ben Gebhardt dropped his third ball within 15-feet of the pin. Kim-Moss kissed a 25-foot flop shot to two feet of the flag to put the pressure on Gebhardt. With a tough putt, Gebhardt's birdie attempt inched wide left of the cup and Kim-Moss saved par with his two-footer to clinch the victory for C-N.
Kelli Hensley's two-RBI walk-off triple (softball)
Carson-Newman pulled out its first walk-off win of the season thanks to Kelli Hensley's triple in the ninth inning of a game with GRU-Augusta. The Eagles were trailing 3-2 when Hensley came to the plate. Hensley plated the international-rule runner Audrey Woodby (Knoville, Tenn.) from second and Cassie Lyons (Knoxville, Tenn.) from first after the latter had been plunked by a pitch. Hensley lifted a ball over the head of the centerfielder off a 1-2 pitch to clear the bases and give the Eagles the win.
Patricia Guerreiro and Breanne Tremblay's 50-point tiebreak win (women's tennis)
Patricia Guerreiro and Breanne Tremblay knocked off the University of Charleston's Tinsley and Edwards in a flight one doubles match 9-8 (24). If you're not familiar with tennis scoring notation, that means Tremblay and Guerreiro won a tiebreaker (typically played to seven with victory obtained by a margin of two) 26-24 to gain the final point in a 9-8 match.
For some perspective, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic played a 22-point tiebreak at last year's U.S. Open that set a record for the longest in a men's Grand Slam final. It lasted 25 minutes.
The record for longest tiebreak in a Grand Slam event is 38. That total has been reached three times, with major winners Bjorn Borg, Goran Ivanisevic and Andy Roddick winning those, respectively. The Lady Eagles were down 5-2 early in the tiebreak before coming back to tie the score at six all. The Lady Eagles saved 10 match points while squandering 9 match points before finally coming through by winning the 50th point. The match time was 1 hour 53 minutes.
C-N head tennis coach Jean Love said the tiebreak is the longest she's witnessed in her 28 years as coach.
Female Performance of the Year
Jai Jai McLaughlin turns in triple double in conference tourney (women's basketball)
Sophomore Jai Jai McLaughlin (Knoxville, Tenn.) recorded the second triple-double of her career and this season by scoring 11 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out 12 assists to guide Carson-Newman to a dominating 82-68 quarterfinal win over Catawba in the conference tournament. McLaughlin also had a triple-double at Tusculum against the Pioneers on Jan. 22.
"I don't know how many people have had two triple-doubles in one year," Head coach Mike Mincey said following the game. "She played really hard, and she guarded their best player the majority of the game. Hats off to Jai Jai she played a heck of a ballgame."
Meridith Hawkins tears through the Smokey Mountain Intercollegiate (women's golf)
Carson-Newman's Meridith Hawkins (Powell, Tenn.) ripped a 71 (-1) to shoot to fourth on the leaderboards at the Smokey Mountain Intercollegiate and earn herself a spot on the SMI All-Tournament team on the final day at the invitational. The round was the only under-par 18 of the season for the Carson-Newman women's golf team – it helped C-N to just its second sub-300 round in school history.
Kalyn Davis fires a perfect game versus Erskine (softball)
Sophomore pitcher Kalyn Davis (Danville, Ky.) fired the first perfect game for Carson-Newman softball since 2009 as the Eagles took a doubleheader sweep over Erskine with Davis' theatrics highlighting game two's 2-0 win. Davis, then the reigning South Atlantic Conference pitcher of the week, retired all 21 batters she faced and only needed one strikeout to complete the perfect game. She retired 11 batters with ground balls and nine on fly outs. Davis' perfect game was the Eagles' second no-hitter of the season and their first in seven innings. Mary Shealey collected the Eagles' last perfect game in 2009 in a five inning game against Brevard.
Tiana Mills breaks three school records at the PowerSox Invite (track and field)
Carson-Newman freshman Tiana Mills was named the South Atlantic Conference Female Field Athlete of the Week following her school-record-breaking performances at the PowerSox Invitational. Mills earned first in the women's long jump and second in the triple jump, breaking the school records for both events. Her 18'-2.25" leap in the long jump bested the previous school record by nearly a foot and a half. Her 35"-11.25" tally in the triple jump was 5.25 inches longer than the previous mark set more than a decade ago. In addition, Mills was a part of the school-record setting 1,600 meter relay team.
Sara Kelley matches school record for total bases versus Concord (softball)
Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) bombed a pair of home runs and laced a double to right field to match the school record for total bases as a part of a six-RBI day that helped guide Carson-Newman (2-0) to a doubleheader sweep of Lees-McRae (0-6). Kelley's 10 total bases tie her with teammate Brittany Hefner (Talbott, Tenn.), Bri Shoemake and Whitney Hickam for the single game record. Kelley also joined Hefner and former Eagles Mary Shealey and Sara Little as the only players to homer twice in a single game this decade.
Rachel Harper pounds Converse to open the year (volleyball)
Rachel Harper started her junior season in style notching a double-double with 17 kills and 12 digs to go along with five service aces to lead Carson-Newman to a 3-1 victory over Converse.
Amanda Henderson earns all-conference honors in the 200 back (women's swimming)
In its inaugural season, Carson-Newman's swim team saw a pair of swimmers snag all-conference accolades for the Bluegrass Mountain Conference. Amanda Henderson earned all-conference honors in the 200 back for her time of 2:02.96 at the Bluegrass Mountain Championship Meet.
Comeback of the Year
Eagles rally in extra innings versus Brevard
Carson-Newman did not lead in the final game of a three game set with Brevard until Joe Tipton drove a first pitch fastball over the fence in right center field to propel the Eagles to a 4-3 walk-off win. The first two men were retired to start the top of the eighth inning before sophomore Shade Jett (Talbott, Tenn.) worked a five pitch walk to set the stage for his teammate. Tipton's home run was his first since April 21, 2013 against Lincoln Memorial.
Men's hoops surges in the final three minutes versus Wingate
Carson-Newman held Wingate without a field goal the final 7:43 of the second half to help the Eagles' senior class and head coach Chuck Benson to their first ever home victory against the Bulldogs 67-60. Carson-Newman closed the game on a 13-1 run to win for the first time at Holt Fieldhouse against the Bulldogs since 2009. Wingate took its largest lead of the game – a six-point advantage – with 7:43 left in the second half on a Josh Dominguez three. The Bulldogs would finish 0-8 from the field the rest of the way. Seven of the Bulldogs final eight field goal attempts were from beyond the arc. C-N made its push with 4:21 to play trailing 59-54. Ish Sanders (Cleveland, Tenn.) buried a jumper from the left of the lane to pull the Eagles within three. Antoine Davis (Rustburg, Va.) drew C-N within one on a baseline drive with 2:44 to play. Sanders gave the Eagles the lead at the line 34 seconds later 60-59. However, it was Kevin Leatherwood (Charlottesville, Va.) who iced the game for the Orange and Blue. Ryan Daye clanked a three and the Eagles milked clock on their ensuing possession. Unable to get anything going inside, Davis fed Leatherwood the leather pumpkin and the senior drained a trey – his first and only shot of the game – from the right wing with four seconds left on the shot clock.
Softball rallies twice versus Mars Hill
Carson-Newman rallied twice, once from five runs and again from four runs down, to pull out a 12-11 victory over Mars Hill in ten innings. The contest was the longest for C-N since a 10-inning game at USC-Aiken last year. The Eagles were down 6-1 after 3.5 innings when they exploded for four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Audry Woodby (Knoxville, Tenn.) got the rally rolling with a single up the middle to score Lance from third. Back-to-back singles from Jessica Morgan (Ooltewah, Tenn.) and Kelli Hensley (Knoxville, Tenn.) brought the Eagles within two. Lyons flied out to center on a SAC fly to get C-N within a run. The Eagles would roar past the Lions with a two-run fifth. Woodby doubled to right center to score Brittany Hefner (Talbott, Tenn.) and Elayna Siebert (Knoxville, Tenn.) to push C-N ahead 7-6. However, Mars Hill would score five unanswered between the sixth and the seventh innings to take an 11-7 lead and force C-N to bat in the bottom of the seventh. That worked to the Eagles favor. Lance and Brittany Bass (Duluth, Ga.) both singled to lead off the inning before Siebert walked to load the bases. Woodby was hit by a pitch to bring in the first run before Bass scored on a wild pitch. Haley Taylor (Jefferson City, Tenn.) pinch hit for Morgan and tied the game with a rocket shot up the middle. Lance won it for the Eagles with her single up the middle on the first pitch she saw in the 10th. She scored the international-rule runner Sara Kelley (Ooltewah, Tenn.) from third. She had advanced to that base on a passed ball in the previous at bat.
Women's soccer scores two in last 20 minutes for win at league-leading LMU
Carson-Newman trailed Lincoln Memorial 2-1 with 15 minutes left in regulation before it made its push against the then league-leading Railsplitters. Freshman Gabrielle Gianeselli (Knoxville, Tenn.) delivered a flawless corner kick that Liz Munguia got on the end of and headed into the back of the net for her third goal of the season. The game went into overtime tied 2-2. Gianeselli picked off a rebound with three minutes left in the first overtime and sent in a left-footed shot from 25 yards out that sailed into the upper-90 for the golden goal win over the Railsplitters.
Whitney Kyle brings women's basketball back from the brink at Newberry
Carson-Newman women's basketball needed a victory in its regular season finale at Newberry to clinch a home first round SAC tournament game. Things looked bleak with the Eagles trailing by six with 52 seconds left. Then Whitney Kyle (Jefferson City, Tenn.) happened. The junior willed Carson-Newman to the victory by scoring the final eight points in the contest after C-N trailed 48-42. After cutting Newberry's lead to 49-48, she stole the ensuing inbounds pass and scored with a right-side layup to give Carson-Newman a 50-49 lead over the Wolves with 14 seconds to play, which would be the final score.
Coach of the Year
Randy Wylie
Only one month on the job and Randy Wylie guided Carson-Newman's men's golf team to a one-stroke victory over Wingate at the SAC championships. Jonathan Kim-Moss and Nick Kennedy earned all-tournament team honors for the event.
Chuck Benson
For the first time in a decade, Carson-Newman men's basketball team was back in the NCAA tournament thanks to Chuck Benson's work as head coach. Antoine Davis and Ish Sanders both earned all-region honors as Carson-Newman finished the regular season as the league's runner up.
Ken Sparks
It was business as usual for Carson-Newman football under Ken Sparks in his 34th season at Mossy Creek. Sparks guided Carson-Newman to their 24th playoff appearance. The Eagles advanced to the second round before falling to eventual national runner-up Lenoir-Rhyne. Jaycob Coleman, Alex Taylor and Eien Jacob all earned all-American honors.
Richard Moodie
For his efforts in tutoring Carson-Newman men's soccer to its first ever national title appearance, Richard Moodie was named the Captain U national coach of the year. Moodie saw striker Ross Frame earn All-American honors as the Eagles streaked through the national tournament as the ultimate Cinderella.
Suzanne Strudwick
In her first season at Mossy Creek, Suzanne Strudwick powered C-N to the top overall seed for the South Atlantic Conference tournament with the top overall player in Meridith Hawkins. Hawkins was named player of the year, while Strudwick garnered coach of the year honors for the league.
Male performance of the year
Cassadine Blassingame at Terrier Relays
The junior set the meet record in the men's long jump after successfully making a leap of 7.24 meters into the pit. Blassingame used a 7.12 meter jump to win the meet as his next closest competitor tallied a jump of 6.85 meters. The two-sport athlete also helped the Eagles finish fourth in the 4x100 meter relay team finishing with a time of 42.66.
De'Andre Thomas v. Wingate seals playoff
The sophomore quarterback was 13-for-16 through the air with 172 yards and two touchdown tosses to go along with 19 carries and 123 rushing yards and three touchdowns, his second three rushing touchdown performance of his career. Thomas led an offense that racked up 648 total yards of offense, Carson-Newman's best offensive output of the 2013 campaign.
Quinton Yocom shutout v. Newberry
The junior hurler became the first Carson-Newman pitcher to throw a nine-inning shutout against a South Atlantic Conference opponent since Brett Hontz blanked Wingate on April 4, 2008 helping the Eagles defeat the Newberry Wolves 2-0 on April 6. Yocom was the first Eagle pitcher since Robby Thigpen on February 4, 2012 to hurl a nine-inning shutout. The righty allowed eight hits and one walk to go along with seven strikeouts as Yocom threw 116 pitches, 83 for strikes.
Ross Frame's hat trick at Coker
The junior forward tallied an assist to start the scoring for the Eagles in a 4-0 win against the Cobras. Frame scored on all three shots he put on goal in the contest including two goals in the second half that were separated by just 70 seconds.
Josh Grover all-conference in 400 IM
In the men's 400-yard individual medley, the Carson-Newman freshman finished in sixth place with a time of 4:02.27 earning him All-Conference honors. The Georgia native was just three seconds from a top-three finish in the event.
Kim-Moss three even to under par rounds at McDonough Cup
The senior had his fourth straight top-10 finish as he came in tied for second place in the tournament, as he shot 5-under-par for the tournament, finishing only four strokes back of the winner Robert Prior of Lander who was 9-under-par for the tournament. The native of Canada finished his solid tournament with a 1-under-par 71, and he was at or under-par in all three rounds played at Eagle Creek Golf Club.
Ish Sanders v. Lenoir-Rhyne
The senior went for 30 points on 7-for-14 shooting from the floor and a perfect 13-for-13 at the charity stripe to match a career-high in free tosses. In a 81-76 victory, the Cleveland, Tenn. native also grabbed five rebounds
Newcomer of the Year
Ross Frame
An All-American selection and the SAC men's soccer Player of the Year, Frame was one of two members of the South Atlantic Conference to earn All-American honors this season. He is the first C-N men's soccer All-American since 2008, and the program's 10th overall. This fall, Frame put up 20 goals, three away from the school record, landing him the no. 5 spot in the nation and making him the fourth player in C-N history with 20 goals or more in a single season. Frame's 11 assists on the season tie him for seventh in the nation.
Frame was a fundamental part of the team this season; Carson-Newman made program history this year by advancing to the final match of the national tournament, two rounds further than the previous record set in 2005.
Sawyer Williams
The freshman scored in double figures in seven of his final eight games of the season while starting the final 13 games of the year. During that 13 game span, Williams averaged 11.2 points per game and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 66 percent (56-for-85) from the floor. In a 92-78 Eagle victory at Newberry on March 1, the Owenton, Ky. native set a new career high with 27 points on 10-for-13 shooting with a career high 10 rebounds. Williams notched the second-best shooting percentage in SAC games by making 64 percent of his shots in league affairs.
Kaitlyn Cupples
Cupples was named the SAC freshman of the year as well as a member of the SAC All-Freshman team and SAC All-Tournament team. The Clinton, Tenn. native led all SAC players in field goal percentage by making 52.6 percent of her shots this season. She scored in all 28 games played this year and had at least two rebounds in each game. Cupples had five or more rebounds in 20 of Carson-Newman's 28 games, and led the Lady Eagles in rebounds seven times. She scored in double figures in half of Carson-Newman's games, and four times scored over 15 points in a game. Four times she led the Lady Eagles in scoring in a game. Her best game of the season came on Jan. 22 at Tusculum, as she collected her first career double-double with a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. In all she played in each of Carson-Newman's 28 games and made 25 starts, including the last 18 games of the season. Cupples finished tied for second by averaging 8.9 points per game, and led Carson-Newman by averaging 5.8 rebounds per contest.
Tiana Mills
The freshman Tiana Mills was been named the South Atlantic Conference Female Field Athlete of the Week on March 26 following her school-record-breaking performances Saturday at the PowerSox Invitational. Mills earned first in the women's long jump and second in the triple jump, breaking the school records for both events. Her 18'-2.25" leap in the long jump bested the previous school record by nearly a foot and a half. Her 35"-11.25" tally in the triple jump was 5.25 inches longer than the previous mark set more than a decade ago. Mills earned two gold medals at the SAC championships. In the triple jump, Mills posted a 10.99m/36-00.75 and tallied a 5.35m/17-06.75 long jump.
Michael Cogliano
The junior pitched in 21 games in his first year in Mossy Creek to lead the team and tally the sixth-most appearances among SAC hurlers. Cogliano struck out four batters on three occasions including his first appearance of the season in a 10-6 win at Shorter. The Medford, N.J native compiled a 1-1 record with a 2.40 earned run average in 30 innings with 25 strikeouts and seven walks. The right-hander allowed an earned run in just four of his 21 contests.
Gabrielle Gianeselli
The freshman started 11 of the 17 games that she played in during her first campaign in Mossy Creek. She made her mark on the season by netting the Golden Goal at Lincoln Memorial on October 9. Gianeselli ripped a left-footed boot just inside the left post on a bender past the keeper from 25 yards away. The goal was Gianeselli's third of the season at that juncture (she would finish with four). Her four goals were tied for second on the roster while her 11 points put her just one point behind Danna Stringle for the team lead. Eight of her 11 points and three of her four goals came in league play.
Eien Jacob
The sophomore was second in the SAC with his five picks. With his two interceptions against Newberry, Jacob became the first Eagle with a multi-pick game since Oliver Davis had a pair against Tusculum in 2010. The transfer from Lon Morris garnered honorable mention All-American status from Don Hansen's Football Gazette. He finished the regular season with a career best seven-tackle day against Wingate. He finished the season with five interceptions good for second-best among SAC players. Jacob needed two more picks to break into the top 10 for most interceptions in a single season at C-N.
The Swim team
In its inaugural season, the women's side finished sixth with 568 points with Wingate winning the meet with 1395.5 points. Carson-Newman also finished sixth in the men's competition with 495 points, with Wingate winning that meet with 1394.5 points at the SAC Championships.
In the men's 400-yard individual medley, Josh Grover finished in sixth place with a time of 4:02.27 earning him All-Conference honors. The Georgia native was just three seconds from a top-three finish in the event. The Carson-Newman Eagles men's and women's swimming teams defeated the Milligan Buffaloes men's and women's swimming teams with wins in men's action of 166-36 and on the women's side 159-37 at the Maddox Swimming Pool on November 5. The win marked the first in school history for Carson-Newman, undergoing its inaugural season, and the Eagles collected victories in all 22 events in front of a capacity crowd at Mossy Creek. Carson-Newman opened the event with victories in the men's and women's 400-yard medley relays, with the Eagles winning the women's event with a time of 4:04.91 and the men beating Milligan with a time of 3:41.05. Leading the way for the Carson-Newman men's team was junior Stephen Parsons. He collected individual victories in the men's 50-yard freestyle race with a time of 21.34 and then won the men's 100-yard backstroke with a time of 52.20. Parsons had a counterpart on the women's side for Carson-Newman in freshman Natalie Burnett. Burnett earned wins in the women's 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.84 and also the women's 100 yard butterfly with a time of 57.55.
Team of the Year
Men's Soccer
With a 16-6-1 overall record, the Eagles won 12 of their final 14 matches before falling 2-1 in the national championship game to Southern New Hampshire. The Lads made history by advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005, winning for the first time ever, and pushing two matches further to the championship game, a feat accomplished by no previous C-N men's soccer team.
Men's soccer had, perhaps, the moment of the season as Joao Pedro Dowsley scored in the final minute of the Final Four match with Simon Fraser that guaranteed the Eagles a spot in their first ever title game. The play was improbable for several reasons. One, there's the absolute gem of a clearance from keeper Rumwald Le Guevel to put the ball onto the Eagles' offensive third, two, there's the majestic flick on by Kristian Speake, three, there's Dowsley's actual goal, which itself was improbable. Dowsley had spent the first half of the season on the bench with an injury and the between-the-legs game winner with 1:11 left on the clock proved to be his first and only goal of the season.
In his second season as the head man of men's and women's soccer and third as the men's soccer coach, Richard Moodie was hand-selected to be the DII 2013 Coach of the Year by the CaptainU committee in San Francisco, Ca. in early January. The Lads were unranked going into the tournament. Ross Frame was named the SAC player of the year and third team All-American among other accolades. Joining frame on the first team All-SAC group was Sindre Welo and Rumwald Le Guevel. Defenders Matheus Bachi, Christopher Trejo and Rurik Pereira were honorable mentions.
Men's Golf
Carson-Newman men's golf won its second South Atlantic Conference Golf Championship and its first since 2004 with a single-stroke victory over Wingate at the rain and sleet-soaked Sevierville Golf Club on April 15.
The Eagles battled abysmal conditions and a Bulldog club that swapped the lead four times in the final nine holes with C-N. Carson-Newman was four strokes back heading into the final round.
The final lead change happened on 17. The Eagles' Jonathan Kim-Moss (Mississauga, Canada) made par on the hole while Wingate's Ben Gebhardt – the tournament's individual medalist – yanked his tee shot into the water to the left of the green. Gebhardt – who won the tournament by 11 strokes over Kim-Moss – bogeyed the hole to give the Eagles a stroke advantage as a team.
However, the dramatics weren't finished for the par-five 18th. Kim-Moss' third shot planted square in a bunker sloping up on the front side of the green while Gebhardt dropped his third ball within 15-feet of the pin.
Kim-Moss kissed 25-foot flop shot to two feet of the flag to put the pressure on Gebhardt. With a tough putt, Gebhardt's birdie attempt inch wide left of the cup and Kim-Moss saved par with his two-footer to clinch the victory for C-N. The Eagles had 925 strokes to the Bulldogs' 926.
Jonathan Kim-Moss finished in a tie for second after a 77 (+5) for the third round. He was 11-over for the tournament. Kim-Moss earned first team all-tournament honors for his finish. Nicklaus Kennedy joined Kim-Moss in the top 10 with a sixth place finish. He earned all-tournament second team honors with a 77 (+5) as well for the final round.
Kim-Moss was named to the All-South Atlantic Conference first team for a third consecutive year, the league office announced Thursday. Kim-Moss boasted a 73.2 stroke average for the year. He notched six top 20 finishes, five top 10 finishes and a pair of top five finishes. Kim-Moss touted an 84.7 win/loss percentage for the season. He had six under-par rounds in his senior year out of 20 rounds. He produced three of the top four rounds for Carson-Newman with a low of 68 at the McDonough Cup. He also rifled a 69 at the AFLAC/Cougar Invitational and a 70 at the Kiawah Island Invitational.
Carson-Newman's SAC title earned the Eagles an automatic bid into the 2014 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship, which begins on May 5 at the South/Southeast Region in Savannah, Ga.
Men's Basketball
Carson-Newman's men's basketball team earned its first postseason berth for the first time in more than 10 years. The Eagles also earn their first ever NCAA Tournament berth by an at-large bid. The postseason appearance was Carson-Newman men's hoops first since 2001-02 and its third as a member of Division II (the 93-94 Eagles reached the NCAA tourney after a fifth-seeded C-N club scored an upset over Lenoir-Rhyne in the SAC title game to earn a berth). Carson-Newman made 13 NAIA tournaments from 1960-1984. It was C-N men's basketball's 16th postseason appearance all-time.
Senior Antoine Davis finished his tenure among the top eight in scoring at C-N with 1,526 points lifetime for the Orange and Blue. Meanwhile, senior Ish Sanders ends his career with 1,922 points – fifth on C-N's all-time scoring list and fourth on the South Atlantic Conference's. He winds up as the all-time leader in made threes for both the SAC and C-N with 343.
The duo was tabbed first team All-SAC performers with Davis being placed on the first team All-Region squad and Sanders on the third team All-Region group.
It was the second time in as many seasons that Davis was honored on the All-Region team. He scored more than 20 points on 15 occasions this season. He hit 29 points on two occasions, both against Anderson. He had six games with 25 points or more this year. The reigning South Atlantic Conference player of the year had 16 games with five or more rebounds and six games with five or more assists.
Sanders led the league with two steals per game. He had 15 20-point games this year and scored double figures in all but two games this season. Sanders was more than just a scorer, dishing out at least five assists on seven occasions. He produced a career high six steals against Mars Hill, a season high seven assists against Lee-McRae. He ranked second in the league with 3.2 made threes per game and he led the league among players who have played more than 20 games in FT percentage at 90.9 percent.
Football
For the second consecutive season, Carson-Newman football closed the year ranked in the D2Football top 20. This year, the Eagles finished 17th, up a spot from the previous poll. The Eagles were nearly ranked wire-to-wire this year, starting the season 17th and rising as high as 12 after a week two win over Colorado Mines. The Eagles missed the top 25 just one week this year.
C-N finished in the top five of the national statistics in rushing yards (343.8), fourth down conversion percentage (73.1 percent), fewest passes intercepted (two) and tackles for loss allowed (3.15). Quarterback De'Andre Thomas (Milledgeville, Ga.) led the SAC and was eighth in the nation in rushing touchdowns with 20, he was two away from Carson-Newman's school record. Jaycob Coleman (Norton, Va.) earned All-American honors with 10.5 tackles per game.
Carson-Newman made its 25th playoff appearance, its 24th under Ken Sparks and its 14th as a member of NCAA Division II. The Eagles lost to eventual national runner-up Lenoir-Rhyne 27-20 in the second round of the Division II playoffs in Hickory, N.C.
Carson-Newman football safeties/special teams coach Denares "Deno" Waites became the third Eagle assistant to be named the Division II Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.
Carson-Newman earned nine spots on the South Atlantic All-Conference teams. First team selections were Brandon Baker at running back, Alex Taylor at right tackle, Curt Duncan as placekicker, Jaycob Coleman at linebacker and Javaris Neal at defensive end. Running back Tyron Douglas, left guard Lucas Mathis and cornerback Eien Jacob made the second team. Taylor also made the second team as a long snapper.
Baker, Coleman, Duncan, Jacob, Neal and Taylor were placed on Don Hansen's All-Region teams while Colman, Jacob and Taylor were selected All-Americans.
Women's Golf
The Eagles were the top-seeded team for the SAC Championships after finishing the regular season with the lowest stroke average in the conference. The Eagles finished the year with a 321.2 stroke average - two-tenths of a point better than Wingate.
Carson-Newman was led by South Atlantic Conference co-golfer of the year Meridith Hawkins. Hawkins turned in a 78.1 stroke average for her sophomore year. Out of eight events, Hawkins finished in the top 20 four times and earned all-tournament honors at the Smokey Mountain Intercollegiate and the World Golf Invitational. She had the only two par/under-par rounds for Carson-Newman women's golf this season. She shot a 71 in the second round of the Smokey Mountain Intercollegiate and a 72 in the final round of the World Golf Invitational.
In addition, Danielle Baiunco and Kelli Pemberton were also named honorable mention All-SAC. Baiunco produced an 80.9 stroke average for the year bolstered by a top-10 finish at the Agnes McAmis Memorial in the Eagles' final tournament of the regular season. She had her best round – a 76 – at the Guy Harvey Invitational in early October.
Pemberton garnered the final spot on the honorable mention all-conference team with her 81.6 stroke average. She has one sub-80 round for the year.
This was the first year since 2010 that Carson-Newman has had three players win All-SAC honors. In that year, Sarah Jane Sinard and Jessica Tarbet made the first team; Erica Ray and Melanie Manis brought home second team honors.
Head women's golf coach Suzanne Strudwick was tabbed the league coach of the year in her first season in Mossy Creek.
Carson-Newman's women's golf team shot the best round of the final day of the SAC tournament in spite of wicked weather conditions to climb two spots to third at the Sevierville Golf Club Tuesday.
The Eagles made up 10 shots to tie with Newberry and pass Queens. Both Meridith Hawkins (Powell, Tenn.) and Chelsea Passmore (Knoxville, Tenn.) jumped 10 spots on the leaderboard to get into the tournament's top 10. Both players earned spots on the SAC's second team all-tournament squad.
Upset of the year
Baseball over Lee
On February 11, 2014, Carson-Newman defeated the Lee Flames 3-2 for the first time since the 2003 season. Six pitchers combined to slow a Flames' lineup that was averaging seven runs per contest coming into today's contest. Lee put a runner in scoring position in six innings and had a runner at third base twice in the final five innings with less than two outs. Junior Evan Kirkpatrick extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single in the seventh inning. With his single in the third inning, senior Peter Rajkovich reached base safely in 12 straight contests. Junior Bryan Everhart went 2-for-3 with hits in 14 of his last 16 games. With the win, Carson-Newman won five straight games for the first time since winning five in a row from March 19, 2011 to March 27, 2011.
Women's soccer over LMU
In a 3-2 overtime win in Harrogate, Tenn. on October 9, 2013, the Eagles Liz Munguia equalized the score at the 78:32 mark of the contest thanks to flawless corner kick by Gabrielle Gianselli that Munguia got on the end of and headed into the back of the net for her third goal of the season. Gianeselli picked off a rebound with three minutes left in the first overtime and sent in a left-footed shot from 25 yards out that sailed into the upper-90 for the golden goal win over the Railsplitters. Lincoln Memorial outshot Carson-Newman 28-11 as Tiarna McKenna made seven saves.
Men's hoops over LMU
On February 5, 2014, the Eagles defeated No. 7 Lincoln Memorial 79-77 at Holt Fieldhouse. The Eagles notched their second straight win against teams ranked in the top 10. C-N beat LMU when it was ranked fifth in the nation 64-61 on the road in 2011 – its last game against a team in the top 10. The win also snaps a 13-game win streak for the Railsplitters and a 12-game road winning streak (the second longest in the nation). The Railsplitters came into the game sinking an average of 52 percent of their shots. The Eagles held them to 26-of-66 from the field, 39.4 percent. It marks just the second time this year LMU has been held under 40 percent shooting from the field. Ish Sanders led the Eagles with a game-high 25 points, Antoine Davis followed with 20 points, including a career high 10 made free throws. Jared Johnson rounded out C-N's three-headed monster with 17 points.
Men's soccer over #4 Rollins
With a trip to the Final Four on the line in a November 24 match on Rollins' home turf, the Eagles made their first trip to the National Semifinals with a 2-1 victory. The Eagles took an early lead when junior Ross Frame opened the scoring in the tenth minute of action. Frame caught Rollins' keeper out of position and launched the ball in over the Tars' defense. Rollins knotted the score midway through the second half, but less than two minutes later as Nick Skoda scored what would be the winning goal in the 70th minute. The Tars' had a poor clearance on which Skoda capitalized; he lofted the ball right under the crossbar leaving the goalie no chance at a save.
Men's Golf at the SAC tournament
Carson-Newman men's golf won its second South Atlantic Conference Golf Championship and its first since 2004 with a single-stroke victory over Wingate at the rain and sleet-soaked Sevierville Golf Club on April 15, 2014. The Eagles battled abysmal conditions and a Bulldog club that swapped the lead four times in the final nine holes with C-N.
The final lead change happened on 17. The Eagles' Jonathan Kim-Moss (Mississauga, Canada) made par on the hole while Wingate's Ben Gebhardt – the tournament's individual medalist – yanked his tee shot into the water to the left of the green. Gebhardt – who won the tournament by 11 strokes over Kim-Moss – bogeyed the hole to give the Eagles a stroke advantage as a team.
However, the dramatics weren't finished for the par-five 18th. Kim-Moss' third shot planted square in a bunker sloping up on the front side of the green while Gebhardt dropped his third ball within 15-feet of the pin.
Kim-Moss kissed 25-foot flop shot to two feet of the flag to put the pressure on Gebhardt. With a tough putt, Gebhardt's birdie attempt inch wide left of the cup and Kim-Moss saved par with his two-footer to clinch the victory for C-N. The Eagles had 925 strokes to the Bulldogs' 926.
Carson-Newman's SAC title earned the Eagles an automatic bid into the 2014 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship, which begins on May 5 at the South/Southeast Region in Savannah, Ga.
T.J. Davis at the Sea Ray Relays
Freshman T.J. Davis set a personal best in the long jump with a leap of 23'6.75", finishing in sixth-place and provisionally qualifying for nationals with his results. He beat out 19 Division I jumpers with his leap, including athletes from Michigan State, Middle Tennessee State, Southern Illinois and Eastern Michigan.
Women's Basketball at L-R
On December 14, 2013, Carson-Newman toppled Lenoir-Rhyne 80-77 as Sophomore Tatum Burstrom scored a career-high 27 points as the Lady Eagles remain the lone unbeaten team in SAC play, and are 5-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Joining Burstrom in double-digit scoring was freshman Kaitlyn Cupples with her 12 points, and once again senior Chante' Markus, who has now scored in double-digits the past five games as she added 11 points including a crucial layup that gave Carson-Newman the lead for good late in the contest. Markus gave Carson-Newman the lead for good with 1:26 to play on a layup that gave C-N a 77-75 lead. After Cupples hit a pair of free throws to grow the lead to 79-75, the Bears came back with a Jordan Hiatt layup that cut the lead to 79-77 with seven seconds remaining. The Bears quickly fouled Jai Jai McLaughlin, and going 1-for-2 at the line was enough to secure the 80-77 victory.
