Valparaiso University student-athletes, coaches and athletic staff members gathered at the Harre Union on Sunday evening for the annual ARC Awards ceremony, celebrating the successes of this academic year and presenting the year-end awards, as voted on by Student-Athlete Advisory Committee team representatives.
The evening culminated in the presentation of the Athlete of the Year honors. The Male Athlete of the Year was claimed by golf’s Caleb VanArragon, who was named MVC Golfer of the Year after winning four individual medalist honors over the course of his final season and finishing second at the MVC Championship. The Female Athlete of the Year went to women’s basketball’s Leah Earnest, a Second Team All-MVC honoree who moved into fifth on the program’s single-season scoring chart and became the program’s first player since 1991-92 to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists.
The Male Newcomer of the Year went to men’s basketball’s Cooper Schwieger, the MVC Freshman of the Year and five-time MVC Freshman of the Week who also earned a spot on the CollegeInsider.com Freshman All-America Team. This year’s Female Newcomer of the Year was women’s basketball’s Saniya Jackson, who led the team and ranked eighth in the MVC in steals while also scoring in double figures 15 times.
The Female Performance of the Year went to soccer’s Nikki Coryell for her MVP performance throughout the MVC Tournament, registering four consecutive shutouts to help lead the Beacons to their first MVC Tournament title. Anthony Delisanti of men’s golf was honored with the Male Performance of the Year Award, recognizing his effort at the Monterrey Collegiate Classic, where he posted three consecutive sub-70 rounds en route to a third-place finish and the second-best 54-hole score in relation to par in program history.
Valparaiso University President José D. Padilla, J.D. addressed the student-athletes before presenting the night’s first honors, the Beacon of Light Leadership Awards, which went to football’s Evan Annis and Coryell. Interim Director of Athletics Laurel Hosmer, attending her first ARC Awards, addressed the student-athletes as well and recognized award winners from throughout the academic year prior to presenting the Anderson-Hoffman Memorial Service Award — which goes to the student-athlete who best serves the community, contributing positively to the life of the campus and broader communities — to men’s cross country and track & field’s Simeon Ehm.
VanArragon and women’s basketball’s Olivia Brown received the Bill Steinbrecher Sportsmanship Award and the Rebecca D. Carter Memorial Award, respectively, which are given to the male and female student-athletes who have best exemplified integrity and sportsmanship while representing Valparaiso University. Soccer’s Aubrey Ramey and men’s basketball’s Anthony Sciarroni were honored with the Unsung Hero awards, while baseball’s Connor Lockwood and volleyball’s Elise Swistek were named the Comeback Athletes of the Year.
At the conclusion of the show, a tradition which was started last year continued as all the student-athletes in attendance who are graduating this spring posed for a group photo on stage, all wearing their student-athlete graduation stoles.
