SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. — Lake Superior State Athletics and the LSSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hosted the annual Anchor Awards on Wednesday evening in the LSSU Arts Center.
Numerous awards were presented throughout the evening, ranging from Male and Female Athletes of the Year, Freshmen of the Year, and some lighthearted mock-awards such as Best Dressed, Best Roster Picture and Most Injury Prone.
The Terry McDermott Freshman of the Year Award, named after the 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist in speed skating who was also a letterwinner in track at Lake State in 1961, is awarded each year to one male and one female athlete. This year's recipients were Nadege Koua from tennis and C.J. Robinson from basketball. The other nominees on the women's side included, Sadie DeWildt (basketball), Elizabeth Setsuda (track and field), Halle Grulke (volleyball) and Alyshia Suleman (golf). Male nominees were Andrew Giddens (track and field), Ashton Calder (hockey), Zander Park (golf), and Ali Sahibzada (tennis).
The Ronald "Bud" Cooper Award is presented to one male and one female student-athlete who show high-character, are outstanding role models to their teammates and peers, and continue to carry on the legacy of former LSSU athletic director and men's basketball coach Bud Cooper. Claire Radtke from basketball and Jack Miles from track and field and cross country were this year's recipients of the award. Other nominees included Abby Beachnau (volleyball), Tara Harvey (tennis), Taylor Simoneau (golf), Seth Pinnoo (tennis), Collin Saccoman (hockey) and Gavin MacIver (golf).
Former Laker volleyball head coach Deb McPherson was in attendance to present the Deb McPherson Female Athlete of the Year Award. Nominees were Lydia Heimonen (track and field and cross country), Tatiana Hulan (golf), Mikala Williams (volleyball), Tara Harvey (tennis) and Courtney Jacobsen (basketball), with Harvey taking home the honor. She went 9-8 at No. 1 doubles and 7-7 at No. 3 singles this season, and has played at No. 1 doubles and has been in the top-three singles spot for all four years at Lake State. She was also named to the GLIAC Honorable Mention Team. Harvey, an athletic training major, holds a 3.59 GPA.
The Cliff Everett Male Athlete Award was presented next to the department's top male athlete exemplifying stellar performance in a Laker jersey. This year's nominees included, Tim Cairnduff (basketball), Nick Kossoff (hockey),Luis Valderrama (tennis), Gavin MacIver (golf) and Garett Smith (track and field and cross country), with Kossoff earning the award. He started 27 games for the hockey team and had a .667 win percentage, .918 save percentage and was a monumental part of this season's success. As a kinesiology major, Kossoff has a 3.96 GPA.
The Laker Club Endowment Award was presented to the team with the highest cumulative GPA, which went to the men's golf team (3.404).
The Kiwanis Scholastic Award was presented to Nick Kossoff in recognition of his academic achievements and having the highest GPA in athletics, with 3.96.
Below are the recipients of this year's Mock Awards:
Best Sleeping Photo: Sam Cornett, men's basketball
Most Injury Prone: Shelby Curtiss, track and field
Best Roster Picture: C.J. Robinson, men's basketball
Most Epic Play: Andrew Giddens, track and field– during prelims of the 60-meter hurdles at the GLIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, Andrew was tackled by a Saginaw Valley State competitor who fell into his lane right before the finish line. Despite the crash, he got a new best time in the event and qualified for finals. He ended up placing sixth overall in the GLIAC as a freshman.
Most Epic Fail: Rog Stein, men's basketball – for getting his tooth knocked out in a game.
Biggest Victory: Hockey – for winning the first Great Lakes Invitational title in program history.
Best Dressed: Kendal Delpiere, track and field & cross country.
Most Spirited Team: women's basketball.