SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Lake Superior State University (LSSU) Athletic Department and the LSSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted the annual Anchor Awards on Wednesday with the six main departmental awards voted on by the head coaches.
Senior tennis player Aaron Osmond (Cheltenham, U.K.) was awarded with the 2022-23 Cliff Everett Trophy as the department's top senior male athlete. The Cliff Everett Trophy is given to the senior male athlete that has contributed the most toward the advancement of athletics. The award is in tribute to the furtherance of clean living, good character, better health, self-discipline, hard endeavor, good sportsmanship, and strong bodies – invaluable attributes for the highest attainment in all the worthy battles of life.
Osmond got off to an impressive start to the season with a win over the No. 6 ranked player in the nation. He would go on to finish the season with a 7-7 record while playing at both No. 1 singles and doubles, and he was named First Team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Osmond would also be honored with the Kiwanis Award for the athletic department's top cumulative GPA with an outstanding 3.93 in mechanical engineering.
Louis Boudon (Grenoble, France; hockey), Caden Ebeling (Shelby Twp., Mich.; men's basketball), and Callum McKay (Calgary, Alb.; men's golf) were also nominated for the award.
Women's basketball standout Mattison Rayman (Otsego, Mich.) has been awarded with the Debra McPherson Outstanding Female Athlete Award as the department's top senior female athlete. The honor is given to the senior female athlete who has contributed most toward the advancement of athletics and has displayed superior skills, outstanding sportsmanship, self-discipline, and athletic prowess.
Rayman has been a strong contributor for the Lakers and one of the most dominant rebounders in the GLIAC, leading her team in rebounding in all four years. She led the conference in rebounds (278), double-doubles (14), and blocks per game (1.42), and she was consistently near the top in the nation in both free throw attempts and makes. She became the 22nd LSSU women's basketball player to reach 1,000-points, and she concluded her Laker career ranked third in rebounding (874) and fourth in free throws (417) in program history.
This year's nominees for the Debra McPherson Outstanding Female Athlete Award also included Julia Vess (New Hudson, Mich.; women's golf) and Taylor Fleming (Rogers City, Mich.; volleyball).
Men's track and field athlete Avery Timm (Petoskey, Mich.) has been named the Male Terry McDermott Award recipient as the department's top first-year male athlete. This award is given to the first-year male varsity letter-winner at LSSU exhibits outstanding dedication, determination, self-sacrifice, and inspiration to Laker Athletics.
Avery was both a member of track and field as well as the club hockey program at LSSU which led to him going straight from a playoff hockey game in Missouri to scoring points in the long jump at the GLIAC Indoor Championships.
Men's tennis player Lluc Limongi Ollers (Mallorca, Spain) was also nominated.
Women's tennis freshman Marilou Cote (Levis, Quebec) was named the Female Terry McDermott Award recipient as the department's top first-year female athlete. The award is given to the first-year female varsity letter-winner at LSSU that exhibits outstanding dedication, determination, self-sacrifice, and inspiration to Laker Athletics.
Cote played at both the No. 1 singles and doubles spots for the women's tennis program. She compiled an 11-4 record in singles and had strong victories over the No. 25 singles player and No. 12 doubles tandem in the nation along with her partner Valentina Parodi (Albissola Marina, Italy). Her impressive performances on the court resulted in her being named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year and to the All-GLIAC First Team.
Also nominated for the award were Grace Bradford (Glen Arbor, Mich.; women's basketball), Lindsey Tonello (Cadillac, Mich.; women's track and field), and Mariana Velasque (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; volleyball).
For the second-consecutive year, senior hockey captain Louis Boudon has earned the Ronald "Bud" Cooper Coaches Trophy. The trophy is awarded annually to a male athlete that has displayed outstanding qualities of citizenship, leadership, active campus participation, and has contributed significantly to the athletic program.
Boudon was only the fourth multi-year captain for the LSSU hockey program, and he was always reliable in his leadership role. Boudon led his team in points, including earning the 100th of his career against Bemidji State, and he led the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) in face-offs (884). He would go on to be named to the All-CCHA Second Team, and he earned CCHA Scholar Athlete recognition for the third-consecutive season.
This year's nominees for the Ronald "Bud" Cooper Coaches Trophy also included tennis freshman Jordi Fraile Raton (Sant Cugat del Valles, Spain) and cross country/track and field runner Roy Bowman (Jerome, Mich.).
Redshirt sophomore Brittany Bowman (Kingsley, Mich.) has been named the female recipient of the Ronald "Bud' Cooper Coaches Trophy. The trophy is awarded annually to a female athlete that has displayed outstanding qualities of citizenship, leadership, active campus participation, and has contributed significantly to the athletic program.
Bowman was not only a critical piece for her team on the basketball court, having multiple games going four for five from three-point range, but she was also an important member of the SAAC executive-board as well. She is also very involved in the leading of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes group on campus.
Julia Fraile Raton (Sant Cugat del Valles; women's tennis), Jenna Fleming (Hilton Beach, Ont.; women's track and field), and Emily Kalinowski (South Lyon, Mich.; volleyball) were also nominated.