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 men's basketball player Xander Okerlund (Empire, Mich.) was awarded with the 2023-24 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.
Okerlund helped lead the LSSU men's basketball team on an inspiring run to the Sweet 16 to cap off his Laker career. Okerlund notched 373 points, 117 rebounds, 45 assists, 25 steals, and 6 blocks on the season while shooting over 40% from beyond the arc, and he became the 44th member of the LSSU men's basketball 1,000-point club.
Jared Westcott (Imperial, Mo.; hockey), Ethan Nachazel (East Jordan, Mich.; cross country), and Ryan Reiniche (Hillsdale, Mich.; track and field) were also nominated for the award.
Two-time All-American women's javelin thrower Jenna Fleming (Hilton Beach, Ont.) 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.
Fleming will be going for an unprecedented fourth consecutive GLIAC Championship in women's javelin next week at the GLIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She is currently ranked fifth in the nation in NCAA DII, and she is set to qualify for her third trip to the NCAA National Championship Meet. Fleming is a two-time Second Team All-American, the LSSU school record holder in women's javelin (47.59m), boasts an impressive GPA of 3.89, and is the president of the Kinesiology Club on campus.
This year's nominees for the Debra McPherson Outstanding Female Athlete Award also included Brittany Bowman (Kingsley, Mich.; basketball), Emily Kalinowski (South Lyon, Mich.; volleyball), and Julia Fraile Raton (Sant Cugat, Spain; tennis).
CCHA All-Rookie Team honoree John Herrington (Hudson's Hope, B.C.) 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 who exhibits outstanding dedication, determination, self-sacrifice, and inspiration to Laker Athletics.
Herrington was named to the CCHA All-Rookie team following an impressive first season that saw him play on the Lakers' top forward line for most of the season. The two-time CCHA Rookie of the Week finished the season with 20 points on 9 goals and 11 assists in 37 games.
Omar Suleiman (Canton, Mich.; basketball), Driss Sedrati (Casablanca, Morocco; tennis), Sam Markle (Berrien Springs, Mich.; cross country), and Carter Oshelski (Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.; track and field) were also nominated.
Volleyball middle blocker Morgan Deming (Boyne City, Mich.) 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.
Deming appeared in 28 of the Lakers' 30 games this season as a first-year player. In her first season with the blue and gold, she compiled 136 kills and 52 total blocks, 17 of which were solo. She has also proven to be highly efficient when her number is called upon, posting a hit percentage of over .350 on nine occasions.
Also nominated for the award were Breah Golden (Arcadia, Wis.; basketball), Trinity Ly (Brampton, Ont.; tennis), Julie Sheehy (Walkerville, Mich.; cross country), and Keira Lamming (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.; track and field).
Hockey defenseman Grant Hindman (Oakland, Mich.) 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.
Hindman's leadership at the blueline was invaluable this season as the alternate captain helped lead his team to an eight-win improvement from a year ago. He posted five points on one goal and four assists, but his best contributions came in the defensive zone where he helped steady the top penalty kill unit in the CCHA that also ranked top-five nationally for a large chunk of the season. However, his work off the ice is arguably even more impressive as he represents his program within the SAAC committee, has a leadership role in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on campus, serves as a pen pal and reading buddy with a local elementary school, and is active with the Soo Amateur Hockey Association, helping local teams and camps. He was also LSSU's nominee for the CCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award with a GPA of 3.96 which ranks as one of the top amongst all student-athletes on campus.
This year's nominees for the Ronald "Bud" Cooper Coaches Trophy also included men's basketball player Hunter Soper (Lexington, Mich.), tennis captain Lezan Koyuncu (Cologne, Germany), distance runner Aaron Nachazel (East Jordan, Mich.), and sophomore track and field standout Avery Timm (Petoskey, Mich.)
Senior women's basketball player Brittany Bowman (Kingsley, Mich.) has been named the female recipient of the Ronald "Bud' Cooper Coaches Trophy for the second year in a row. 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 played a key role for the LSSU women's basketball team, providing senior leadership throughout the season. She also made strong contributions off the court as a key member of the SAAC executive board while also being heavily involved in the leadership of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes group on campus.
Kalinowski, Maddie Whip (Sydney, Australia; tennis), Olivia Stevens (Grand Haven, Mich.; cross country), and Kennedy Konkle (Oxford, Mich.; track and field) were also nominated.
In addition to the six main awards voted on by the coaches, multiple academic awards were handed out as well.
Senior volleyball player and All-GLIAC Honorable Mention honoree Emilee McDaniel (Manistique, Mich.) is the 2023-24 recipient of the Kiwanis Award for the top GPA among all seniors with a perfect 4.0. Meanwhile, the women's tennis team received the Laker Club Endowment for boasting the top cumulative GPA among all athletic programs at LSSU.