BILLINGS, Mont. – Montana State University Billings' athletics will celebrate a year full of record-setting performances and achievements Thursday at the inaugural Buzzie Awards.
Awards will range from best players of each of the school's intercollegiate sports to the brightest student-athlete. The voting process involved fans through social media and the MSUBSports.com website, along with the Yellowjacket athletic administrative staff. After weeks of voting the winners have been decided.
The battle of the night may come in the final award of the evening. Three MSUB teams are viable candidates for the Team of the Year award, and the winning margin was very slim. The men's cross country team was picked last in the preseason Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches' poll, but finished third at the conference championships, went to the regional championships, and was nationally-ranked for the first time in program history.
The women's soccer team started the season by winning their first nine games, finished third in the GNAC standings, and upset nationally-ranked Seattle Pacific to make the conference championship game. The women's basketball team was regionally-ranked during the season and knocked off NCAA Div. I Montana State in Bozeman.
The coaches of those three teams,
Dave Coppock,
Wojtek Krakowiak, and
Kevin Woodin are the nominees for the Coach of the Year award. Along with each sport having their respective Player of the Year named, there are other special awards that will be presented. The Scholar-Athlete and Fan of the Year awards will be honored.
Jarrell Crayton, Clint Choquette, and Austin Rue are the lone athletes nominated for multiple awards. Crayton is up for Men's Basketball Player of the Year and Breakout Player of the Year. Choquette is nominated for Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year and Breakout Player of the Year. Rue is vying for Baseball Player of the Year and Play of the Year.
Women's soccer upset win over No. 22 Seattle Pacific in the GNAC Tournament semifinals is highlighted in two categories, the Game/Event of the Year and the Play/Moment of the Year. Jessie Mancilla's first collegiate goal was the game-winner in that match. Sam Johnson's off-the-backboard dunk that appeared on ESPN is also nominated for Play/Moment of the Year.
The show is hosted by Jeff Rosenberry and awards will be presented by MSUB student-athletes, faculty, and staff. A highlight video from the year will conclude the show. The evening begins at 6 with a special pre-show gala for presenters, nominees, in the banquet room in Rimrock Cafe. The award show follows at 7 p.m. in Petro Theater. Admission is free to the event, but please dress to impress, it is a formal evening. The show will be live-streamed on MSUBSports.com and be available online to watch following the night.
Volleyball Player of the Year
Erin Compton
Monica Grimsrud
Jody Lutz
Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year
Renae Hepfner
Whitney Mickelsen
Mary Owen
Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year
Clint Choquette
Michael Luhr
Robert Peterson
Women's Soccer Player of the Year
Heidi Greenback
Jennifer Larsen
Jaucelyn Richter
Men's Soccer Player of the Year
Thomas Chameraud
Cameron Lee
Conner Moe
Women's Basketball Player of the Year
Kayleen Goggins
Bobbi Knudsen
Janiel Olson
Men's Basketball Player of the Year
David Arnold
Jarrell Crayton
Kalob Hatcher
Women's Golfer of the Year
Cayley Fish
Katie Fish
Melissa Saken
Men's Golfer of the Year
Eric Gravbrot
Brad Harrelson
Gage Huft
Softball Player of the Year
Aubrey Conceicao
Amanda Todd
Nicole Wilkerson
Women's Track and Field Athlete of the Year
Leah Berry
Corrie Holm
Stacey Pitt
Men's Track and Field Athlete of the Year
Dylan Beuhler
Drew Galahan
Tanner Rottrup
Women's Tennis Athlete of the Year
Madeline Loomis
Kaitlin Nichols
Emily Paffhausen
Men's Tennis Athlete of the Year
Brandon Beardsley
Christian Fischer
Navin Marimuthu
Baseball Player of the Year
Brady Muller
Colby Robison
Austin Rue
Game/ Event of the Year
*
Women's soccer upset No. 22 Seattle Pacific, 1-0, in the semifinals of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament. The third-seeded Yellowjackets held second-seeded SPU scoreless, and won with a goal in the 66th minute.
*
After being picked 10th out of 10 teams in the GNAC preseason poll, the men's cross country team finished third in the conference championship meet. It was the best finish in program history, and put MSUB in the national rankings and top 10 in the region.
*
Women's basketball stuns NCAA Div. I opponent, Montana State in Bozeman. The Yellowjackets rallied from an 11-point deficit with just over seven minutes in the game for their 10th consecutive victory.
Breakout Player of the Year
Clint Choquette (Cross Country/Track)
Jarrell Crayton (Men's Basketball)
Kyndal Williams (Volleyball)
Moment/Play of the Year
* With the score tied 0-0 in the semifinals of the women's soccer GNAC Tournament, Jessie Mancilla found the back of the net for the first time in her collegiate career to give third-seeded MSU Billings an upset win over No. 22 and second-seeded Seattle Pacific.
* In the second half of a close game with crosstown rival, Rocky Mountain College, men's basketball student-athlete, Sam Johnson, threw the ball off of the backboard on a fastbreak and dunked it in the basket. The play would receive national attention, including being named No. 3 on the SportsCenter top 10 on ESPN.
* On Opening Day at Dehler Park, the Yellowjacket baseball team trailed Northwest Nazarene by two runs in the bottom of the eighth when Austin Rue drove a ball over the right field wall bringing in the go-ahead three runs. It was the emphatic end to a six-run eighth inning rally, to give MSUB a 13-11 win.
Coach of the Year
Dave Coppock
Wojtek Krakowiak
Kevin Woodin
Team of the Year
Men's Cross Country
Women's Soccer
Women's Basketball
