BILLINGS, Mont. – Taking home six major awards at Thursday night's Fourth-Annual Buzzie Awards Ceremony, the Montana State University Billings women's basketball team was recognized as the top program within the department during the 2015-16 academic year.
The ESPYs-style awards show, designed to recognize the top individual and team performances from all of MSUB's 15 men's and women's varsity sports, was held at Petro Theater for the fourth straight year. Jeff Rosenberry and Aaron Like served as the masters of ceremony for the event, and a wide variety of presenters from MSUB athletic director Krista Montague to Chancellor Dr. Mark Nook were featured throughout the evening.
Yellowjacket women's basketball junior Alisha Breen and men's cross country and track and field senior Robert Peterson claimed the Female and Male Athlete of the Year awards, respectively. Breen led the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with 17.4 points per game this season, and was a first-team all-league selection. Peterson won GNAC titles in the indoor mile and as part of MSUB's distance medley relay team, and represented the Yellowjackets at the NCAA Division II National Championships for the second straight year.
Kevin Woodin, who earned GNAC Coach of the Year for the second time in the last three years, and who piloted both MSUB's women's basketball team and men's and women's golf teams, was voted as the 2015-16 Coach of the Year. His women's basketball team, which reached the NCAA West Region Championships for the second time in the last three years, was selected as the Team of the Year Thursday evening as well.
MSUB men's basketball star Preston Beverly, who won GNAC Freshman of the Year honors, was the Freshman of the Year, and GNAC-leading scorer Ricardo Palomino of MSUB's men's soccer team was tabbed as the department's Newcomer of the Year.
Both the Breakout Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year came from the Yellowjacket women's basketball team, as sophomore Marissa Van Atta and senior Janiel Olson earned those awards, respectively.
MSUB freshman golfer Scott Larson earned the Moment of the Year award, after hitting a hole-in-one on the very first swing of his collegiate career last September. The Yellowjacket men's soccer team's dramatic, 3-2 come-from-behind victory while facing a 2-0 halftime deficit and playing down a player in the second half, earned Game of the Year honors. The match was played on MSUB Kicks Cancer Day in honor of the late Trevor Wildberger, and Palomino lifted the team to the win with a second-half hat trick against Concordia.
The women's basketball team also received the Yellowjacket Award, honoring a program or individual for outstanding service and/or community involvement on behalf of the department. The 10th year of MSUB's Think Pink Night, which was featured as the first-ever ROOT SPORTS Game of the Week hosted at MSUB, earned the women the honor.
Seniors Cameron Lee (men's soccer) and Blair Street (women's track and field) were honored as the MSUB Student-Athlete Advisory Committee award winners, and MSUB baseball senior left-handed pitcher Drew Christina, who holds a 4.0 GPA while studying chemistry, was tabbed as the Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Graduating senior Aaron Selig, who has served as the official photographer for MSUB Sports over the past two years, was honored for his work by receiving MSUB's Support Staff Student of the Year honor.
A full listing of nominees and award winners, including each team's player of the year, can be found below.
Overall Awards
Female Athlete of the Year
Alisha Breen – Women's Basketball (Winner) | Katlyn Lokay – Women's Soccer |
Della Lyle – Women's Track & Field |
Kortney McNeil – Women's Golf |
Kyndal Williams – Volleyball
Male Athlete of the Year
Ricardo Palomino – Men's Soccer |
Robert Peterson – Men's Cross Country/Track & Field (Winner) | Luke Reinschmidt – Baseball
Coach of the Year
Alex Balog - Men's Soccer |
Rob Bishop - Baseball |
Wojtek Krakowiak - Women's Soccer |
Kevin Woodin - Women's Basketball (Winner)
Team of the Year
Baseball | Men's Soccer |
Women's Basketball (Winner) | Women's Golf | Women's Soccer
Freshman of the Year
Preston Beverly – Men's Basketball (Winner) | Kortney McNeil – Women's Golf |
Kaelen Shay – Men's Track & Field |
Janessa Williams – Women's Track & Field |
Alycia Wright – Women's Soccer
Newcomer of the Year
Tiana Hanson – Women's Basketball |
Della Lyle – Women's Track & Field |
Ricardo Palomino – Men's Soccer (Winner) | Michael Porter – Men's Golf |
Nikki Tiffany – Softball |
Matt Winter – Men's Cross Country
Breakout Player of the Year
Adam Cox – Baseball |
Emmanuel Johnson – Men's Basketball |
Myrissa Prince – Softball |
Jessica Spang – Women's Soccer |
Marissa Van Atta – Women's Basketball (Winner)
Comeback Player of the Year
Bryon Baker – Baseball |
Elizabeth Howard – Women's Soccer |
Janiel Olson – Women's Basketball (Winner) | Garret Robinson – Men's Soccer
Game/Event of the Year
MEN'S BASKETBALL –
17 made 3-pointers in home rout of Alaska Anchorage (Feb. 9, 2016)
MEN'S SOCCER – Come-from-behind 3-2 win after 2-0 halftime deficit & down one player (Oct. 17, 2015) (Winner)
SOFTBALL –
Broke team record for hits in a game with 23 vs. WWU (March 26, 2016)
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL –
GNAC tourney semifinal win over Western Washington to clinch NCAA berth (March 4, 2016)
WOMEN'S GOLF –
Yellowjackets set MSUB record for single-round score at NCAA Preview Meet (Sept. 28, 2015)
WOMEN'S SOCCER –
1-0 win over Central Washington to clinch GNAC tournament berth (10/31/2015)
Moment/Play of the Year
BASEBALL –
Corey Morris diving play to end Game 3 at Saint Martin's (April 3, 2016)
MEN'S BASKETBALL –
Emmanuel Johnson Senior Night with Dad (Feb. 27, 2016)
MEN'S GOLF – Scott Larson hole-in-one on first collegiate stroke (Sept. 14, 2015) (Winner)
MEN'S SOCCER –
Fernando Perez's goal to win home game against NNU 1-0 (Oct. 15, 2015)
MEN'S TRACK & FIELD –
Distance Medley Relay team wins GNAC Indoor Championships title (Feb. 19, 2016)
SOFTBALL –
Bella Rovens robs grand slam at home against Western Washington (March 25, 2016)
VOLLEYBALL –
Winning Set 3 38-36 over Rocky Mountain College in exhibition match (Sept. 1, 2015)
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL –
Janiel Olson breaks MSUB career rebounding record (Feb. 27, 2016)
WOMEN'S GOLF –
Shealyn Hafer hits a hole-in-one (Oct. 5, 2015)
WOMEN'S SOCCER –
Alycia Wright game-winning goal against CWU to clinch GNAC tourney berth (10/31/2015)
WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD –
Della Lyle 4th in 3,000 meters & 7th in 5,000 meters at GNAC Indoor Championships (Feb. 20, 2016)
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Award
Blair Street |
Cameron Lee
Scholar Athlete of the Year
Drew Christina (Winner)
Yellowjacket Award
Women's Basketball, 10 years of Think Pink
Student Worker of the Year
Aaron Selig, Photographer
Cheerleader of the Year
Christian Coppedge (Winner)
