BILLINGS, Mont. – The team player of the year Buzzie awards for Montana State University Billings' six men's sports programs were revealed on Wednesday as the week-long ceremony continued.
 
2021 Buzzies Men's Sports Team Player of the Year Awards

Sport	Player of the Year	Other Nominees
Baseball	Will Riley	Tanner Cantwell, Daniel Cipriano
Men's Basketball	Brendan Howard	Chrishon Dixon, Carrington Wiggins
Men's Cross Country	Ase Ackerman	Carson Jessop, Logan Straus
Men's Golf	Garrett Woodin	Riley Kaercher, Kevin Kolb
Men's Soccer	Bryan Maxwell	Luca Battistotti, Austin Shafer
Men's Track & Field	Beau Ackerman	Isaiah Girard, Payden Lynn

2021 Buzzies Release Schedule
Tuesday, June 8 – Women's Team Player of the Year awards
Wednesday, June 9 – Men's Team Player of the Year awards
Thursday, June 10 – Department-wide awards
Friday, June 11 – Male & Female Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, Team of the Year
 

---

Baseball Player of the Year: Will Riley
Nominees: Tanner Cantwell, Daniel Cipriano, Will Riley
 
Will Riley became the fourth player in program history to earn All-America accolades, named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association honorable mention team. The first-team all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference and first-team all-region selection posted the third-highest batting average in school history, hitting .401 out of the leadoff spot to rank third in the conference.
 
Adding notable power into his repertoire, Riley led the GNAC with 16 doubles and 104 total bases, while homering seven times and slugging .662 on the season. He reached base at a clip of .484, and stole three bases while starting all 40 games for the 'Jackets. Riley is also up for the Male Athlete of the Year honor.


 
Other Nominees: Daniel Cipriano was once again a first-team all-region selection, after leading the GNAC with 14 home runs while batting .333 and driving in 52. Cipriano finished his career as MSUB's all-time leader in home runs with 39 and the GNAC's all-time leader in slugging percentage at .765. Tanner Cantwell meanwhile reached double figures in home runs with 10, while batting .321 and driving in 34 in his final collegiate season. His 14 career home runs are 10th in program history.
 
Baseball Major Award Nominees: Riley's All-American performance lined him up among the Male Athlete of the Year finalists, headlining the program's major award nominations.
 
Male Athlete of the Year – Will Riley
Freshman of the Year – Ethan Babcock-Barrie
Newcomer of the Year – Carson Green
Breakout Player of the Year – Tanner Cantwell
Game/Event of the Year – Blake Tritch threw an 8-inning, complete game in 4-1 win over Saint Martin's (April 23, 2021)
Moment/Play of the Year – Daniel Cipriano broke the MSUB baseball career home run record (March 6, 2021)
 
History: Riley is the eighth different baseball player to win the award and it was his first nomination. Cipriano tied Luke Reinschmidt for most nominations with his third, while Cantwell was nominated for the second time. Two-time All-American Brody Miller has the most wins with two.

All-Time Baseball Player of the Year

Year	Winner	Position	Class	Hometown	Other Nominees
2013	Colby Robison	Infielder	Senior	Rexburg, ID	Brady Muller, Austin Rue
2014	Brody Miller	Shortstop	Junior	Missoula, MT	Luke Reinschmidt, Kevin Toon
2015	Brody Miller	Second Baseman	Senior	Missoula, MT	Brady Muller, Luke Reinschmidt
2016	Cody Cooper	Right-Handed Pitcher	Junior	Bozeman, MT	Kyle Durbin, Luke Reinschmidt
2017	Casey Merritt	Leftfielder	Senior	Twin Falls, ID	Bryon Baker, Zach Robinson
2018	Kade Hall	Leftfielder	Senior	Pocatello, ID	Adam Cox, Jalen Garcia
2019	Matt Dillon	Rightfielder	Senior	Billings, MT	Daniel Cipriano, Steen Fredrickson
2020	Daniel Cipriano	Designated Hitter	Senior	Agoura Hills, CA	Sam Muskat, Tanner Cantwell
2021	Will Riley	Shortstop	Senior	Lismore, Australia	Tanner Cantwell, Daniel Cipriano

Most Wins: 2, Brody Miller | Most Nominations: 3, Luke Reinschmidt, Daniel Cipriano
 

---

Men's Basketball Player of the Year: Brendan Howard
Nominees: Chrishon Dixon, Brendan Howard, Carrington Wiggins
 
Competing in just two exhibition affairs during the 2020-21 season, the Yellowjacket men's basketball team saw the least competition of any of the program's sports during the coronavirus-impacted academic year. Howard was the team's leading scorer in the non-counting wins over Yellowstone Christian and Rocky Mountain College, racking up 53 points to go along with 12 rebounds in the team's only action of the season.
 
Other Nominees: Dixon had a strong performance with 11 points and seven assists in MSUB's win over Rocky, and had 10 points and eight assists in the win over YCC. In his first year in the program, Wiggins meanwhile had an impressive showing against the Bears with 17 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
 
Men's Basketball Major Award Nominees: The lack of competitions during the school year limited the men's basketball team's major award nominees.
 
Newcomer of the Year – Carrington Wiggins
 
History: Howard became the first-ever men's basketball player to win multiple Buzzies, repeating after claiming the honor in 2020. His third total nomination is also the most in program history. He is the eighth different Yellowjacket to claim the award.

All-Time Men's Basketball Player of the Year

Year	Winner	Position	Class	Hometown	Other Nominees
2013	Jarrell Crayton	Forward	Senior	Bellevue, NE	David Arnold, Kalob Hatcher
2014	Kalob Hatcher	Guard	Senior	San Diego, CA	Austin Hudson, Jonathan Mesghna
2015	Momir Gataric	Guard	Junior	Sunnyvale, CA	Jace Anderson, Antoine Hosley
2016	Emmanuel Johnson	Forward	Senior	San Antonio, TX	Preston Beverly, Marc Matthews
2017	Marc Matthews	Guard	Senior	Phoenix, AZ	Jace Anderson, Preston Beverly
2018	Kendall Denham	Guard	Senior	Malta, MT	Zharon Richmond, Zack Rollins
2019	Tyler Green	Guard	Junior	Redding, CA	Brendan Howard, Zack Rollins
2020	Brendan Howard	Forward	Sophomore	Great Falls, MT	Tyler Green, Zharon Richmond
2021	Brendan Howard	Forward	Junior	Great Falls, MT	Chrishon Dixon, Carrington Wiggins

Most Wins: 2, Brendan Howard | Most Nominations: 3, Brendan Howard
 

---

Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year: Ase Ackerman
Nominees: Ase Ackerman, Carson Jessop, Logan Straus
 
MSUB's men's cross country was unable to compete during the fall season due to the pandemic, so this honor was awarded based on the distance runners' performances during the track and field season. Ase Ackerman had the team's top marks in the 800-meters, 1,500-meters, and 5k during the outdoor campaign, to headline the distance runners group.


 
Other Nominees: Carson Jessop had the track team's best mark in the 3,000-meter steeple chase, and also ran a leg on the top 4x400-meter relay squad. Straus meanwhile had PRs in four different events throughout the spring.
 
Men's Cross Country Major Award Nominees: None (no season of competition).
 
History: Ackerman is the sixth different Yellowjacket to win this honor and it is his second nomination. Jessop has also been nominated twice and it is Straus's first nomination. Robert Peterson has the most wins with three and the most nominations with four.

All-Time Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year

Year	Winner	Position	Class	Hometown	Other Nominees
2013	Clint Choquette	Distance	Senior	Butte, MT	Michael Luhr, Robert Peterson
2014	Robert Peterson	Distance	Sophomore	Billings, MT	Travis Buttleman, Michael Luhr
2015	Robert Peterson	Distance	Junior	Billings, MT	Liam McKay, Josh Panasuk
2016	Robert Peterson	Distance	Senior	Billings, MT	Garrett Love, Matt Winter
2017	Jorey Egeland	Distance	Junior	Billings, MT	Josh Panasuk, Garrett Love
2018	Jorey Egeland	Distance	Senior	Billings, MT	Ivan Colmenero, Tyus Mendoza
2019	Ivan Colmenero	Distance	Senior	Manhattan, MT	Carson Jessop, Ronald Venema
2020	Ronald Venema	Distance	Senior	Pinesdale, MT	Ase Ackerman, Bryant Edgerton
2021	Ase Ackerman	Distance	Junior	Glendive, MT	Carson Jessop, Logan Straus

Most Wins: 3, Robert Peterson | Most Nominations: 4, Robert Peterson
 

---

Men's Golf Player of the Year: Garrett Woodin
Nominees: Riley Kaercher, Kevin Kolb, Garrett Woodin
 
Leading the most historic season in school history, Garrett Woodin became the first men's player to qualify for the NCAA D2 Championships where he tied for 23rd place. The unprecedented performance came after the hometown senior led the Yellowjacket men to their first-ever team regional appearance, and they did not disappoint. The 'Jackets missed out on qualifying for nationals as a team by a single stroke, finishing in fifth place at the regional championships to highlight the landmark season.
 
Woodin was a first-team all-GNAC selection, after leading the team and ranking fifth in the GNAC with a scoring average of 74.7 strokes per round. The senior shot a career-low three-round score of 213 (68-76-69) at the NCAA West/South Central Regional Championships, taking third place to earn his spot in the national tournament. He is among the three finalists for the MSUB Male Athlete of the Year honor.


 
Other Nominees: While Woodin was the obvious choice for Men's Golf Player of the Year, both Riley Kaercher and Kevin Kolb played immense roles in helping the team to its first-ever regional. Kolb ranked second on the team with a scoring average of 75.38 strokes per round, and his spring was highlighted by winning the South Dakota Mines Hardrocker Invitational on April 12-13. Kaercher was third on the team at 76.57 strokes per round, and he had a top-10 tournament finish as well.
 
Men's Golf Major Award Nominees: Woodin is up for the top honor, while the men's golf team and head coach Jeff Allen are in the mix for Team of the Year and Coach of the Year.
 
Male Athlete of the Year – Garrett Woodin
Coach of the Year – Jeff Allen
Team of the Year – Men's Golf
Newcomer of the Year – Dawson Strobel
Breakout Player of the Year – Kevin Kolb
Game/Event of the Year – Placed fifth at first-ever NCAA regional championship (May 8, 2021)
Moment/Play of the Year – Garrett Woodin placed 23rd in first-ever NCAA Championship (May 19, 2021)
 
History: Woodin made it four straight years claiming the Men's Golf Player of the Year honor, becoming the first athlete in MSUB history to win four Buzzies for player of the year in his respective sport. Four other players along with Woodin have claimed the men's golf honor, with Gage Huft being the other repeat winner in 2013-14.

All-Time Men's Golfer of the Year

Year	Winner	Class	Hometown	Other Nominees
2013	Gage Huft	Sophomore	Kimberly, ID	Eric Gravbrot, Brad Harrelson
2014	Gage Huft	Junior	Kimberly, ID	Brad Harrelson, Austin Westphal
2015	Jake Hedge	Senior	Billings, MT	Houston Bradbury, Austin Westphal
2016	Connor Miele	Junior	Everett, WA	Scott Larson, Michael Porter
2017	Caleb Stetzner	Freshman	Anaconda, MT	Connor Miele, Michael Porter
2018	Garrett Woodin	Sophomore	Billings, MT	Caleb Stetzner, Caleb Trost
2019	Garrett Woodin	Junior	Billings, MT	Riley Kaercher, Payton Stott
2020	Garrett Woodin	Senior	Billings, MT	Payton Stott, Caleb Trost
2021	Garrett Woodin	Senior	Billings, MT	Riley Kaercher, Kevin Kolb

Most Wins: 4, Garrett Woodin | Most Nominations: 4, Garrett Woodin
 

---

Men's Soccer Player of the Year: Bryan Maxwell
Nominees: Luca Battistotti, Bryan Maxwell, Austin Shafer
 
Similar to the men's basketball team, MSUB's men's soccer program played just two contests during the shortened spring season. Bryan Maxwell made the most of the limited time on the pitch, standing out as the team's top performer during the heavily abbreviated season.
 
Maxwell's shining moment came on February 24, when he netted the game-winning goal in the 80th minute of a 3-2 road win at Rocky Mountain College. The exciting finish came amid his stellar effort defensively, as he helped anchor the back line throughout the performance. In the team's only other game, Maxwell helped ensure a clean sheet in a 0-0 double-overtime draw against the Bears.


 
Other Nominees: The team's captain for the third season, Battistotti was his usual self on the defensive unit playing alongside Maxwell and commanding the team through all levels of the field. Austin Shafer also scored a goal in the team's win over Rocky, with all three of the nominees starting both contests and playing upwards of 65 minutes per match.
 
Men's Soccer major Award Nominees: Maxwell's standout sample size, albeit a small one, was good enough to list him among the Breakout Player of the Year nominees to highlight the men's soccer teams major award candidates.
 
Freshman of the Year – Mathias Kjølner
Newcomer of the Year – Brad Lowes
Breakout Player of the Year – Bryan Maxwell
Moment/Play of the Year – Bryan Maxwell scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute (February 24, 2021)
 
History: Maxwell is the eighth different Yellowjacket to claim the men's soccer award and it was his first nomination. Battistotti, last year's winner, tied Tom Lohmann and Guillaume Kremer for most all-time nominations with three, while Shafer was also nominated for the first time. Kremer is the lone Yellowjacket to win the award twice when he did so in 2018-19.

All-Time Men's Soccer Player of the Year

Year	Winner	Position	Class	Hometown	Other Nominees
2013	Thomas Chameraud	Midfielder	Senior	Poitiers, France	Cameron Lee, Conner Moe
2014	Cameron Lee	Defender	Sophomore	Cape Town, South Africa	Michael Aringer, Haley Klarich
2015	Rhys Lambert	Midfielder	Sophomore	Gold Coast, Australia	Tom Lohmann, Fernando Perez
2016	Ricardo Palomino	Forward	Sophomore	Puebla, Mexico	Tom Lohmann, Julian Toenges
2017	Julien Dragomir	Forward	Senior	Scottsdale, AZ	Oliver Posarelli, Guillaume Kremer
2018	Guillaume Kremer	Midfielder	Junior	Metz, France	Luca Battistotti, Tom Lohmann
2019	Guillaume Kremer	Midfielder	Senior	Metz, France	Dana Kowachek, Ricardo Palomino
2020	Luca Battistotti	Defender	Junior	San Rocco al Porto, Italy	Shantik Bedrosian, Samuele Folla
2021	Bryan Maxwell	Defender	Junior	Spokane, WA	Luca Battistotti, Austin Shafer

Most Wins: 2, Guillaume Kremer | Most Nominations: 3, Tom Lohmann, Guillaume Kremer, Luca Battistotti
 

---

Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year: Beau Ackerman
Nominees: Beau Ackerman, Isaiah Girard, Payden Lynn
 
Repeating as an All-American, Ackerman took fourth at the NCAA D2 Championships in the javelin and broke his own school record in the process. The senior won his second GNAC title with the school-record toss of 233-7 feet, earning him the GNAC Performance of the Meet as he broke the meet record.
 
Ackerman became the first athlete in program history to be named the GNAC Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year and the USTFCCCA West Region Athlete of the Year. He is a finalist for the MSUB Male Athlete of the Year as well as the Comeback Player of the Year award, after overcoming a pair of surgeries and returning in record-breaking fashion after three years away from the track.


 
Other Nominees: Isaiah Girard successfully defended his GNAC title in the high jump, clearing a mark of 6-7 feet to win the event in his final collegiate performance. The school's record holder in the high jump was named all-region as well. Payden Lynn made a name for himself in his first season at MSUB, earning indoor all-region in both the long jump and triple jump and outdoor all-region in the javelin throw.
 
Men's Track & Field Major Award Nominees: Ackerman joins Riley and Woodin as the third finalist for the athletic department's top award.
 
Male Athlete of the Year – Beau Ackerman
Team of the Year – Men's Track & Field
Freshman of the Year – Payden Lynn
Breakout Player of the Year – Ase Ackerman
Comeback Player of the Year – Beau Ackerman
Game/Event of the Year – Records fell and provisional marks were hit at home meet (April 1, 2021)
Moment/Play of the Year – Beau Ackerman broke the school record, set GNAC meet record in javelin (May 16, 2021)
 
History: This is the first-career win for Ackerman and his first nomination for the award. Girard, who won the honor in 2019, matched Peterson and Sam Zook for the most nominations with three, while Lynn was nominated for the first time. Zook and Peterson each won the honor twice in their careers, and Ackerman becomes the seventh overall men's track athlete to claim the award.

All-Time Men's Track & Field Athlete of the Year

Year	Winner	Position	Class	Hometown	Other Nominees
2013	Tanner Rottrup	Throws	Senior	Billings, MT	Dylan Beuhler, Drew Galahan
2014	AJ Montanez	Throws	Sophomore	Lovell, WY	Robert Peterson, Nate Vanderby
2015	Robert Peterson	Distance	Junior	Billings, MT	Liam McKay, Landon Polkow
2016	Robert Peterson	Distance	Senior	Billings, MT	Austin Lindquist, Nate Vanderby
2017	Sam Zook	Sprints	Junior	Casper, WY	Nels Flanagan, Jorey Egeland
2018	Sam Zook	Sprints	Senior	Casper, WY	Nels Flanagan, Jorey Egeland
2019	Isaiah Girard	Jumps	Junior	Dillon, MT	Brady Ostermiller, Sam Zook
2020	Mason Schram	Sprints	Senior	Gardiner, MT	Forrest Cross, Isaiah Girard
2021	Beau Ackerman	Throws	Senior	Glendive, MT	Isaiah Girard, Payden Lynn

Most Wins: 2, Robert Peterson, Sam Zook | Most Nominations: 3, Robert Peterson; Sam Zook
 

---

BUZZIES SELECTED LATER THAN EVER BEFORE: The Buzzies award ceremony typically takes place in mid-April, allowing for maximum attendance at the ceremony on campus among student-athletes and coaches before departure at the end of the semester. The downside to selecting the award winners in April is that MSUB's spring sports are in the midst of competing and awards are given out without seasons being completed. With the absence of an in-person ceremony this spring, it allowed for the 2021 awards to be selected after all spring seasons were completed.
 
BUZZIES HISTORY: The Buzzies was established during the 2012-13 academic year and was designed to honor the athletic department's top performers during each school year. A full listing of previous award winners and nominees can be found online here.