Male Athlete of the Year
Demarco Hernandez (Cross Country & Track): 3rd place at conference Carolinas cross country championship. Placed top 5 at four of six races in the cross country season. Broke mile and 3k record for indoor track and field. 2nd place in mile at conference Carolinas indoor track championship. 1st place in 3k at conference Carolinas indoor track championship. Conference Carolinas male athlete of the year for indoor track and field. Leader at FCA. RA of Drum Hall.
Christian Trimble (Wrestling): NCAA DII National Qualifier / 3rd at Region Championship / 4th at Georgia Open / 3rd at Newberry Open. Region Dual Wins Over: Mount Olive, Coker, UNC Pembroke, Lincoln Memorial, Montevallo. Lead Team in Wins. Christian was a critical piece in our team's development. Christian took his role as a team captain very seriously and held himself and his teammates to a high standard. The growth Christian has showed not just as an athlete but as an individual has been amazing to see and his future is very bright!
KJ Jones II (Basketball): Conference player of year, Region Player of the year, D2 Player of the year, First team all-tournament, First team All- Region, All American, Elite 23 award, Trevor Hudgins Player of the Year, Bevo Francis Finalist, All-Time Leading Scorer in Emmanuel History, Scored 3,000 pts in career
Nick Eichenberger (Volleyball): 256 Digs (through March) As of 3/31/2024 #2 in NCAA Digs per Set in D1/D2 MVB.
Winner: KJ Jones II
Female Athlete of the Year
Jai Piazza (Track): Currently 4th in the Nation Women's LJ 6.10 (20'0.25") Broke school record in Women Long jump 3rd place finish in conference Indoor LJ Broke School record in women’s 400H 1st place finish SWU Gott Run Invite in LJ & 400H 1st Place finish Emory Gotta Run Invite 400H Currently 1st in Conference w LJ Currently 2nd in Conference 400H 1:02.
Paige Murphy (Lacrosse): leads the conference and country in goals and points. 86 goals 35 assists. Next closest person is 58. High chance to be an all American
Karissa Turnwall (Wrestling): True Freshman, 2024 NCAA first team All American by placing 7th at the National Championship. 30-5 overall record with 15 falls and 10 Tech Falls. Only 5 of her victories came by decision.
Susana Ungo (Swimming): Competed in her second NCAA National Championships (in 3 events) 2 x All-American (100/200 Fly) 6 x Conference Carolinas Champion (setting 6 Conference Records) Swimmer of the Year - Conference Carolinas Conference Championships Broke 6 EU School Records an impressive 15 different times this season (200 IM, 100 fly, 200 fly, 400 medley relay, 400/800 free relay)
Winner: Susana Ungo
Biggest Upset of the Year
Men's Baseball: By taking weekend series 2-1 over #11 ranked UNCP 3/8-3/10/24. Took games 2-3 from #11 UNC Pembroke on the road
Women's Bowling: Defeats Current #1 and Defending NCAA National Champion Vanderbilt 1059-1023 at the NCAA Sunshine State Classic
Men’s Basketball: With a win over #1 in country Northwest Missouri State
Men’s Triathlon: 2nd place NCAA team overall at its first SECTC conference championships. The South East Collegiate Triathlon Conference consists of 11 NCAA Div. I schools, including: Alabama, Georgia Tech, Auburn, South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, ETSU, The Citadel, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Georgia State, and Emmanuel. But the Lions finished 2nd with amazing Olympic distance race performance
Receiving votes: Clay Target, Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Wrestling
Winner: Men's Basketball
Record Breaking Male Performance
Hunter Harper (Men's Bowling): 99 Individual Game - Highest Individual Game Bowled at Conference Championships
KJ Jones II (Men’s Basketball): Reached 3000 career points. Became all team leading scorer in Emmanuel history vs SWU at
home.
Nick (Men’s Volleyball): If he reached 1,000 digs (needs 64 digs) would be only the 18th Men’s Volleyball player to reach this milestone in history and only the 3rd in side-out scoring
Demarco Hernandez (Men’s Cross Country & Track): Broke school 1 mile Record Broke school 3,000 Record Received Men’s athlete of the year award.
Receiving Votes: Men’s Wrestling Team, Henrick Westhoff Men’s Volleyball, Luigi Da Silva Men’s Swimming, Preston Dyer Archery, Men’s Golf Team
Winner: KJ Jones II
Record Breaking Female Performance
Susana Ungo (Women’s Swimming): 8th place in 200m fly at national championships
Kristie Frisher (Women’s Lacrosse): 3 goals 4 assists 13 groundballs 15 draw controls vs fort Lewis
Christina Bapple (Acro): Christina has added 30 points in start value to Acro and Tumbling this year. She has broken the record for highest score in all of compulsory, acro 7 element with a 9.65/10, heat 1 pyramid with a 9.6/9.7, heat 2 pyramid with a 9.85/10, and open toss with a 9.55/9.9. She has gotten three new skills being
a fifth year, and was an inaugural athlete for our program.Women’s Golf Team: Team scoring average is currently 10 shots better than the program record previously set in the 2021-2022 season. The women’s team also shot the lowest 18-hole total in program history (311 at the Barton Intercollegiate). 2nd, 3rd, and 4th low 36 hole total at the following events respectfully.
Jai Piazza (Women’s Track): Broke school record in Women Long jump 3rd place finish in conference Indoor LJ Broke School record in women’s 400H 1st place finish SWU Gott Run Invite in LJ & 400H 1st Place finish Emory Gotta Run Invite 400H Currently 1st in Conference in LJ Currently 4th in the Nation Women’s LJ 6.10 (20'0.25") Currently 2nd in Conference 400H 1:02
Receiving Votes: Women’s Bowling Team, Justine Dorales Women’s Lacrosse, Mia White Women’s Swimming, Christina Bapple Acro and Tumbling, Jazmin Allen Women’s Basketball
Winner: Jai Piazza
Male Newcomer of the Year
Matt Fitzer (Soccer): Leads conference in Goals, Points, and Game Winning Goals. 10 goals 6 assists on the season. First player to receive a 1st team all-conference Carolinas recognition for the Lions.
Hunter Pirkle (Baseball): 2.89 ERA, 37.1 IP, 4-1, 36 Strikeouts, Opponent Batting Avg. .195
Greg Bodus (Volleyball): Through March 31, 2024, 98 kills 1.21 k/s 76 blocks #16 in the Nation in Blocks per set (D1/D2 NCAA), 9 Blocks Career High vs Belmont Abbey.
Nedas Giedraitis (Swimming): Conference Carolinas Freshmen of the Year. Helped team win 4th Conference team title by being 5 x
conference champion. 2 x Individual Conference Champion (100 fly & 200 Fly). 3 x Relay Conference Champion (200 free relay, 200 & 400
medley relay). 2 Conference records (100 fly, 200 free relay). 1 School record (100 fly). NCAA national qualifying times (100 & 200 Fly). Individual dual meet record of 27-3
Receiving Votes: Keiyon Mills Men’s Lacrosse
Winner: Hunter Pirkle
Best Female Newcomer of the Year:
Karissa Turnwall (Wrestling): True Freshman. 2024 NCAA first team All American by placing 7th at the National Championship. 30-5 overall record with 15 falls and 10 Tech Falls. Only 5 of her victories came by decision. Karissa placed top 3 at every Tournament she entered this year with a tournament victory at the Robert Horton Open. She gathered numerous national ranked matchup victories. Karissa's only losses coming from top 5 national ranked wrestlers.
Jai Piazza (Track): Broke school record in Women Long jump, 3rd place finish in conference Indoor LJ. Broke School record in women’s 400H. 1st place finish SWU Gott Run Invite in LJ & 400H. 1st Place finish Emory Gotta Run Invite 400H. Currently 1st in Conference w LJ Currently 4th in the Nation Women’s LJ 6.10 (20'0.25") Currently 2nd in Conference 400H 1:02.
Danielle Fendenheim (Bowling): True Freshman. Named Conference Carolinas Freshmen of the Year. 1st Team Conference. 2 All-Tournament Teams. 4 Top 10 Individual Finishes. Candidate for NCAA and USBC Collegiate All Rookie Team. Candidate for NCAA Freshman of the Year. Candidate for NCAA DII All-American.
Paige Murphy (Lacrosse): Leads the conference and country in goals and points. 107 goals & 35 assists. Next closest person is 58
Receiving Votes: Lauren Kushcel Women’s Lacrosse, Asia Queen Women’s Volleyball, Madison Smith
Winner: Paige Murphy
Coach of the Year
Brian Little (Women's Lacrosse)
Jeff Kilgore (Baseball): Achieved 200th career win in Emmanuel’s 11-6 victory over The University of Alabama in Huntsville on February 7, 2024. At time of nomination: 21-14 overall record (best season start in Emmanuel baseball NCAA DII era) - 15 games remaining and 5 wins away from best overall season record in EU DII era 10-8 conference record (best season start in Emmanuel baseball NCAA DII era) - 12 conference games remaining and 5 wins away from best conference record in EU DII era. Notable 2024 wins at time of nomination: Nationally ranked UAH, 3-game sweep of Limestone University, 3-game sweep of Thomas More University, Nationally ranked Barton College, Won series 2-1 against #11 ranked University of North Carolina at Pembroke, 3-game sweep of Southern Wesleyan University, Extra-innings win at USC Aiken, 3-game sweep of Francis Marion. Set program record for runs scored in a game with 29 in win against Thomas More on February 17, 2024. Player recognition at time of nomination: *1st season Emmanuel baseball has had multiple Conference Carolinas POTW awards in the same year. Conference Carolinas Player of the Week: Thomas Collins (2/6/24) SECOND IN EMMANUEL HISTORY, Nick Dietsch (2/13/24) Conference Carolinas Pitcher of the Week: Hunter Pirkle (4/2/24) FIRST IN EMMANUEL HISTORY NCBWA Southeast Region Player of the Week: Nick Dietsch (2/14/24) SECOND IN EMMANUEL HISTORY. Coach Kilgore has led the Emmanuel Baseball program with dedication. As an alumni, Coach is passionate about the development and success of Emmanuel Baseball. He is an outstanding role model and mentor for his players and coaches. Coach Kilgore is a tremendous example of a Godly man, father, and coach.
TJ Rosene (Men's Baseball): Best Record in Conference Carolinas 2023-2024 regular season. Conference Championship Runner-Up. NCAA National Tournament At Large bid. Made round of 32 in National Tournament.
Allen Gilcrest (Swimming): Continues to lead teams to conference championships and nationals. Great team culture and students perform well in swimming and classroom. Willing to help other teams (i.e.
allowed triathletes to compete in XC and track to meet the minimum number of athletes needed to compete at conference).Willing to help new coaches (i.e. h building a cross country course).
Winner: Brian Little
Male Team of the Year:
Bass Fishing: (Chase Carey and Dylan Akins). Not only is their academics great, their fishing success across the country has kept them up in the standing among some of the best teams and Universities around the country. Both young men are seniors, with Dylan being President. Each of these guys will go above and beyond to extend help to fellow anglers and myself.
Basketball: Rated top 25 in NABC coaches poll, first time in DII history. Rated top 20 in the media poll, first time in DII history. Rated 6 in the regional rankings. Won the division regular season championship. Best record in Conference Carolinas regular season. Conference tournament runner up. Went to the Round of 32 in NCAA national tournament. Had DII player of the year. Beat the #1 team in the country. Had 4 top 25 wins this season alone.
Swimming: 15-1 dual meet record. Conference Carolinas Champions (4th year in a row). 24 conference champions. 8 conference records. 2 school records.
Baseball: 24-14 (13-8 CC)
Winner: Men's Basketball
Female Team of the Year:
Lacrosse: Best record in program history. First time double digit winners. Top 10 in the country in multiple categories as a team (scoring offense draw control% points per game). Have multiple individuals in top 10 in the country in points, draw controls. Leads the conference or top 5 in goals caused turnovers draw controls groundballs, points assists (every major category but 2)
Acrobatics and Tumbling: Our A&T program has seen extreme improvements this year. We were 1-7 2 years ago, then last year we were 2-7, and now this year we were 5-4. We also went to Conference Championships this year for the first time in program history. We only lost to the number 3 team, Lander, in the conference by 3 points. Last year we got beat by Lander by 7 points. We also got beat by Mars Hill last year, and this year we beat them by over 15 points. King also beat us last year by 20 points, and we beat them this year by 70 points. We have proved ourselves this year to be one of the best.
Volleyball: 22-11 (14-3 in Conference). Conference Champions. Wins over Regional foe Lander and Augusta to help give #6 ranking in Post season.
Wrestling: 13-5 record this year. Ended the year with 6 individual national qualifiers and a first team all-American. Team wins over #10 Lock Haven, #11 Aurora, #18 Mount Olive, and #21 Elmira. Placed top 10 at the National Duals Championship and finished 14th at the Individual National Championship. Loses this year came from #2 Life(NAIA) x2, #5 Colorado Mesa, #7 Sacred Heart, and #10 Campbellsville (NAIA).
Receiving Votes: Women’s Basketball, Women’s Bowling
Winner: Women's Lacrosse
Bill White Award – Male:
Winner: Jeandre Joubert (Swimming)
Bill White Award – Female:
Winner: Sydney Wyatt (Women's Basketball)
