University of Tennessee Athletics
Student-Athletes Shine at Volscars
April 18, 2016 | General
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--University of Tennessee student-athletes across all sports celebrated their athletic accomplishments, academic accolades and community service awards during the Volscars at the Knoxville Convention Center Monday night.
With dresses and suits abound, student-athletes enjoyed dinner followed by an awards ceremony focused solely on the men and women representing Tennessee athletics.
Reflecting the university’s dedication to academic success for student-athletes, Tennessee dedicated time during the ceremony to recognize their academic achievements. 78 student-athletes are set to graduate in 2016. In total, 264 student-athletes own a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
In the past year, 75 student-athletes made the Spring 2015 SEC Honor Roll, 59 on the Fall 2015 SEC Honor Roll and 40 on the Winter 2016 SEC Honor Roll.
The event also highlighted Tennessee’s focus on community service. UT student-athletes have logged over 5,000 hours of community service in the past year at over 150 schools and organizations.
“Every opportunity to serve has been very fulfilling,” Harper Lucas, a Tennessee rower and SAAC representative, said.
Between video montages and bloopers, select student-athletes were awarded for their athletic performances and academic success.
Tennessee also instilled the Inspiration Award, given to a student-athlete to recognize his or her perseverance and bravery. Bailey Wind, a member of the women’s diving program, was the winner of the Inspiration Award after facing unforeseen obstacles with strength and positivity.
Inspiration Award: Bailey Wind, Women’s Swimming & Diving
As a senior at Shaker (N.Y.) High School, Bailey Wind and three of her friends were involved in a fatal car accident when they were struck by a drunk driver. Wind’s boyfriend and best friend were killed in the crash, and she suffered injuries that prevented her from competing collegiately. Wind wrote a book about her experiences called, “Save Me a Spot in Heaven.” She now speaks at schools and other events about the dangers of driving while impaired or distracted.
Wind finds inspiration from Inky Johnson, a VFL and public speaker that uses his injury to motivate others to push through in life.
“Instead of saying why did this have to happen to me, I felt as if why not me? This is a perfect opportunity to use this as a blessing to someone else. It’s not even about me. It’s about repaying the people that invested in me and saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself. At some point in life, it can’t just be about you. Every day, we wake up and understand that the best thing in life is a gift. If you were to check out today, how would you want to be remembered?” - Inky Johnson
Mr. Tennessee: Cameron Brown, Men’s Track and Field
Brown garnered third place in the men’s weight throw with a career-best 23.54-meter throw at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships. He was named to the Men’s All-SEC First Team after taking gold in the weight throw with a throw of 22.28 meters. Away from throwing, Brown excels in the classroom and is president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, where he participated in events such as Read Across America and Fantasy of Trees. Brown also interned for 12 weeks at NIKE. Working on the global brand innovation team in the marketing department, Brown developed various leadership qualities that helped him prepare for this season and his professional career beyond throwing.
Miss Tennessee: Andraya Carter, Women’s Basketball
Carter exudes everything one would want to see out of a student-athlete. From volunteering in the community to contributing on the floor, Carter is committed to representing Tennessee in all aspects of life. Carter spends time regularly at the Tennessee School for the Deaf, where she helps the children in the gym and the classroom. She also earned numerous accolades for her work in the classroom, including being named the Arthur Ashe Jr. Female Sports Scholar of the Year. On the court, Carter played in all 36 contests, averaging 4.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 2015-16.
Male Athlete of the Year: Mauricio Robles, Men’s Swimming & Diving
A 2016 SEC Champion in both the 1-meter and platform diving competition, Robles paired his impressive season with a terrific SEC meet in 2016. Robles finished with 459.75 points on the 1-meter, breaking a conference and school record. He claimed his second gold medal of the meet after setting a new career-high of 439.90 points in platform. Robles finished fourth on 1 meter and eighth on platform at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championship.
Female Athlete of the Year: Felicia Brown, Women’s Indoor Track and Field
Brown became an NCAA champion after winning the women’s 200-meter race at the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships. She also claimed her spot as SEC Champion after winning the 200 meters, setting a Tennessee record with a time of 22.45. Brown also ran anchor leg of the 4x400-meter team that finished fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Following her indoor season, Brown was named a 2016 USTFCCCA First Team All-American in the women’s 200m and 4x400m.
Men’s Rookie of the Year: Admiral Schofield, Men’s Basketball
Schofield shined in his first season on Rocky Top, starting in 22 games as a true freshman. He scored in double figures 12 times, including each of the last six games, to conclude the season. Schofield also earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors following his season-high 22-point performance at Auburn Jan. 1, 2015. In SEC play, the freshman averaged 8.5 points per game, 12th among all SEC freshmen.
Women’s Co-Rookies of the Year: Madeline Banic, Women’s Swimming & Diving
Banic earned SEC Champion honors in three relays (200 medley relay, 200 free relay and 400 free relay) and won bronze medals in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. In addition to her SEC honors, she earned All-American honors in the 50 freestyle at the NCAAs, one of five All-America honors she received in her first NCAA meet.
Women’s Co-Rookies of the Year: Meghan Gregg, Softball
Gregg posted a phenomenal freshman campaign, leading the 2015 softball team with 64 hits and 51 RBIs. She started all 64 games at shortstop and hit 13 home runs, tied for the third most ever by a Tennessee freshman. Gregg was named a NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete and NFCA National Freshman of the Year Top 25 finalist and was selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team and SEC All-Tournament Team.
Best Male Supporting Role: Sunay Bhat, Men’s Tennis
Bhat, a Knoxville native, has been the glue for the men’s tennis program in 2015-16. He understands how to represent the University of Tennessee and how to make the team better. His ability to view situations in a positive light encourages the team and challenges his teammates to strive for improvement. His passion and dedication truly encompass the Volunteer spirit.
Best Female Supporting Role: Ashlee Boles, Women’s Tennis
Boles has been a staple for the Tennessee women’s tennis team, bringing positive energy to the court daily. The junior is constantly available to do whatever it takes to make the team better, offering words of encouragement and providing support to the team. A supporter of Tennessee her entire life, the Murfreesboro, Tennessee, native understands the honor of donning the orange and white and represents the university with dignity.
Comeback of the Year: Football vs. Georgia
Down 21 points late in the second quarter, Joshua Dobbs led the Vols to a 38-31 win over No. 19/16 Georgia on Oct. 10 at Neyland Stadium. The win tied for the third-largest comeback in program history and second-largest comeback at Neyland Stadium. The win was Tennessee’s first win over Georgia since 2009. Dobbs threw a career-high 312 yards and ran for 118 yards, accounting for five touchdowns. Tied 31-31 in the fourth quarter, Dobbs directed an eight-play, 78-yard drive to put the Vols in front with 5:48 remaining. Brian Randolph knocked away Grayson Lambert’s last-second heave to the end zone to give UT the win.
