Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern Athletic Department honored its student-athletes last night at the 2021-22 Student-Athlete Awards Banquet held inside Young Gymnasium on the campus of Missouri Southern.
The event serves as an end-of-the-year reception to pay homage to the student-athletes, as well as hand out awards for success on the field of play, as well as in the classroom, and service to the community.
The department awarded its Male and Female Athlete of the Year, the Team Service Award, the Individual Service Award and the EO & Virginia Humphrey Award. Each program also had a team MVP award, as well as a recipient of the Lionbacker Award of Excellence.
The Team Service Award went to the women's soccer team. This year the ladies averaged 22.7 hours per student-athlete on the team, volunteering their time at multiple locations throughout Southwest Missouri including the Joplin Humane Society, Vision Carthage, Watered Gardens and multiple local churches.
The Individual Service Award went to Riley Laver of women's soccer. Laver had the most service hours of any student-athlete, logging over 163 hours this year. She was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and will be its President this upcoming year.
The Male Athlete of the Year went to men's track and field and cross country athlete Ryan Riddle. This year Riddle was the MIAA and the NCAA Central Region Champion in cross country, while being named the Regional Cross Country Athlete of the Year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Riddle was an All-MIAA, All-Region and All-American selection during the cross country season. Transitioning into the track and field schedule, Riddle went on to win both the 3k and the 5k at the MIAA Indoor Championships, as well as winning the 5k and 10k at the MIAA Outdoor Championships. He was a three-time All-Region selection in the indoor track and field season with the outdoor selections yet to be announced.
The Female Athlete of the Year was women's basketball student-athlete Lacy Stokes. Stokes was the first-ever player in MIAA history to earn both MIAA Freshman and Player of the Year in the same season. She was a first-team All-MIAA selection and a member of the MIAA All-Defensive Team and went on to earn All-Region and All-American honors, as well. Stokes set a program record for single season and single-game scoring by a freshman, ranking in the top-10 nationally of eight different categories. She helped the Lions to a school-record 17-game winning streak, as well as the program's first-ever regular season MIAA Championship.
The EO and Virginia Humphrey Award went to Laver. This year Laver was an All-MIAA selection, finishing near the top of the league in saves. She currently ranks seventh in career saves at MSSU, while ranking sixth in career shutouts. Laver is involved in many organizations within the University, winning the Dr. Al Cade Beacon of Hope Award this year. She will be the president of the MSSU SAAC next year and is a member of the MSSU Honors Program. She had the most service hours of any student-athlete this season and helped organize many of the service projects for the soccer team. She is an international business major at Southern and carries a 3.90 cumulative GPA.
Each of the individual team awards are listed below.
Lionbacker Award of Excellence
Soccer – Riley Laver
Women's Basketball – Brooke Stauffer
Women's Cross Country – Kelie Henderson
Women's Indoor Track and Field – Mallory Huber
Women's Outdoor Track and Field – Chardae Overstreet
Men's Basketball – Christian Bundy
Men's Cross Country – JP Rutledge
Men's Indoor Track and Field – Brendan Jewell
Men's Outdoor Track and Field – Taris Jackson
Men's Golf – Grant Sikes
Women's Golf – Maggie Moore
Baseball – Clay Milas
Softball – Kara Amos and Bailey Lacey
Volleyball – Brooklynn McCain
Football Dawson Herl
Cheer – Jordyn Albright
Team MVP's
Soccer Hardest Worker – Sofia Fatino
Women's Basketball MVP – Lacy Stokes
Women's Cross Country MVP – Jenari Lopez
Women's Indoor Track and Field MVP – Claire Luallen
Women's Outdoor Track and Field MVP – Kiara Smith
Men's Basketball Robert Corn Most Outstanding Player – Avery Taggart
Men's Cross Country MVP – Ryan Riddle
Men's Indoor Track and Field MVP – Ryan Riddle
Men's Outdoor Track and Field MVP – Peyton Barton
Men's Golf MVP – Tradgon McCrae
Women's Golf Outstanding Freshman – Lily Allman
Baseball Warren Turner MVP – Tommy Stevenson and Logan VanWey
Softball Lion of the Year – Tori Frazier
Volleyball Lion Award – Abbie Casper
Football Lion Pride Award – Richard Jordan Jr.
Cheer Leadership Award – Olivia Roller
