JOPLIN, Mo. – Missouri Southern Athletics honored excellence across all programs Monday night at the 2026 Roary's Athletic Awards Banquet, celebrating the accomplishments, leadership, and impact of its student-athletes.

Highlighting the evening's top honors, Dailynn VanDeren (women's track & field) and Cedric Pearson (men's track & field) were named Athletes of the Year for their standout seasons. The Heart of a Lion Awards were presented to Carsen Tinkler (softball) and Lincoln Renfro (football), while Katie Gray (softball) and Cedric Pearson earned recognition for their Career Achievements. The prestigious E.O. & Virginia Humphrey Award went to Abby Hobbs (track & field), honoring her excellence, leadership, and community service  within Missouri Southern Athletics.

In addition to major award winners, Missouri Southern recognized its Lionbacker Award recipients, Chi Alpha Sigma inductees, and the Class of 2026 seniors, celebrating their dedication, leadership, and impact on Lion Athletics.

Below is a full list of award winners from the 2026 Roary's.

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Lionbacker Awards
Baseball – Brayden Luikart
Basketball – Men – Isaiah Atwater
Basketball – Women – Ashlyn Alloway
Cheer – Averie Hallacy
Cross Country – Men – Jaden Deaton
Cross Country – Women – Kyla Weems
Dance – Hannah Rhymer
Football – Lincoln Renfro
Golf – Men – Tucker Ford
Golf – Women – Cierra Tunley
Indoor Track & Field – Men –Cedric Pearson
Indoor Track & Field – Women – Dailynn VanDeren
Outdoor Track & Field – Men – Phillip Jefferson
Outdoor Track & Field – Women – Keilee Johnson
Soccer – Bella Smith
Softball – Carsen Tinkler
Volleyball – Alana Moesch

Chi Alpha Sigma
Kaylor Darnell – Baseball
Jacob Filip – Baseball
Brayden Luikart – Baseball
Walker Sweet – Baseball
Marcus Young – Baseball
Ashlyn Alloway – Women's Basketball
Nariah Clay – Women's Basketball
Ashlynn Patrick – Cheer
Jaden Deaton – Cross Country | Track & Field
Lilah Genel – Cross Country | Track & Field
Isabella Frost – Cross Country | Track & Field
Hailey Nelson – Cross Country | Track & Field 
Zoe Nelson – Cross Country | Track & Field
Hailey Hilsabeck – Dance
Hannah Rhymer – Dance
Braeden Foster – Football
Dillon Ramella – Football
Tucker Ford – Men's Golf
Katarina Chynoranska – Women's Golf
Avary Eckert – Women's Golf
Maryn Harlow – Women's Golf
Caitlin Metcalfe – Women's Golf
Cierra Tunley – Women's Golf
Drew Beachler – Track & Field
Adrianne Casey – Track & Field
Claire Cole – Track & Field
Ethan Dias – Track & Field
Briar Gillum – Track & Field
Travis Greenfield – Track & Field 
Lillian Hart – Track & Field
Emma Hobbs – Track & Field
Abby Hobbs – Track & Field
Keilee Johnson – Track & Field 
Maggie Kauk – Track & Field
Ashyiria Savage – Track & Field
Garrett Strange – Track & Field
Dailynn VanDeren – Track & Field
Tyson Williams – Track & Field
Lizeth Almaraz – Soccer
Clarissa Davis – Soccer
Daniela Marquez – Soccer
Abigail Pasternak – Soccer
Olivia Riggs – Soccer
Kennedy Williams – Soccer
Katie Gray – Softball
Emma Mason – Softball
Maddie Rolfs – Softball
Carsen Tinkler – Softball
Hannah Allick – Volleyball
Hanna Lauterbach – Volleyball

Class of 2026 – Senior Acknowledgment
Baseball
Ethan Clark
Jacob Filip
Kyle Kaempf
Jason Lazo
Brayden Luikart
Softball
Cady Dickey
Katie Gray
Emma Mason
Taylor Nuckolls
Emily Perry
Carsen Tinkler

Harry Greninger Heart of a Lion Award
Female – Carsen Tinkler – Softball
Male – Lincoln Renfro – Football

Newcomer of the Year
Female – Emily Davis – Softball
Male – Tillman Martin – Football

SAAC Mentor of the Year
Carissa Cessna

Community Service Award
Team – Softball – 342 hours of community service

Scholar Athlete Award
Carsen Tinkler – Softball

Athlete of the Year
Female – Dailynn VanDeren – Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field
Male – Cedric Pearson – Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field

Career Achievement Award
Female – Katie Gray – Softball
Male – Cedric Pearson – Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field

E.O. & Virginia Humphrey Award
Abby Hobbs – Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field