The Muskingum Student-Athlete Advisory Committee held its first-ever Golden Hook Awards in the Anne C. Steele Center on Monday night. Golden Hook Awards were awarded in 11 categories to Muskingum student-athletes and teams and the Muskingum Athletic Department Awards were also unveiled.
[Golden Hook Awards photo gallery]
[Golden Hook Awards highlight video]
[Golden Hook Awards show video]
Sophomore volleyball libero Deidre Price was presented with the Golden Hook Spark Plug Award. Prince led the defensive effort for the team by registering a team-best 580 digs.
The Muskingum baseball team won the Golden Hook Award for Best Team Comeback Win for their 13-12 win against Waynesburg in March at the RussMatt Invitational in Winter Haven, Florida. The Muskies rallied from a 12-7 deficit in the eighth inning to win in the bottom of the ninth on junior Matt Lynn's two-run single with two outs.
The Muskingum women's soccer team won the Golden Hook for Craziest Save of the Year for their team effort at Otterbein in October.
Sophomore volleyball setter Taylor Mathews and sophomore volleyball middle hitter Taylor Fatheree were presented with the Golden Hook for Best Duo on the Field/Court. Mathews led the team with 1,033 assists and Fatheree led the squad with 349 kills. The duo were also named Honorable Mention All-Ohio Athletic Conference following their season.
Mathews also won the Golden Hook Award for Hands of Gold. She ranked fifth in the Ohio OAC in assists and logged 386 digs.
The Muskingum men's basketball won the Golden Hook for Best Upset Win with its 83-80 overtime victory against Mount Union on February 15.
Freshman men's lacrosse midfielder Jake Stewart was presented the Golden Hook for Biggest Hit. Stewart won the award for his blast against Wabash in March.
Junior softball pitcher Dakota DeAmicis was honored with the Golden Hook Award for Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. DeAmicis, who is pitching for the first time in her collegiate career, has a 4-1 record with 15 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work.
Junior men's basketball forward Joshua Keyes was presented the Golden Hook Award for Best Single-Game Performance. Keyes recorded one of the most dominating performances in Muskingum history with his career-high 36-point, 21-rebound night against Case Western in January. He ended the evening hitting 14-of-23 shots, which included a pair of three-pointers and a perfect 6-of-6 display at the free throw line. Keyes also added two blocks, two steals and one assist to his highlight-reel effort. Keyes was named Honorable Mention All-OAC at the end of the basketball season.
The Muskingum volleyball team was honored with the Outstanding Team of the Year Golden Hook Award. The Muskies went 21-10 overall and tied for third in the OAC. Muskingum hosted its first OAC Tournament contest since 2008.
The Muskingum Athletic Department recognized 18 student-athletes for their achievements both in the classroom and on the field.
Senior football defensive lineman Michael Johnston, senior men's soccer defender Tyler Craft, senior men's tennis athlete Gene Montgomery, senior baseball pitcher Dylan Davy, senior football offensive lineman Pat Hoban, senior women's soccer forward Kelsey Overley, senior women's soccer forward Jennifer Hastings, senior women's basketball forward Leigha Moran and senior softball infielder Laina Walker were all honored with the Greg Riggar Dedicated to Sport Award. The award is bestowed upon senior student-athletes at Muskingum who show excellence in associated areas of dedication to sport, leadership, and practice habits. The athlete must have participated for all four years of his/her collegiate career, be held in high esteem by his/her fellow teammates and also exhibit the qualities of loyalty and discipline.
Junior cross country and track athlete Julie Fobes and senior football fullback and track athlete Dominic Bell were honored with the Ann White and Roy "Red" Turner Strive for Excellence Awards.
Fobes led the Muskies in cross country with a 30th-place finish at the OAC Championships. Her strong effort helped propel the Muskies to the NCAA Regional Championships. On the track, Fobes leads the distance runners in the 1,500-meter run and the 5,000-meter run. She holds the school record for indoor one-mile run with a time of 5:20.86. Fobes was honored her freshman year with the William F. Lange Outstanding Freshman Female Award and her sophomore year with the Anne White Strive for Excellence Award.
Bell, an Honorable Mention All-OAC honoree, played in all 10 games for the Muskie football team and helped anchor the backfield. He paved the way for the Muskies to amass 1,824 yards rushing and 1,204 yards passing. On the track team, Bell leads the team in the pole vault and is one of the top competitors in the shot put and javelin.
Freshman softball pitcher Rachel Eberling and freshman men's basketball forward Jarrell Marsh were presented with the William F. Lange Outstanding Freshmen Awards.
Eberling leads the softball team with seven wins and a 2.30 ERA. She has started 14 games and registered 10 complete games in 103.2 innings of work. Eberling is holding opposing batters to a .246 average and has a team-best 42 strikeouts.
Marsh, an Honorable Mention All-OAC selection, was honored as Muskingum's first-ever OAC Freshman of the Year after leading the Muskies and ranking seventh in the league in scoring (16.0 ppg). The OAC began presenting the Freshman of the Year Award in 2010. He saw action in 22 games and started 16, while averaging 24.0 minutes per contest. Marsh ended his first-year campaign with 352 points and 104 rebounds, and erupted for a career-high 41 points against nationally-ranked Marietta on January 27.
Senior softball shortstop Kelly Martin was recognized as the Barbara Steiner Outstanding Senior Female Athlete, while senior football linebacker Zach Barry and senior track athlete Chris Lardie were acknowledged as the William G. Moore Outstanding Senior Male Athletes.
Martin, a First Team All-OAC and Second Team All-Central Region honoree, is a career .325 hitter with 68 RBIs. Throughout her Muskie tenure, Martin has registered 70 runs scored, 22 doubles, 20 stolen bases, six home runs and five triples. She is a four-year starter for the Muskies and is an Academic All-OAC honoree.
Barry, an Honorable Mention All-OAC selection, was one of the top linebackers in the league and ended the season with a career-high 92 tackles. He ended his career with 222 tackles, which ranks 12th all-time at Muskingum.
Lardie, a three-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference honoree in the triple jump, has led the Muskies in field events since his arrival on campus. He has finished in the top five 46 times throughout his Muskie tenure to lead Muskingum.
Senior women's basketball guard Angela Darnley and senior football offensive lineman Sam Lucas were honored with the Ohio Athletic Conference Clyde Lamb Award. Criteria for the award include at least two years participation in an OAC-sponsored sport, senior status, a minimum grade point average of 3.00 and sportsmanlike conduct in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete and his or her institution.
Darnley, a double major in business management and public accounting, is a four-year letterwinner for the women's basketball program. During her career, Darnley has scored 458 points, grabbed 293 rebounds and recorded 269 assists. Furthermore, she set the school record for assists in a game with her 13-assist performance against Denison during the 2014-15 campaign. Darnley's work ethic in the classroom has earned her numerous academic awards including being named a Muskingum Distinguished Scholar four times, being honored with Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference accolades three times, and being recognized on the Dean's list seven times. Darnley was also named the OAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month in January. Furthermore, she is also a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa and the Lambda Sigma honoraries. Outside the classroom, Darnley has been active in various community service projects that include donating books to a children's hospital; visiting the residents at the Beckett House, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in New Concord; helping to build a children's play area at a wilderness center; and as a member of Student Senate, Darnley this year helped provide Christmas gifts for two needy children.
Lucas, a physical education and health education major, was a four-year starter and three-year All-OAC honoree for the football program. He was named Academic All-OAC three times, honored with Dean's List accolades multiple times and was recognized as the SAAC Muskie of the Month in October 2015. Lucas was named the 2015 Offensive Most Valuable Player and was a seven-time Muskingum Football Player of the Week selection. He was a two-year captain and a key member of Muskingum's 500th program win.
Outside the field of competition, Lucas is actively involved with Athletes in Action, Relay for Life, Kids' Corner, Special Olympics, Pick-Up New Concord, the Pike Elementary Carnival, bingo at the Beckett House, Muskingum athletic department volunteer and was a member of Muskingum's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
