The Muskingum Student-Athlete Advisory Committee held its 3rd Annual Golden Hook Awards in the Anne C. Steele Center recently. Golden Hook Awards were awarded in 15 categories to Muskingum student-athletes and teams and the Muskingum Athletic Department Award honorees were also announced.
Freshman football quarterback Brody Hahn was presented the Golden Hook Breakthrough Male Athlete of the Year Award. Hahn set several school records for passing yards in a season, pass completions in a season, pass attempts in a season, total offense in season and tied the mark for touchdown passes in a season. Hahn was the first-ever unanimous recipient of a Golden Hook Award.
Freshman cross country athlete Rachel Timberlake was presented the Golden Hook Breakthrough Female Athlete of the Year Award. Timberlake earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors, All-Great Lake Region honors and was named the top freshman cross country female runner in Ohio.
Junior softball outfielder Krissy Hughes was presented with the Golden Hook Spark Plug Award. Hughes led the OAC in batting average and ended the year with a team-best 64 hits and 41 runs scored. She also belted five home runs, 14 doubles and had 31 RBIs.
The Muskingum men's lacrosse team won the Golden Hook Award for Best Team Comeback Win for its 11-10 overtime victory against Hiram in 2017. The Muskies rallied from a four-goal deficit in the final 1:49 to force overtime, with the game-tying goal happening with one second on the clock.
Senior volleyball middle hitter Chloe Brandewie was presented the Golden Hook for Biggest Hit. Brandewie registered a 10-kill, five-block performance against Ohio Northern, which included a massive kill off the face of a Polar Bear player.
Sophomore track & field athlete Emily Ellyson was presented with the Best Leg Golden Hook Award. Ellyson set the school record in the indoor high jump and established the school record in the indoor pentathlon.
The football duo of freshman quarterback Brody Hahn and senior wide receiver Damon Jones were presented the Golden Hook for Best Male Duo on the Field/Court. Hahn passed for 2,026 yards and 14 touchdowns and Jones set the school record for receiving yards in a season with 875 on 49 receptions.
The freshmen tandem of cross country runner Rachel Timberlake and cross country runner Macy McAdams were presented the Golden Hook for Best Female Duo on the Field/Court. The duo finished first and second the entire cross country season for the Muskies and were members of the school record setting distance medley relay squad that broke the old mark by 30 seconds.
The Muskingum baseball team won the Golden Hook for Best Win with its 2-1 victory at 15th-ranked Marietta.
Women's track & field senior athlete Tristen Wiles won the Golden Hook Award for Hands of Gold. She set the school record in the javelin and is the top-rated javelin thrower in Ohio.
Baseball freshman pitcher Nolan Fernandes was presented the Golden Hook Award for Best Male Single-Game Performance. He fired a 10-inning complete-game one-hitter with six strikeouts to lead the Muskies past Capital, 2-1.
Junior softball pitcher Rachel Eberling was presented the Golden Hook Award for Best Female Single-Game Performance. She pitched a complete-game no-hitter with four strikeouts to lead the Muskies to a 3-0 win against Alfred.
Senior volleyball middle hitter Taylour Fatheree was presented the Golden Hook Award for Comeback Athlete of the Year. She returned to the court a year after having a baby and was named Second Team All-Ohio Athletic Conference and was second on the team with 227 kills.
The Muskingum softball team was honored with the Outstanding Team of the Year Golden Hook Award. At the time of the award, Muskingum was 23-9 overall and 9-7 in the OAC. The Muskies received votes earlier this spring for two straight weeks in the top 25 poll.
The Muskingum women's soccer team was presented the Hoops for Hunger Food Drive Champion award. The team averaged 12.4 cans of food donated per player to claim the inaugural championship belt.
The Muskingum Athletic Department recognized 20 student-athletes for their achievements both in the classroom and on the field.
Senior women's basketball guard Schyler Fennimore, senior volleyball libero Shelbi Wiseman, senior volleyball setter Laura Hill, senior women's basketball manager Emmie Miller, senior men's lacrosse defender Ohlen Rudy, senior men's lacrosse goalie Phillip Dappen, senior men's soccer forward Corbin Salyer, senior football quarterback Dilon Strine, senior football defensive lineman Tommy Layman, senior men's lacrosse midfielder Matt Phoung and senior men's lacrosse defender Colin Cassidy 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 softball pitcher Rachel Eberling and junior men's soccer forward Alex Furst were honored with the Ann White and Roy "Red" Turner Strive for Excellence Awards.
Eberling, an All-OAC honoree, led the team in wins going 11-6 with a 3.55 ERA in 100.2 innings of work. Earlier this spring, she recorded a no-hitter against Alfred in a 3-0 win. At the plate, Eberling blasted an OAC leading nine home runs, registered 37 RBIs and batted .328.
Furst was a captain for the squad and played in 16 games. He ended the campaign with 13 shots and aided in the Muskie attack.
Senior women's lacrosse midfielder Paige Watterman and senior track & field athlete Tristen Wiles and sophomore men's basketball guard Marcus Dempsey were all honored with the Donna J. Newberry Pursuit of Perfection Award.
Watterman helped pace the Muskie attack with 19 goals and nine assists. She also collected 33 ground balls and caused 20 turnovers.
Wiles set the school record in the javelin and won the All-Ohio Championship and the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship to earn All-Ohio and All-OAC honors.
Dempsey finished the regular season ranked first in the Ohio Athletic Conference and third in Division III in points per game (30.3). He also set the school record for points in a game with his 57-point performance at Oberlin and scored his 1,000th career point in just his 46th career game. Dempsey ended the year earning Academic All-American honors, was named First Team All-OAC, Academic All-OAC, Second Team All-Great Lakes Region, and D3hoops.com Second Team All-Region. He was also a two-time National Player of the Week honoree.
Freshman women's cross country runner Rachel Timberlake and freshman football quarterback Brody Hahn were presented with the William F. Lange Outstanding Freshmen Awards.
Timberlake earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors, All-Great Lake Region honors and was named the top freshman cross country female runner in Ohio.
Hahn set several school records for passing yards in a season, pass completions in a season, pass attempts in a season, total offense in season and tied the mark for touchdown passes in a season.
Senior women's basketball guard Olivia Besancon was recognized as the Barbara Steiner Outstanding Senior Female Athlete, while senior baseball infielder Eddie Harper was acknowledged as the William G. Moore Outstanding Senior Male Athlete.
Besancon became the 21st Muskingum women's basketball player to score 1,000 career points and broke the school records for the best free throw percentage in a season (.908) and career (.872). In addition, she tied the school record for most free throws attempted in a game (14) and most free throws made in a game (12) at Wooster.
Harper led the team with a .344 batting average. He scored 28 runs, had 22 RBIs and belted five doubles and three triples. He ended the season with a .459 on-base percentage and had a team-best 14 stolen bases.
Senior softball pitcher/designated player and chemistry major Haylea Debolt and senior men's golfer and chemistry and pre-pharmacy major Jacob Van Leeuwen 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.
Debolt, an All-OAC honoree, led the league in RBIs (40), while batting .346. In addition, she was second on the team in doubles (13) and was fourth in runs scored (23). From the circle, she held a 2.98 ERA, which ranked seventh in the conference. Debolt also led the team in saves with two. She is a three-time Academic All-OAC honoree and received the NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete accolade. In the classroom, she was honored with the 2015 Annual Freshman Chemistry Award. In 2015 and 2017 she received the E.R. "Rudy" Gerlach Chemistry Award and was presented the 2016 Alice & Si Vellenga Award, while in 2018 Debolt was honored with the William J. Wallace Award. She is a four-time Dean's List honoree. Outside the classroom, Debolt has served as the Treasurer for the American Chemical Society, President of the Criminal Justice Association and is a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa. Debolt is also a Chemistry Peer Leader and Tutor.
Van Leeuwen was the 2016 medalist at the Mount Union Raiders Invitational and has a career low round of 68. He recorded the second lowest 54-hole total in school history with his 221 and has the fifth lowest scoring average in school history at 78.6. Van Leeuwen is a two-time captain and was honored with OAC Men's Golfer of the Week accolades. In the classroom, he is a three-time Academic All-OAC honoree and a member of the Lambda Sigma Sophomore Honorary. He's been recognized on the Dean's List twice and has been admitted to the top Pharmacy School in the country at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Outside the classroom, Van Leeuwen is the President and Treasurer of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and serves as a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative and a Resident Assistant.
The 2018 Golden Hook Awards
