Dressed for success: USC student-athletes have much to celebrate (+ video)
.JPG "Greg Chiles, a member of the South Carolina Track and Field team, walks the red carpet as he joins other USC athletes for the 2015 Gamecock Gala at Colonial Life Arena, Monday.")
South Carolina’s women’s basketball team picked up plenty of individual honors during a record-breaking Final Four season.
Now they have more.
The team earned two superlative awards at Monday’s Gamecock Gala, a celebration of USC’s student-athletes. Tiffany Mitchell added USC Female Athlete of the Year (and team MVP) to her overflowing trophy case and A’ja Wilson was named a co-winner of the school’s New Student-Athlete of the Year Award, along with women’s soccer’s Savannah McCaskill.
The program recognized the recently crowned national champion equestrian team, the football team’s fourth straight bowl win and the men’s golf team, which has won a school record five tournaments this year. USC also led the SEC in fall academic honor roll members for the ninth straight year.
It also featured a chance for every athlete to show off their fashion sense instead of the usual Under Armour warmup suit.
“We don’t usually see each other, outside the Dodie,” star receiver Pharoh Cooper said. “We’re always usually in sports gear.”
“It means the world to me,” gushed Wilson. “It’s great to be here and see everybody outside of their uniforms.”
AWARDS
SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Award: Cole Miller (men’s swimming and diving), Erika Rucker (women’s track and field)
SEC Brad Davis Community Service Award: Damiere Byrd (football), Taylor Leach (women’s soccer)
Best Fan Award: Austin Solheim
New Student-Athlete of the Year: Akram Mahmoud (men’s swimming and diving), A’ja Wilson (women’s basketball), Savannah McCaskill (women’s soccer)
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Braeden Troyer (men’s soccer), Adele Norton (equestrian)
Community Outreach Team of the Year: Women’s soccer
Athletes of the Year: Cole Miller (men’s swimming and diving), Will Starke (men’s golf), Tiffany Mitchell (women’s basketball)
Gamecock Inspiration Award: Olivia Hassler (women’s track and field)
The Garnet Award: Ken and Cyndi Long
The President’s Award: Sabrina D’Angelo (women’s soccer)
Team MVPs
Men’s basketball: Duane Notice
Women’s basketball: Tiffany Mitchell
Cheerleading: Taryn Applebaum
Cross country: Anna Todd
Dance: Ashlyn Eadie
Equestrian: Amber Henter
Football: Dylan Thompson
Women’s golf: Justine Dreher
Men’s golf: Will Starke, Matt NeSmith
Men’s soccer: Braeden Troyer
Women’s soccer: Stevi Parker
Sand volleyball: Paige Wheeler, Megan Kent
Softball (from 2014 season): Ashlyn Masters
Men’s swimming/diving: Cole Miller
Women’s swimming/diving: Meredith Vay
Men’s tennis: Kyle Koch
Women’s tennis: Meghan Blevins
Men’s indoor track and field: Jermaine Collier
Women’s indoor track and field: Briana Haith
Men’s outdoor track and field (from 2014 season): Kaleb Zuidema
Women’s outdoor track and field (from 2014 season): Sarah Graham
Volleyball: Mikaela Christiaansen
Note: Baseball will award its MVP after the season concludes
This story was originally published April 20, 2015 at 10:01 PM with the headline "Dressed for success: USC student-athletes have much to celebrate (+ video)."