BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Athletics hosted the fifth-annual TOPSY Awards on Monday evening. It was the first in-person version of the event since 2019 as the past two years have been held virtually due to the pandemic.
WKU handed out 27 awards in total relating to academics, community service and athletic performance.
Most awards are nominated and voted upon by student-athletes, coaches and staff while some are designated specifically by administration.
Four major awards highlighted the end of the evening. The John O. Oldham Student-Athlete of the Year Award is given to the male and female with the statistically best on-field/court performance of the 2021-22 school year. Football's Bailey Zappe was honored with the male version of the award.
Zappe was named Conference USA Football Most Valuable Player after breaking the NCAA single-season records for passing yards and passing touchdowns in a season. Zappe completed 476 of 687 passes for 5,967 yards and 62 touchdowns, helping the Hilltoppers to a C-USA East Division title and a convincing win in the Boca Raton Bowl. The passing yards record had stood since 2003, while Zappe broke the touchdown record set by Joe Burrow in 2019.
Zappe also won the 2021 Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and he was named a finalist for the Manning Award, as well as a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards.
The female award was given to Volleyball and Track & Field senior Katie Isenbarger. She was a second-team All-C-USA selection in volleyball for the second consecutive season after playing in 96 of 97 sets and recording a .385 hitting percentage for the Hilltoppers. She was an AVCA All-Region pick and named to the C-USA All-Academic team.
After a two-year hiatus from high jump, Isenbarger broke her own school record twice during the indoor season. Isenbarger went on the qualify for NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships where she became a First-Team All-American with a fifth-place finish. She became the second-ever dual sport athlete at WKU to receive the Oldham award.
Volleyball was awarded Best Overall Team Performance. The team continued its storied success with a 28-2 record, a Conference USA East Division title, a Conference USA Tournament Championship and a victory in the NCAA Tournament. The team was ranked in the top-25 all season long and matched its best ranking in program history at 15th for the first two weeks of the season.
Audrey Griffin of Track & Field was awarded the Phillip Hatchett Hilltopper Spirit Award. The award is given to a student-athlete that represents the Hilltopper spirit in every way possible. They have a positive impact in their community while also pulling the best out of their teammates and self. Past recipients of the award include Billy Tom Sargent (2019, Men's Golf), Emma Kowalkowski (2020, Volleyball) and Taylor Davis (2021, Softball).
Similar to the Phillip Hatchett honor, Mr. and Ms. Hilltopper are two awards nominated and voted on by student-athletes, coaches and staff within the athletic department. It is meant to be awarded to a student-athlete that has great on-field performances, high academic standards and is a leader amongst their team. Best put, it's the student-athlete every coach wants on their team. For the 2021-22 year, Mr. Hilltopper was given to Juwuan Jones of Football and Ms. Hilltopper was awarded to Lauren Matthews of Volleyball.
WKU Soccer took home the Team Community Outreach Award for the second consecutive year after logging numerous volunteer hours over the year and raising money for tornado relief and the Stuff the Bus Foundation at their annual 7v7 spring tournament. Malik Staples earned the Male Community Outreach Award while Heather Whitlow of Cross Country/Track & Field earned the Female Community Outreach Award.
The Head Coach of the Year award was split between Tennis' Greg Davis and Volleyball's Travis Hudson.
All award recipients from the 2022 TOPSY Awards are listed below.
2021-22 TOPSY Awards
Male Community Outreach – Malik Staples, Football
Female Community Outreach – Heather Whitlow, Cross Country/Track & Field
Team Community Outreach – Soccer
Male Scholar Athlete of the Year – Jack Poole, Men's Golf
Female Scholar Athlete of the Year – Nikki Ogorek, Track & Field
Men's Scholar Team of the Year – Men's Golf
Women's Scholar Team of the Year – Women's Golf
Male Scholar Graduate Athlete of the Year – Juwuan Jones, Football
Female Scholar Graduate Athlete of the Year – Bailey Curry and Shelby Nunn, Softball
Support Staff of the Year – Joey Case, Sport Psychologist
Administrator of the Year – Doug Paccione, Coordinator of Compliance
Upset of the Year – Baseball over (RV) Kentucky
Head Coach of the Year – Greg Davis, Tennis and Travis Hudson, Volleyball
Newcomer of the Year – Jamarion Sharp
Comeback of the Year – Jordan Ridge, Softball
Male Rookie of the Year – Ty Batusich, Baseball
Female Rookie of the Year – Mya Meredith, Women's Basketball
Mr. Hilltopper – Juwuan Jones, Football
Ms. Hilltopper – Lauren Matthews, Volleyball
Phillip Hatchett Hilltopper Spirit Award – Audrey Griffin, Track & Field
Best Male Record-Breaking Performance, John O. Oldham Male Student-Athlete of the Year – Bailey Zappe
Best Female Record-Breaking Performance, John O. Oldham Female Student-Athlete of the Year – Katie Isenbarger
Best Overall Team Performance – Volleyball
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