BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Athletics hosted the sixth-annual TOPSY Award show on Wednesday evening. The event was hosted by men's basketball student-athlete Tyler Olden and track & field student-athlete Samyzia Sears.
WKU Athletics distributed 26 awards in total relating to academics, community service and/or athletic performance.
Most awards are nominated and voted upon by student-athletes, coaches and staff while some are selected specifically by administration or the TOPSYs committee.
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 2022-23 school year. Football's Austin Reed and Volleyball's Lauren Matthews were honored with the prestigious award for their accomplishments on the field and court.
WKU Volleyball was awarded Best Overall Team Performance for its 2022 season. Even in a challenging preseason to the 2022 campaign, the Hilltoppers still composed a 29-4 record (12-0 C-USA), which included the program's 1000th win and a fourth-straight NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance with an at-large bid to the Dance. After opening the season at No. 21 in the AVCA Preseason Poll, WKU maintained status in the Top-25 all season long, reaching as high as No. 20, while rounding out the No. 23 spot in December.
Luke Frampton of Hilltopper Basketball 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), Taylor Davis (2021, Softball) and Audrey Griffin (2022, Track & Field).
Mr. Hilltopper and Ms. Hilltopper were given to WKU Athletics' two Student-Athlete Advisory Chairs for the year. The honor was bestowed upon Tyler "Fluff" Olden and softball's Taylor Davis.
For the third year in a row, WKU Soccer took home the Team Community Outreach Award for their dedicated service to the community. This year, the program volunteered with a different organization for each month of the year in addition to raising funds at games for numerous charities. The Male Community Outreach of the Year Award was given to both Olden and Football's Nate Griffin while the Female Community Outreach of the Year Award went to Women's Golf's Averi Cline.
Volleyball's very own Travis Hudson received Head Coach of the Year.
All award recipients from the 2023 TOPSY Awards are listed below.
2022-23 TOPSY Awards
Female Community Outreach – Averi Cline, Women's Golf
Male Community Outreach – Nate Griffin, Football and Tyler Olden, Men's Basketball
Team Community Outreach – Soccer
Male Scholar Athlete of the Year – Dalton Mesaris, Baseball
Female Scholar Athlete of the Year – Katie Irwin, Soccer
Male Graduate Scholar Athlete of the Year – John Elam, Track & Field
Female Graduate Scholar Athlete of the Year – Katie Isenbarger, Track & Field/Volleyball
Men's Scholar Team of the Year – Men's Golf
Women's Scholar Team of the Year – Tennis
Male Record-Breaking Performance – Malachi Corley, Football
Female Record-Breaking Performance – Katie Isenbarger, Track & Field
Staff Members of the Year – Collin Stoecker (Director of Student-Athlete Career Development) and Justin Brown (Football, Director of Player Engagement)
Best Upset – Catie Craig, Women's Golf
Best Comeback – Women's Basketball
Head Coach of the Year – Travis Hudson
Newcomer of the Year – Austin Reed, Football
Male Rookie of the Year – Lukas Farris, Baseball
Female Rookie of the Year – Callie Bauer, Volleyball
Mr. Hilltopper – Tyler Olden, Men's Basketball
Ms. Hilltopper – Taylor Davis, Softball
Phillip Hatchett Hilltopper Spirit Award – Luke Frampton, Men's Basketball
John O. Oldham Student-Athlete of the Year – Austin Reed, Football
John O. Oldham Student-Athlete of the Year – Lauren Matthews, Volleyball
Best Overall Team Performance – Volleyball
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