GREENEVILLE, Tenn. –-- Track and Field athletes Daryl Smith, Jr. and Caley Sosnowski were named the Tusculum University Athletes of the Year, which was announced at the 2023-24 Senior Awards Banquet Monday night at Pioneer Arena.
The awards ceremony celebrates Tusculum's student-athletes, coaches and athletic staff for on the field and off the field successes and accomplishments.
Smith, a sophomore from Rockledge, Florida, finished 16th at the 2024 NCAA Division II Indoor Championship after placing second at the South Atlantic Conference Indoor Championship. He set a program record in the triple jump with a mark of 15.22 meters at the Vanderbilt Invitational.
Sosnowski, a freshman from Oxford, Florida, is ranked first in the country in Division II in the javelin with a mark of 48.55 meters set at the Coleman Classic earlier this month. She has finished first in the javelin in all five meets this spring, and has four of the top-six marks in program history, including the three best ever by a Pioneer.
Former TU women's volleyball head coach Danielle Marante was named this year's recipient of the Art Argauer Coach of the Year Award. Last fall, she led the Pioneers to a 22-7 record and the program's first SAC Tournament title by going 3-0 in the league postseason including wins over top-seeds Anderson and Wingate. She led TU to its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last three years and marks Marante's second time earning the Argauer Award.
Sosnowski was also named Tusculum's Female Freshman Athlete of the Year Award as she garnered All-SAC honors in volleyball and is enjoying an outstanding campaign this spring with the track & field program.
Morgan Cain (Cork, Ireland) of the men's golf team was named the Male Freshman Athlete of the Year. Cain established a new single-season record for the lowest stroke average (73.38) by a Tusculum rookie. He was named the SAC Freshman Golfer of the Year and earned All-Conference second team honors. He led the team with five top-10 performances including three times in the top-five.
Kari Ham was the 2023-24 recipient of the Walter T. Dette Spirit Award. The Dette Award is presented to the graduating senior or graduate student who has excelled in several areas while attending Tusculum University and supporting the athletic department in its endeavors. Ham, who is a member of the women's lacrosse and track & field teams, has served as the student photographer for the TU's athletic communications office the past two years. Ham (Maryland Heights, Mo.) has provided thousands of images which have helped promote the efforts of the university and its student-athletes.
Four Tusculum upperclassmen are the recipients of the Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award, which is given to the top male and female student-athletes for academic achievement.
On the women's side, four female student-athletes have perfect 4.00 grade point averages including three-time honorees: women's tennis' Johanna Palacio (Mar del Plata, Argentina); softball's Keylon Reynolds (Kingston, Tenn.); and soccer's Helena Walts (Mooresville, N.C.). Sophomore cross country and track & field distance runner Inmaculada Delgado (Seville, Spain) earns this accolade for a first time in her career.
The duo of football quarterback Tiger Vinson (Millington, Tenn.) and baseball pitcher Luke Maicon (Wake Forest, N.C.) each have a 3.98 GPA and are the recipients of the Male Student-Athlete Achievement Award.
Academic achievement was also recognized with the Male and Female Freshman of the Year Academic Awards as three rookies were honored after recording 4.00 GPAs including: Football student-athletes Rio Little (Chuckey, Tenn.) and Nehemiah Storey (Rockwood, Tenn.) and women's soccer defender Tanna Bookhamer (Greeneville, Tenn.).
Payton Dixon was named the recipient of the Tusculum Assistant Coach of the Year Award. Dixon, who serves as assistant coach with the TU football program, helped the Pioneers to a 6-5 record and a SAC Mountain Division championship and a berth in the SAC Championship Game.
Tusculum women's lacrosse player Kylie Marek (Plantation, Fla.) was the recipient of the Comeback Player of the Year Award. This honor is selected by TU's athletic training staff and presented to the student-athlete who has overcome injury and adversity while contributing to the success of the program.
A new award was introduced at this year's senior banquet with the announcement of the inaugural Chuck Williams Service Award. The Williams Service Award will be presented annually to an individual in recognition of their service and dedication to the Tusculum Athletic Department and its mission. This year's inaugural recipient is the award's namesake, Chuck Williams. Williams has volunteered thousands of hours over the years serving as Tusculum's athletic photographer. He turned his love and passion for photography into providing the artwork for the stories which celebrate the success of Tusculum's student-athletes and its athletic teams. Williams has gone above and beyond the call of duty for the university.
The Paxton-Combs Fan of the Year Award is named in honor of former Tusculum staff members and long-time Pioneer fans Mary Helen Paxton and Joyce Combs. The recipient of this year's award is longtime Tusculum and Chartwells Food Service staff member Nancy Leonard.
2023-24 Tusculum University Athletic Award Recipients
Female Athlete of the Year: Caley Sosnowski (Women's Outdoor Track & Field)
Male Athlete of the Year: Daryl Smith, Jr. (Men's Indoor Track & Field)
Art Argauer Coach of the Year: Danielle Marante (Women's Volleyball)
Female Freshman Athlete of the Year: Caley Sosnowski (Women's Volleyball / Track & Field)
Male Freshman Athlete of the Year: Morgan Cain (Men's Golf)
Comeback Player of the Year: Kylie Marek (Women's Lacrosse)
Paxton Combs Fan of the Year Award: Nancy Leonard
Walter T. Dette Spirit Award: Kari Ham (Women's Lacrosse / Track & Field)
Assistant Coach of the Year: Payton Dixon (Football)
Inaugural Chuck Williams Service Award: Chuck Williams
Team Most Valuable Players
Cheerleading (Most Spirited): Morgan Brown
Football: Ty'Korian Brown
Men's Cross Country: Pau Valdepenas
Women's Cross Country: Emily Coddington
Women's Volleyball: Emiah Burrowes
Men's Soccer: Mo Bouta
Women's Soccer: Marja Enste
Men's Beach Volleyball: Kevin Blankenship & Joel Dubinsky
Men's Basketball: Connor Jordan
Women's Basketball: Ni'Kiah Chesterfield
Men's Volleyball: Deklan Wingo
Men's Indoor Track & Field: Daryl Smith, Jr.
Women's Indoor Track: Kiera Taylor
Baseball: Murphy Flood
Softball: Claire Smeltzer
Men's Golf: Dominic Barron Holden
Women's Golf: Reagan Padilla
Men's Tennis: Nemanja Subanovic
Women's Tennis: Valentina Loretz
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Adrian Gumm
Men's Lacrosse: Nick Drennan
Women's Lacrosse: Lucy Brewer
Women's Beach Volleyball: Olivia Browne & Morgan Browne
Women's Outdoor Track: Caley Sosnowski
Academic Awards
Freshman of the Year Academic Award (Male): Rio Little (Football)
Freshman of the Year Academic Award (Male): Nehemiah Storey (Football)
Freshman of the Year Academic Award (Female): Tanna Bookhamer (Women's Soccer)
Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award (Male): Tiger Vinson (Football)
Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award (Male): Luke Maicon (Baseball)
Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award (Female): Helena Walts (Women's Soccer)
Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award (Female): Keylon Reynolds (Softball)
Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award (Female): Johanna Palacio (Women's Tennis)
Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award (Female): Inmaculada Felipe (Women's Cross Country / Track & Field)
