Weber State University Athletics
WSU honors top student-athletes from past year
4/17/2012 8:31:00 PM | Athletics
OGDEN - The Weber State University Athletic Department recently honored the best individual and team performances of the past year at its annual year-end Athletic Awards Banquet. Highlighting the banquet was the presentation of the Female and Male Athlete of the Year Awards and the Female and Male Career Achievement Awards.
In conjunction with the Crystal Crest Awards for the WSU campus, men's basketball junior Damian Lillard was selected as the 2011-12 Male Athlete of the Year, and junior Sarah Callister (track and field and cross country) was named the Female Athlete of the Year. Both Lillard and Callister are repeat Athlete of the Year winners. Callister won the female award for the second-straight season and Lillard won Male Athlete of the Year as a sophomore in 2010.
In addition to the athletes of the year, Weber State honored two student-athletes who finished their careers and were awarded with the Career Achievement Award. Lillard was the male recipient and softball senior Lyndsey Minnich received the female honor.
Lillard, a native of Oakland, California, recently finished perhaps the greatest individual season in WSU men's basketball history and on April 3 he announced he will forgo his senior season of eligibility and enter the 2012 NBA Draft. Lillard was one of the top players in all of college basketball during the past season. In addition to being named as the Big Sky Conference MVP and District Player of the Year, he was also honored as an All-American, becoming the first Wildcat and the first player from the Big Sky to ever be named to an All-American team. He led the nation in scoring for most of the season and finished the year second in the country at 24.5 points per game in leading Weber State to a 25-7 overall record and a 14-2 Big Sky record. He set a WSU single-season record in scoring, scoring average, free throws made, and three-pointers made. He scored the third most points in a season in Big Sky history.
In his 103 career games with the Wildcats Lillard ranks second in WSU history in career scoring and is the school's all-time leader in three-pointers and free throws made and ranks second in assists.
Callister, a native of Ogden and graduate of Ogden High School, repeated as Weber State Female Athlete of the Year Award winner after another outstanding season for the WSU women's track and field and cross country teams. Callister won four Big Sky titles in the past year. At the 2011 Big Sky Outdoor Track Championships she repeated as the conference champion in the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters, the first athlete in conference history to win both events in consecutive seasons. She also qualified for the NCAA West Region meet in the 10,000 meters. At the Big Sky Cross Country Championships she finished fifth overall to earn All-Conference honors and helped the Wildcats capture the conference title. She also competed at the NCAA Championships. At the 2012 Indoor Championships she won two events and was second in another in helping Weber State claim the conference title. She took first place in the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters and was second in the mile. For her performance she was named the Athlete of the Meet.
Earlier this month Callister set a new Big Sky Conference record in the 10,000 meters and has qualified for the US Olympic Trials this summer in the event. In addition to her stellar athletic performance, Callister carries a 4.00 G.P.A. and this past year she earned Academic All-American honors.
Minnich, a senior and native of Kennewick, Wash., plays at third base for the softball team and is the Wildcats' No. 3 hitter in the batting order. In two seasons with the Wildcats, Minnich has broken numerous career and single-season records. Coming down the stretch of her senior season she is Weber State's career leader in RBI, career leader in home runs, is second in total bases, third in runs scored and fifth in hits. Minnich has set four single-season records this year in runs scored, total bases, home runs and RBI. She currently ranks second in the Pacific Coast Conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, RBI, home runs and runs scored. She was named All-Conference honorable mention and named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll as a junior.
During the Athletic Awards Banquet, Weber State also honored the outstanding performances, All-Conference honors, and team MVP's for each of the 16 NCAA sponsored sports at Weber State.
The MVP's for each sport for the 2011-12 season are as follows:
Women's Outdoor Track and Field - Sarah Callister - Junior - Ogden, Utah
Men's Outdoor Track and Field - Brett Hales - Senior - Ogden, Utah
Volleyball - Caitlin Penrod - Junior - South Ogden, Utah
Soccer - Bailey Eames - Sophomore - Layton, Utah
Football - (Offensive MVP - J.C. Oram - Senior- Marriott-Slatverville, Utah) (Defensive MVP - Anthony Morales - Sophomore - Edmond, Oklahoma) (Special Teams MVP - Trevor Pletcher - Junior - Edmond, Oklahoma)
Men's Cross Country - Brett Hales - Senior - Ogden, Utah
Women's Cross Country - Amber Henry - Junior - Mountain View, Wyoming
Women's Basketball - Amanda Hughes - Junior - Aurora, Colorado
Men's Basketball - Damian Lillard - Junior - Oakland, California
Women's Indoor Track and Field - Sarah Callister - Junior - Ogden, Utah
Men's Indoor Track and Field - Zach Parry - Senior - Taylorsville, Utah
Women's Tennis - MVP will be announced at the conclusion of the season.
Men's Tennis - Simon Unger - Senior - Moenchengladbach, Germany
Men's Golf - Nick Despain - Senior - Farr West, Utah
Women's Golf - MVP will be announced at the conclusion of the season.
Softball - MVP will be announced at the conclusion of the season.
In conjunction with the Crystal Crest Awards for the WSU campus, men's basketball junior Damian Lillard was selected as the 2011-12 Male Athlete of the Year, and junior Sarah Callister (track and field and cross country) was named the Female Athlete of the Year. Both Lillard and Callister are repeat Athlete of the Year winners. Callister won the female award for the second-straight season and Lillard won Male Athlete of the Year as a sophomore in 2010.
In addition to the athletes of the year, Weber State honored two student-athletes who finished their careers and were awarded with the Career Achievement Award. Lillard was the male recipient and softball senior Lyndsey Minnich received the female honor.
Lillard, a native of Oakland, California, recently finished perhaps the greatest individual season in WSU men's basketball history and on April 3 he announced he will forgo his senior season of eligibility and enter the 2012 NBA Draft. Lillard was one of the top players in all of college basketball during the past season. In addition to being named as the Big Sky Conference MVP and District Player of the Year, he was also honored as an All-American, becoming the first Wildcat and the first player from the Big Sky to ever be named to an All-American team. He led the nation in scoring for most of the season and finished the year second in the country at 24.5 points per game in leading Weber State to a 25-7 overall record and a 14-2 Big Sky record. He set a WSU single-season record in scoring, scoring average, free throws made, and three-pointers made. He scored the third most points in a season in Big Sky history.
In his 103 career games with the Wildcats Lillard ranks second in WSU history in career scoring and is the school's all-time leader in three-pointers and free throws made and ranks second in assists.
Callister, a native of Ogden and graduate of Ogden High School, repeated as Weber State Female Athlete of the Year Award winner after another outstanding season for the WSU women's track and field and cross country teams. Callister won four Big Sky titles in the past year. At the 2011 Big Sky Outdoor Track Championships she repeated as the conference champion in the 5,000 meters and the 10,000 meters, the first athlete in conference history to win both events in consecutive seasons. She also qualified for the NCAA West Region meet in the 10,000 meters. At the Big Sky Cross Country Championships she finished fifth overall to earn All-Conference honors and helped the Wildcats capture the conference title. She also competed at the NCAA Championships. At the 2012 Indoor Championships she won two events and was second in another in helping Weber State claim the conference title. She took first place in the 3,000 meters and 5,000 meters and was second in the mile. For her performance she was named the Athlete of the Meet.
Earlier this month Callister set a new Big Sky Conference record in the 10,000 meters and has qualified for the US Olympic Trials this summer in the event. In addition to her stellar athletic performance, Callister carries a 4.00 G.P.A. and this past year she earned Academic All-American honors.
Minnich, a senior and native of Kennewick, Wash., plays at third base for the softball team and is the Wildcats' No. 3 hitter in the batting order. In two seasons with the Wildcats, Minnich has broken numerous career and single-season records. Coming down the stretch of her senior season she is Weber State's career leader in RBI, career leader in home runs, is second in total bases, third in runs scored and fifth in hits. Minnich has set four single-season records this year in runs scored, total bases, home runs and RBI. She currently ranks second in the Pacific Coast Conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, RBI, home runs and runs scored. She was named All-Conference honorable mention and named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll as a junior.
During the Athletic Awards Banquet, Weber State also honored the outstanding performances, All-Conference honors, and team MVP's for each of the 16 NCAA sponsored sports at Weber State.
The MVP's for each sport for the 2011-12 season are as follows:
Women's Outdoor Track and Field - Sarah Callister - Junior - Ogden, Utah
Men's Outdoor Track and Field - Brett Hales - Senior - Ogden, Utah
Volleyball - Caitlin Penrod - Junior - South Ogden, Utah
Soccer - Bailey Eames - Sophomore - Layton, Utah
Football - (Offensive MVP - J.C. Oram - Senior- Marriott-Slatverville, Utah) (Defensive MVP - Anthony Morales - Sophomore - Edmond, Oklahoma) (Special Teams MVP - Trevor Pletcher - Junior - Edmond, Oklahoma)
Men's Cross Country - Brett Hales - Senior - Ogden, Utah
Women's Cross Country - Amber Henry - Junior - Mountain View, Wyoming
Women's Basketball - Amanda Hughes - Junior - Aurora, Colorado
Men's Basketball - Damian Lillard - Junior - Oakland, California
Women's Indoor Track and Field - Sarah Callister - Junior - Ogden, Utah
Men's Indoor Track and Field - Zach Parry - Senior - Taylorsville, Utah
Women's Tennis - MVP will be announced at the conclusion of the season.
Men's Tennis - Simon Unger - Senior - Moenchengladbach, Germany
Men's Golf - Nick Despain - Senior - Farr West, Utah
Women's Golf - MVP will be announced at the conclusion of the season.
Softball - MVP will be announced at the conclusion of the season.
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