Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Nominees announced for 2019 RCAs
4/22/2019 4:00:00 PM | General, BRAA
Annual event is Thursday
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee's finest student-athletes will be recognized during the eighth annual Raiders' Choice Awards at the MTSU Tucker Theatre Thursday, April 25.
The awards show is set up like the ESPYs and recognizes the athletic and academic achievements of Blue Raider student-athletes during the 2018-19 school year. The stars of the show enter via a blue carpet beginning at 6 p.m., with the awards show beginning at 7 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend with a limited number of free tickets available.
Awards include three that are voted on by the fans: Play of the Year, Performance of the Year and Game/Event of the Year. Other categories include the Make a Difference Award, Male/Female Newcomer of the Year, Male/Female Breakout Performer of the Year, Male/Female Athlete of the Year, the Director's Cup, Academic Achievement Award, Highest Team GPA Ward and the True Blue Scholar President's Awards. Special recognition also will be given to All-American and conference champions.
Fans can vote on the Player of the Year, Performance of the Year and Game/Event of the Year awards at GoBlueRaiders.com. A full list of past winners can be found on GoBlueRaiders.com.
Here are this year's nominees:
Female Newcomer of the Year
Catherine Caudill - golf
Eusila Chepkemei – track and field
Corrina Dodd – softball
A'Queen Hayes –basketball
Pamela Kosgei – cross country
Sarah Sumida – volleyball
Hannah Tillett – soccer
Male Newcomer of the Year
Nick Carnevale – baseball
Fabian Edoki – track and field
Antonio Green – men's basketball
Chaton Mobley – football
Pavel Motl – tennis
Brian Rono – cross country
Play of the Year (fan vote)
Kristin Uselton's grand slam
Senior Kristin Uselton [Us-uhl-ton] picked a good time for her first-career grand slam. In the top of the fifth inning in the Conference USA Tournament championship game, her blast gave MTSU a lead it would never relinquish. The Blue Raiders went on to win the conference title 7-6 over Florida Atlantic, advancing to the NCAA Regional for the first time since 2000.
Brent Stockstill's 2-point conversion pass to Gatlin Casey
Following a touchdown run by Tavares Thomas with 38 seconds to play, the Blue Raiders trailed FAU 24-23. MTSU elected to go for two and the win, and after quarterback Brent Stockstill kept the play alive by scrambling backwards, left then right, he found Gatlin Casey crossing the middle of the endzone for the win. It was part of a memorable year for the Middle Tennessee football team.
Reed Blankenship's Sportscenter Top Play
Against Old Dominion in late October, Middle Tennessee was granted an ESPN-worthy play with seconds remaining in the first half. Sophomore All-Conference safety Reed Blankenship picked off a Monarch pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a TD. The play was ranked No. 2 on ESPN's Plays of the Day, and the return matched the longest in MTSU and Conference USA history.
A'Queen [A-Queen] Hayes ignites Lady Raiders
With 5:37 remaining in a five-point game on the hardwood, senior A'Queen Hayes collected a steal, drove the lane, took on two WKU defenders and drilled an and-one to ignite a 7-1 run. The run catapulted MTSU to an 81-69 win against the rival Hilltoppers.
Game-winner from DePriest
Middle Tennessee sophomore Peyton DePriest has had plenty of memorable goals in her short collegiate soccer career. Another came in game-winning fashion in the 87th minute at UAB, clinching the Blue Raiders' spot in the Conference USA Tournament. MTSU secured 16 points in conference play this season, and DePriest tied with teammate Hannah Tillett for the most goals in the conference.
Reggie Scurry's windmill jam
Searching for a third straight win in Conference USA play, Middle Tennessee found itself in a battle with visiting Charlotte on February 7. With the Blue Raiders needing a spark, junior Reggie Scurry came up with a steal on one end and slammed home a windmill dunk on the other to help ignite a run, leading to a 71-53 MTSU victory.
Wigginton's walk-off
Sophomore pitcher Peyton Wigginton was the unlikely hero for the Blue Raider baseball team against Murray State on April 2. Wigginton smashed a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th to give MTSU a come-from-behind win. It was his first-career home run.
Performance of the Year (fan vote)
Cori Jennings' no-no
Senior Cori Jennings tossed her second-career no-hitter and just the third in the history of the Conference USA Softball Tournament to lead MTSU to a 4-0 win over FIU in the quarterfinals of the 2018 championship. The Blue Raiders would go on to win their first Conference USA Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Regional for the second time.
All-time tournament performance for A'Queen [A-Queen]
Senior A'Queen [A-Queen] Hayes produced one of the top performances in Conference USA Tournament history with 34 points and 14 rebounds against UAB in the semifinals. Hayes' dynamic performance was the 10th-highest scoring effort in tournament history and propelled MTSU to the finals for the third time in six seasons.
DePriest's hat trick
Peyton DePriest recorded her first-career hat trick in a 3-0 win at UTEP. The sophomore scored in the 28th, 77th and 80th minutes to provide all of MTSU's offense. The victory ended a stretch in which the Blue Raiders went 5-0-1, and DePriest ended the season tied with teammate Hannah Tillett with the Conference USA lead in goals.
Blankenship dominates ODU
Safety Reed Blankenship recorded a career-high 17 tackles, a personal-best 3.0 TFLs, a sack and a record-setting interception against ODU. With just seconds remaining in the first half, the sophomore All-Conference member picked off a pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. The play ranked No. 2 on ESPN's Plays of the Day.
Mason's conference stretch
Bailey Mason notched 17 kills, hitting on a .400 clip, to earn her first-career Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week honor after the team swept UAB.
New Nigerian record for Egbeniyi [Egg-ben-ee-yee]
Senior Abike [A-bee-kay] Egbeniyi [Egg-ben-ee-yee] set a new women's Nigerian indoor record in the 800 meter with a time of 2:03.77 at the Vanderbilt Invitational. It also went down at the time as the fastest in the country this season and second fastest in the world.
Co-medalist for Byrd
Senior Marcus Byrd earned co-medalist honors at the Puerto Rico Invitational with a 6-under par total. It was his first collegiate win and came against a field that included 20 of the top 100 players in the country.
All-American nod for Edoki [E-doe-key]
Fabian Edoki [E-doe-key] finished sixth in the men's high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships to earn First Team All-American honors. The sophomore had a jump of 7.86 meters, which went down as his best of the season.
Breakout for The Mayor
Sophomore Donovan Sims knocked down the game-winning free throws with 1 second on the clock to seal a road win at UAB. The Mayor poured in 23 points and collected seven rebounds and six assists with zero turnovers on the night.
Stockstill leads MT to first win at Marshall
Senior quarterback Brent Stockstill threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 31 yards on the ground and a score to lead MTSU to an upset at Marshall. The Herd have the nation's fifth-best home winning percentage, and it was the Blue Raiders' first-ever win in Huntington.
Three blasts for Christian
Myles Christian crushed three home runs, including a clutch grand slam in the bottom of the eighth, to give the Blue Raiders the insurance runs they needed against rival WKU. To go along with his home runs, the sophomore drove in 7 RBIs and scored 4 runs. He collected player of the week honors from Conference USA, TSWA and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Low round for Long
Senior Hanley Long went low at the Memphis Women's Intercollegiate, firing a school-record 54-hole total of 206 after an incredible 5-under par 66 in the final round to clinch a runner-up finish at Ridgeway Country Club. The team also finished second.
Game/Event of the Year (fan vote)
Softball team's C-USA Tournament win over FAU
Middle Tennessee's first Conference USA Softball Tournament game was a 7-6 win over Florida Atlantic. Picked No. 11 in the preseason poll and seeded No. 6 heading into the tournament, the Blue Raiders proved doubters wrong by winning the championship and securing a spot in the NCAA Regional for the second time in program history.
First East Division title for the football team
Middle Tennessee's football team downed UAB at home, 27-3, to secure its first East Division title and a spot in the Conference USA Championship game at home the following week, where they would again face UAB.
Men's indoor track conference championship
Middle Tennessee's men's track and field team dominated the Conference USA field to claim the indoor conference championship for the second time in three years, and head coach Dean Hayes was named Coach of the Year for the third straight season. Jacob Choge [Cho-gee] had the highest individual point total of any male athlete.
Blue Raider soccer secures spot in conference tournament
Middle Tennessee's late game-winning goal off the foot of sophomore star Peyton DePriest at UAB clinched the Blue Raiders' spot in the Conference USA Women's Soccer Tournament. DePriest ended the season tied with teammate Hannah Tillett with the Conference USA lead in goals, and MTSU scored 16 points in conference play.
Men's basketball beats conference leaders
Middle Tennessee knocked off then first-place UAB at home on Jan. 30 in a 71-65 thriller that saw four Blue Raiders score in double figures. Murfreesboro native Donovan Sims, "The Mayor", provided the dagger with a stepback 3-pointer to beat the shot clock inside the final minute.
Wigginton's walk-off blast
Sophomore pitcher Peyton Wigginton hit a three-run walk-off home run against Murray State on April 2, completing an epic comeback. The Blue Raiders fell behind 4-0 in the top of the first, but brought it back within one run before Aaron Antonini tied it with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Wigginton then walked it off with his first-career blast.
C-USA Tournament semifinals win for Lady Raiders
Leading by a slim 37-36 advantage at halftime, Middle Tennessee's women's basketball team stormed out of the locker room and seized momentum against UAB to claim a 75-65 win against the defending regular-season champions. It punched the Lady Raiders' ticket to the Conference USA title game for the third time in six years.
Strong finish for men's golf at Legends Club
First-year head coach Mark McEntire helped lead his squad to a thrilling comeback at Vanderbilt Legends Club this April, as the Blue Raiders vaulted seven spots up the leaderboard on the final day to finish tied for fourth behind a trio of top 25 teams.
Win for women's golf
Middle Tennessee women's golf battled the cold, wind and snow this spring at the River Landing Classic and overcame it all to win the team title at 2-under-par. Three Blue Raiders ranked inside the top 8 on the individual leaderboard.
Female Breakout Performer
Joycelyn Assafuah – track and field
Sophie Burks – golf
Kirstyn Cuccia – softball
Julia Jelagat – cross country
Taylor Sutton – basketball
Male Breakout Performer
Wesley Bush – football
Nathan Mack – cross country
Isaac Odugbesan – track and field
Tanner Owens – golf
Max Rauch – tennis
Donovan Sims – basketball
Petyon Wigginton – baseball
Female Athlete of the Year
Summer Burgess – softball
Peyton DePriest – soccer
Abike Egbeniyi – track and field
Alex Johnson – basketball
Pamela Kosgei – cross country
Hanley Long - golf
Constanza Magazzini – tennis
Bailey Mason – volleyball
Male Athlete of the Year
Aaron Antonini – baseball
Marcus Byrd – golf
Antonio Green – basketball
Nathan Mack – cross country
Tom Moonen – tennis
Jacob Patten – track and field|
Brent Stockstill – football
Female President's Award
Lexi Cushing – softball
Amber Hoot – soccer
Alex Johnson – basketball
Hanley Long – golf
Costanza Magazzini – tennis
Male President's Award
Aaron Antonini – baseball
James Beckner - golf
Khalil Brooks – football
Tanner Owens – golf
Gonzalo Morell Raschiatore – tennis
The awards show is set up like the ESPYs and recognizes the athletic and academic achievements of Blue Raider student-athletes during the 2018-19 school year. The stars of the show enter via a blue carpet beginning at 6 p.m., with the awards show beginning at 7 p.m. Fans are welcome to attend with a limited number of free tickets available.
Awards include three that are voted on by the fans: Play of the Year, Performance of the Year and Game/Event of the Year. Other categories include the Make a Difference Award, Male/Female Newcomer of the Year, Male/Female Breakout Performer of the Year, Male/Female Athlete of the Year, the Director's Cup, Academic Achievement Award, Highest Team GPA Ward and the True Blue Scholar President's Awards. Special recognition also will be given to All-American and conference champions.
Fans can vote on the Player of the Year, Performance of the Year and Game/Event of the Year awards at GoBlueRaiders.com. A full list of past winners can be found on GoBlueRaiders.com.
Here are this year's nominees:
Female Newcomer of the Year
Catherine Caudill - golf
Eusila Chepkemei – track and field
Corrina Dodd – softball
A'Queen Hayes –basketball
Pamela Kosgei – cross country
Sarah Sumida – volleyball
Hannah Tillett – soccer
Male Newcomer of the Year
Nick Carnevale – baseball
Fabian Edoki – track and field
Antonio Green – men's basketball
Chaton Mobley – football
Pavel Motl – tennis
Brian Rono – cross country
Play of the Year (fan vote)
Kristin Uselton's grand slam
Senior Kristin Uselton [Us-uhl-ton] picked a good time for her first-career grand slam. In the top of the fifth inning in the Conference USA Tournament championship game, her blast gave MTSU a lead it would never relinquish. The Blue Raiders went on to win the conference title 7-6 over Florida Atlantic, advancing to the NCAA Regional for the first time since 2000.
Brent Stockstill's 2-point conversion pass to Gatlin Casey
Following a touchdown run by Tavares Thomas with 38 seconds to play, the Blue Raiders trailed FAU 24-23. MTSU elected to go for two and the win, and after quarterback Brent Stockstill kept the play alive by scrambling backwards, left then right, he found Gatlin Casey crossing the middle of the endzone for the win. It was part of a memorable year for the Middle Tennessee football team.
Reed Blankenship's Sportscenter Top Play
Against Old Dominion in late October, Middle Tennessee was granted an ESPN-worthy play with seconds remaining in the first half. Sophomore All-Conference safety Reed Blankenship picked off a Monarch pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a TD. The play was ranked No. 2 on ESPN's Plays of the Day, and the return matched the longest in MTSU and Conference USA history.
A'Queen [A-Queen] Hayes ignites Lady Raiders
With 5:37 remaining in a five-point game on the hardwood, senior A'Queen Hayes collected a steal, drove the lane, took on two WKU defenders and drilled an and-one to ignite a 7-1 run. The run catapulted MTSU to an 81-69 win against the rival Hilltoppers.
Game-winner from DePriest
Middle Tennessee sophomore Peyton DePriest has had plenty of memorable goals in her short collegiate soccer career. Another came in game-winning fashion in the 87th minute at UAB, clinching the Blue Raiders' spot in the Conference USA Tournament. MTSU secured 16 points in conference play this season, and DePriest tied with teammate Hannah Tillett for the most goals in the conference.
Reggie Scurry's windmill jam
Searching for a third straight win in Conference USA play, Middle Tennessee found itself in a battle with visiting Charlotte on February 7. With the Blue Raiders needing a spark, junior Reggie Scurry came up with a steal on one end and slammed home a windmill dunk on the other to help ignite a run, leading to a 71-53 MTSU victory.
Wigginton's walk-off
Sophomore pitcher Peyton Wigginton was the unlikely hero for the Blue Raider baseball team against Murray State on April 2. Wigginton smashed a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 13th to give MTSU a come-from-behind win. It was his first-career home run.
Performance of the Year (fan vote)
Cori Jennings' no-no
Senior Cori Jennings tossed her second-career no-hitter and just the third in the history of the Conference USA Softball Tournament to lead MTSU to a 4-0 win over FIU in the quarterfinals of the 2018 championship. The Blue Raiders would go on to win their first Conference USA Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Regional for the second time.
All-time tournament performance for A'Queen [A-Queen]
Senior A'Queen [A-Queen] Hayes produced one of the top performances in Conference USA Tournament history with 34 points and 14 rebounds against UAB in the semifinals. Hayes' dynamic performance was the 10th-highest scoring effort in tournament history and propelled MTSU to the finals for the third time in six seasons.
DePriest's hat trick
Peyton DePriest recorded her first-career hat trick in a 3-0 win at UTEP. The sophomore scored in the 28th, 77th and 80th minutes to provide all of MTSU's offense. The victory ended a stretch in which the Blue Raiders went 5-0-1, and DePriest ended the season tied with teammate Hannah Tillett with the Conference USA lead in goals.
Blankenship dominates ODU
Safety Reed Blankenship recorded a career-high 17 tackles, a personal-best 3.0 TFLs, a sack and a record-setting interception against ODU. With just seconds remaining in the first half, the sophomore All-Conference member picked off a pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. The play ranked No. 2 on ESPN's Plays of the Day.
Mason's conference stretch
Bailey Mason notched 17 kills, hitting on a .400 clip, to earn her first-career Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week honor after the team swept UAB.
New Nigerian record for Egbeniyi [Egg-ben-ee-yee]
Senior Abike [A-bee-kay] Egbeniyi [Egg-ben-ee-yee] set a new women's Nigerian indoor record in the 800 meter with a time of 2:03.77 at the Vanderbilt Invitational. It also went down at the time as the fastest in the country this season and second fastest in the world.
Co-medalist for Byrd
Senior Marcus Byrd earned co-medalist honors at the Puerto Rico Invitational with a 6-under par total. It was his first collegiate win and came against a field that included 20 of the top 100 players in the country.
All-American nod for Edoki [E-doe-key]
Fabian Edoki [E-doe-key] finished sixth in the men's high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships to earn First Team All-American honors. The sophomore had a jump of 7.86 meters, which went down as his best of the season.
Breakout for The Mayor
Sophomore Donovan Sims knocked down the game-winning free throws with 1 second on the clock to seal a road win at UAB. The Mayor poured in 23 points and collected seven rebounds and six assists with zero turnovers on the night.
Stockstill leads MT to first win at Marshall
Senior quarterback Brent Stockstill threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns while also adding 31 yards on the ground and a score to lead MTSU to an upset at Marshall. The Herd have the nation's fifth-best home winning percentage, and it was the Blue Raiders' first-ever win in Huntington.
Three blasts for Christian
Myles Christian crushed three home runs, including a clutch grand slam in the bottom of the eighth, to give the Blue Raiders the insurance runs they needed against rival WKU. To go along with his home runs, the sophomore drove in 7 RBIs and scored 4 runs. He collected player of the week honors from Conference USA, TSWA and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Low round for Long
Senior Hanley Long went low at the Memphis Women's Intercollegiate, firing a school-record 54-hole total of 206 after an incredible 5-under par 66 in the final round to clinch a runner-up finish at Ridgeway Country Club. The team also finished second.
Game/Event of the Year (fan vote)
Softball team's C-USA Tournament win over FAU
Middle Tennessee's first Conference USA Softball Tournament game was a 7-6 win over Florida Atlantic. Picked No. 11 in the preseason poll and seeded No. 6 heading into the tournament, the Blue Raiders proved doubters wrong by winning the championship and securing a spot in the NCAA Regional for the second time in program history.
First East Division title for the football team
Middle Tennessee's football team downed UAB at home, 27-3, to secure its first East Division title and a spot in the Conference USA Championship game at home the following week, where they would again face UAB.
Men's indoor track conference championship
Middle Tennessee's men's track and field team dominated the Conference USA field to claim the indoor conference championship for the second time in three years, and head coach Dean Hayes was named Coach of the Year for the third straight season. Jacob Choge [Cho-gee] had the highest individual point total of any male athlete.
Blue Raider soccer secures spot in conference tournament
Middle Tennessee's late game-winning goal off the foot of sophomore star Peyton DePriest at UAB clinched the Blue Raiders' spot in the Conference USA Women's Soccer Tournament. DePriest ended the season tied with teammate Hannah Tillett with the Conference USA lead in goals, and MTSU scored 16 points in conference play.
Men's basketball beats conference leaders
Middle Tennessee knocked off then first-place UAB at home on Jan. 30 in a 71-65 thriller that saw four Blue Raiders score in double figures. Murfreesboro native Donovan Sims, "The Mayor", provided the dagger with a stepback 3-pointer to beat the shot clock inside the final minute.
Wigginton's walk-off blast
Sophomore pitcher Peyton Wigginton hit a three-run walk-off home run against Murray State on April 2, completing an epic comeback. The Blue Raiders fell behind 4-0 in the top of the first, but brought it back within one run before Aaron Antonini tied it with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. Wigginton then walked it off with his first-career blast.
C-USA Tournament semifinals win for Lady Raiders
Leading by a slim 37-36 advantage at halftime, Middle Tennessee's women's basketball team stormed out of the locker room and seized momentum against UAB to claim a 75-65 win against the defending regular-season champions. It punched the Lady Raiders' ticket to the Conference USA title game for the third time in six years.
Strong finish for men's golf at Legends Club
First-year head coach Mark McEntire helped lead his squad to a thrilling comeback at Vanderbilt Legends Club this April, as the Blue Raiders vaulted seven spots up the leaderboard on the final day to finish tied for fourth behind a trio of top 25 teams.
Win for women's golf
Middle Tennessee women's golf battled the cold, wind and snow this spring at the River Landing Classic and overcame it all to win the team title at 2-under-par. Three Blue Raiders ranked inside the top 8 on the individual leaderboard.
Female Breakout Performer
Joycelyn Assafuah – track and field
Sophie Burks – golf
Kirstyn Cuccia – softball
Julia Jelagat – cross country
Taylor Sutton – basketball
Male Breakout Performer
Wesley Bush – football
Nathan Mack – cross country
Isaac Odugbesan – track and field
Tanner Owens – golf
Max Rauch – tennis
Donovan Sims – basketball
Petyon Wigginton – baseball
Female Athlete of the Year
Summer Burgess – softball
Peyton DePriest – soccer
Abike Egbeniyi – track and field
Alex Johnson – basketball
Pamela Kosgei – cross country
Hanley Long - golf
Constanza Magazzini – tennis
Bailey Mason – volleyball
Male Athlete of the Year
Aaron Antonini – baseball
Marcus Byrd – golf
Antonio Green – basketball
Nathan Mack – cross country
Tom Moonen – tennis
Jacob Patten – track and field|
Brent Stockstill – football
Female President's Award
Lexi Cushing – softball
Amber Hoot – soccer
Alex Johnson – basketball
Hanley Long – golf
Costanza Magazzini – tennis
Male President's Award
Aaron Antonini – baseball
James Beckner - golf
Khalil Brooks – football
Tanner Owens – golf
Gonzalo Morell Raschiatore – tennis
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