Defiance College Athletics announces winners from 2024 Swarm Awards
DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Defiance College Athletic Department and the Purple and Gold Club hosted the 2024 Swarm Awards at the Karl H. Weaner Center on Sunday evening to honor the accomplishments of DC's student-athletes and their teams.
The Swarm Awards celebrates excellence in a variety of forms by commending the athletic, academic, and community involvement of student-athletes. There were also awards presented to staff and community members for their support of the Yellow Jackets throughout the academic year. Awards were nominated and voted on by the athletic department, the Purple and Gold Club, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
This year's festivities saw football and softball lead campus with six awards apiece. Football collected Co-Team of the Year in addition to Male Breakthrough Athlete of the Year (Dominic Harris), Male Individual Performance (Jordan Ambrose), Male Distinguished Athlete of the Year (Thomas Coltrain), SAAC Coach of the Year (Bill Nickell), and the Marv Hohenberger Award/Male Athlete of the Year (Jordan Ambrose). Softball earned the top Team GPA, Community Impact Award, Female Breakthrough Athlete of the Year (Savannah McCoy), Inspiration Award (Laney Grimwood), Female Distinguished Athlete of the Year, and the Duane Hocking/Female Athlete of the Year Award (Anika Craft). The coveted Buzz Award was awarded to senior Will Garlock.
Click here to view the 2024 Swarm Awards Photo Gallery
The full list of award winners and their achievements are listed below in the order in which they were presented.
Female Newcomer of the Year
Awarded to any freshman or first-year transfer who in a given year makes a notable impact on the success of their team.
Winner: Shelby Clements (Volleyball)
The volleyball team's lone all-conference performer led the team in kills with 163, including a season-best 18 kills in a four-set win at home against Kenyon. She continued to impress through the winter and spring as a member of the track team competing as a sprinter.
Other Nominees: Payton Mallett (Softball), Haley Hughes (Women's Soccer)
Male Newcomer of the Year
Awarded to any freshman or first-year transfer who in a given year makes a notable impact on the success of their team.
Winner: Monty Rollins (Men's Track & Field)}
The freshman sprinter and hurdler has six top-five finishes in the indoor and outdoor season including a season-best second-place finish in the 400 hurdles at the Mountaineer Open at Berea. His personal best 54.80 seconds 400-meter hurdles at Siena Heights on April 19 was the third-fastest in program history.
Other Nominees: Coty Johnson (Football), Connor Gephart (Baseball), Griffin Meyer (Men's Soccer)
Team GPA Award (Individual Sport)
Presented to the team whose members have embodied academic achievement and excellence in the classroom with the highest GPA.
Winner: Men's Golf (3.58 GPA)
Team GPA Award (Team Sport)
Presented to the team whose members have embodied academic achievement and excellence in the classroom with the highest GPA.
Winner: Softball (3.61 GPA)
Female Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
Awarded to any athlete who in a given year improves her performance dramatically or otherwise becomes well-recognized.
Winner: Savannah McCoy (Softball)
The senior is already in the top 10 for career strikeouts and is having a stellar pitching season with a 3.86 ERA. However, she has thrived in her first year as a full-time two-way player hitting .299. She is also second on the team with 15 RBIs and seven extra-base hits.
Other Nominees: Shelby Clements (Volleyball), Zadria King (Women's Basketball)
Male Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
Awarded to any athlete who in a given year improves his performance dramatically or otherwise becomes well-recognized.
Winner: Dominic Harris (Football)
The sophomore defensive lineman started all 10 games for DC and was a Second Team All-HCAC performer. His 59 tackles were second-most on the team and finished fifth in the conference with seven sacks, the second-most in the program while forcing a team-high three fumbles.
Other Nominees: Will Gehlhausen (Men's Soccer/Men's Basketball), Monty Rollins (Men's Track & Field)
Faculty/Staff Fan of the Year
Awarded to any Defiance College faculty or staff member for his or her unwavering support of the Defiance College student-athlete experience.
Winner: Morgan Barnett (Cheer & Dance)
Team Community Impact Award
Presented to the team that displayed heightened involvement and service on and off campus.
Winner: Softball
Other Nominees: Football, Women's Basketball
SAAC Head Coach of the Year
Awarded to the DC head coach who best embodied and encouraged excellence on and off the field.
Winner: Bill Nickell (Football)
Other Nominees: Courtney Peay (Women's Basketball), Morgan Barnett (Cheer & Dance)
Phyllis J. Snyder Fan Appreciation Award
Presented to a deserving fan for their loyalty, dedication and commitment to Defiance College athletics.
Winner: Heather & Wes Moats
Purple & Gold Inspiration Award
Presented to any student-athlete who demonstrates leadership, team commitment, and inspires others through their dedication on and off the field/court (based on overall contribution, not performance).
Winner: Laney Grimwood (Softball)
Outside of softball, she is a Senior Resident Assistant, President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, President of Campus Activities Board, Vice President of the Honors Program, Executive member of DC Pride, and is also a Student Senate Representative for several groups on campus. In addition to her leadership roles, she is also a member of Service Leaders, Science Club and is a Writing Consultant. Within the softball program, she is a vocal leader who upholds the standards of the program and motivates teammates to do so as well. Her input has helped the program grow in many ways. She is highly dedicated to the success of the team, even choosing to come out of pitching retirement to benefit the program. She is also very dedicated to helping those around her and places the emotional well-being of her teammates as a top priority. She has become someone the coaching staff can consistently rely on as a leader and role model for the rest of the team.
Female Individual Performance of the Year
Presented to the athlete adjudged to have, in a single play or game, completed the best performance.
Winner: Winter Boroff (Women's Golf)
The junior golfer dotted the record books in one weekend at the fall Manchester Invitational in September with rounds of 79 and 81. Both ranked in the top 10 individual rounds in women's golf history but set a new program record for a 36-hole tournament with 160 while finishing tied for third at the tournament.
Other Nominees: Anika Craft (Softball), Zadria King (Women's Basketball), Cassady Van Dyke (Women's Golf)
Male Individual Performance of the Year
Presented to the athlete adjudged to have, in a single play or game, completed the best performance.
Winner: Jordan Ambrose (Football)
In an exciting road contest at Kalamazoo, Ambrose broke the program's single-game completions record by going 33-for-46 for a career-best 369 yards and four touchdowns. His passing yardage was third-most in a game in team history and he also ran for 120 more on the ground to earn HCAC Offensive Player of the Week.
Other Nominees: Tawon Cannon (Men's Track & Field), Tyshaun Freeman (Football), Riley Hensley (Men's Soccer)
Best Media Day Photo
Awarded to the team that staged the most creative individual or group pose during their media day session.
Winner: Baseball
Other Nominees: Men's Golf, Women's Basketball
Team Sportsmanship Award
Awarded to the team that displayed exemplary attitude toward teammates, opponents, and officials during competition, practice, and campus life.
Winner: Women's Basketball
Other Nominees: Men's Soccer, Softball
The Buzz Award
Awarded to any student or student-athlete for his/her attitude during athletic contests and events to promote an atmosphere of respect, enthusiasm, pride, and school spirit.
Winner: Will Garlock (Men's Golf/Men's Basketball)
Will Garlock quickly grew into Mr. Defiance since stepping on campus four years ago. He is a student assistant coach for the football and men's basketball teams in addition to a member of the men's golf team for the last two years. At the end of his four years with the men's basketball program, he dressed and started the game on senior night. In addition to all of his roles assisting various coaching staffs, Garlock made the 2024 HCAC Winter Sportsmanship Team and is a five-time Academic All-HCAC Selection, a McMaster Scholar, Athletic Communications Intern, Student Senate President, and much more. After graduation, he will be joining the campus staff as an admissions counselor and will be an assistant coach for the men's basketball team.
AAUW Scholar-Athlete Award
Female letterwinner with the highest GPA following at least four completed semesters.
Winners: Logan Gray (Women's Soccer), Hallie Webb (Women's Soccer), Kayla Boettger (Volleyball), and Kaylynn Wellman (Volleyball), 4.0 GPA
Gene Geren Academic Award
Male letterwinner with the highest GPA following at least four completed semesters.
Winners: Tim Bobek (Baseball) and Adam Tobin (Men's Soccer), 4.0 GPA
Purple and Gold Distinguished Female Athlete Award
Awarded to an outstanding female senior athlete for the current academic year based on the individual's contribution to her team over the course of their career with the program, campus, and community.
Winner: Laney Grimwood (Softball)
The senior has emerged as a leader for the Yellow Jackets on and off the field as the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the top hitter currently on the softball team with a .337 average. Already a two-time Academic All-HCAC honoree, Grimwood has nearly matched her single-season best in hits in just half of the season and also made her first pitching performance.
Other Nominees: Sarah O'Shea (Women's Soccer), Brooke Silcox (Softball), Aliza Clark (Volleyball/Women's Basketball/Women's Track & Field)
Purple and Gold Distinguished Male Athlete Award
Awarded to an outstanding male senior athlete for the current academic year based on the individual's contribution to his team over the course of their career with the program, campus, and community.
Winner: Thomas Coltrain (Football)
One of the finest defenders to ever suit up at Defiance, Coltrain led Defiance in tackles for the fourth straight season with a career-best 100 stops. He was First Team All-HCAC for the fourth consecutive season and is just the second player in DC's HCAC era to earn four First Team awards. He also picked up All-Region honors for the third time. He closes his career with the most solo tackles for a career (223) and finished third all-time for total tackles (357), and set a record for the longest fumble recovered for a touchdown with a 95-yard return at Anderson this fall.
Other Nominees: Orry Killam (Men's Soccer), Tawon Cannon (Men's Track & Field), Tyshaun Freeman (Football)
Duane Hocking Award (Female Athlete of the Year)
Awarded to an outstanding female athlete for her performance during the current academic year.
Winner: Anika Craft (Softball)
The 2023 Duane Hocking Award winner picked up where she left off with the lowest ERA of her career at 1.78. Her strikeouts per seven innings ratio is higher this year than last at 8.02 in 14 games to push her into fifth in program history with another year to go. On top of that, she is having a career year at the plate hitting .316 with four doubles and eight steals and has struck out just four times in 95 at-bats.
Other Nominees: Cassady Van Dyke (Women's Golf), Shelby Clements (Volleyball)
Marv Hohenberger Award (Male Athlete of the Year)
Awarded to an outstanding male athlete for his performance during the current academic year.
Winner: Jordan Ambrose (Football)
The senior put together a solid season as a dual-threat quarterback. Infact, he is the first QB in DC football history to throw for at least 1,500 yards and rush for 500 in the same season. He posted career numbers across the board in completions (142), passing yards (1,842) and passing touchdowns (17), which were all among the top 10 in the team record books to fuel on of the most dynamic DC offenses in a generation. On the season, Ambrose threw for 240 yards are more in four games, including the last three, and ran for 100 yards in three different contests.
Other Nominees: Riley Hensley (Men's Soccer), Thomas Coltrain (Football)
Special Impact Award
Presented as a special thank you for helping the College find the financial support to complete multiple facility improvement projects during the 2023-24 academic year.
Winner: Marv Retcher
The Weaner Center received a couple of major upgrades over the summer and further in the spring. The floor was refinished and redesigned to give Defiance College one of the finest basketball and volleyball surfaces in the conference and will surely impress among the NAIA. The main basket supports were also upgraded from the original basket supports to increase player safety while also adding new shot clocks. Several former athletes spearheaded the naming of the floor in honor of Coach Marv Hohenberger but one former player and assistant coach rose to the occasion to ensure this fitting honor was realized. We would like to take this opportunity to commend one of those former players and coaches who helped get DC athletics in the door to numerous donors to help the College complete these projects while continuing to do so for additional improvement projects.
Team of the Year
Presented to the Team adjudged to be the best in the current academic year.
Winner: Football and Men's Soccer
The football team's 4-6 record was one of the best in recent years as the Yellow Jackets did most of that work on the road, going 4-1 as the road team. Playing against stout competition from week one, the team earned the program's most wins since 2016, snapped a lengthy losing streak in non-conference games, averaged the most points per game since the powerhouse 1993 team and had 11 players earn all-conference honors among many other achievements. At this point of the year, they are the only program during the current academic year to compete in the postseason and finish with a five-hundred record with six wins, six losses, and seven ties. Losing just two matches during the last month of the season, men's soccer advanced to the HCAC Tournament for the third time in four seasons.
Other Nominees: Men's Soccer, Softball
The Purple and Gold Club Inc. was founded in the early 1970s by Defiance community members who wanted to provide extra support for DC student-athletes. Since its inception, the club has continually grown and continues to provide both financial assistance and personal support for the entire athletic department.
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