2022 Victors Awards Celebrate Huskie Student-Athletes

DEKALB, Ill. – NIU Athletics held its annual “Victors” awards show on Thursday night (May 6) at the Carl Sandburg Auditorium as the on- and off-field accomplishments of Huskie student-athletes were recognized and celebrated. The NIU gymnastics program collected the most awards on the night as they claimed five honors while the Huskie football, men’s soccer and softball teams each earned four awards.

Nick Markanich of the men’s soccer team and A’jah Davis from women’s basketball took home the Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards. Davis averaged a double-double for the Huskie women’s basketball team as she scored 16.6 points and grabbed 12.0 rebounds per game while earned All-MAC First Team honors. She set new single-season school records for rebounds (349), double-digit rebound games (25) and double-doubles (24). Her 12.0 rebounds per game ranked sixth best in the country while her 24 double-doubles were fourth-best nationally. 

Markanich led the nation in goals with 16, including seven game-winners, and earned his second consecutive MAC Player of the Year award, while also earning MAC Tournament MVP honors. He garnered All-America recognition from College Soccer News and was selected 30th overall in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft by FC Cincinnati. To date, he has made eight appearances for FC Cincinnati during the 2022 season. 

In addition to being named Male Athlete of the Year, Markanich was also tabbed as Mr. Victor E. Huskie, a recognition awarded to individuals who have excelled not just in athletics but have also excelled in academics and in their community. The Miss Victor E. Huskie award went to Tara Kofmehl of the NIU gymnastics team. Kofmehl won the floor exercise at the 2022 MAC Championships and qualified for the NCAA Regionals for the second consecutive year. The Mesa, Ariz., native also earned Academic All-MAC recognition for the third consecutive season. 

Team of the Year honors went to the NIU men’s soccer team and the Huskie women’s track and field team. Men’s soccer tied a school record with 15 victories, winning both the MAC regular season and tournament titles while advancing to the NCAA Tournament Second Round and finishing the season ranked 21st in the final United Soccer Coaches poll. Women’s track and field produced three individual conference champions at last spring’s outdoor championships (Ashley Tutt, 5,000 and 10,000, Jazmyn Smith, long jump) and added another individual champion this year at indoor championships (Kadeja Campbell, 400) while finishing third in the team competition.

The Victor’s Cup award winners were the wrestling and softball teams. The Victor’s Cup is awarded to the team who epitomizes outstanding athletic, academic, personal development and community service achievement.

Coach of the Year honors were claimed by Sam Morreale from the gymnastics program and Huskie football coach Thomas Hammock. Morreale’s gymnastics team finished second at the MAC Championships after twice breaking the school team scoring record during the regular season. NIU had a pair of MAC individual event champions as well as two NCAA Regional qualifiers. Hammock was the MAC Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award as he led his team to a remarkable turnaround that included a conference championship and a nine-win season. NIU became the first team in FBS history to win its conference championship game one season after going winless. 

The football and gymnastics teams also earned NIU’s Newcomer of the Year honors; Rocky Lombardi was named the Male Newcomer of the Year while Alyssa Al-Ashari received the Female Newcomer of the Year Award. Lombardi started all 13 games as the Huskie signal caller, throwing for 15 touchdowns while rushing for nine more. The Michigan State transfer threw for nearly 2,600 yards and had a 58.3 percent completion rate. Al-Ashari competed on both bars and beam, competing in the leadoff spot on the beam. She finished in the top-10 for a meet in either bars or beam six times, including a pair of top-five finishes.

Lance Deveaux of the NIU football team won the Huskie Comeback Award, exemplifying the “comeback spirit” by excelling in competition after rehabilitating from an injury or illness, while Matt Ference from the football team took home the Unsung Hero award, which honors a student-athlete who made significant strides toward serving the best interest of their team through his or her selfless commitment.

The Huskie High Five, an award that honors a NIU employee whose contribution to athletics epitomizes the Huskie work ethic and dedication to student-athlete success, went to Director of Sports Performance Juney Barnett and the Play of the Year was awarded to NIU wrestling’s Izzak Olejnik. 

A number of academic awards were also handed out, including the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence which NIU President Dr. Lisa C. Freeman presented to Amberly Rodriguez of the Huskie softball team and Paddy McKermitt from the NIU baseball team. The Female Academic Team of the Year was awarded to Huskie gymnastics while the Male Academic Team of the Year went to Huskie men’s tennis. The gymnastics team earned a 3.8 GPA for the 2021 calendar year and had the top GPA of any women’s gymnastics team in the country last spring while the men’s tennis team recorded a 3.75 GPA for the 2021 calendar year.

NIU’s MAC Medal of Excellence nominees were revealed as Katie Keller from softball and Enrique Banuelos from men’s soccer. Both nominees have earned Academic All-America honors during their time at NIU, with Keller also garnering a pair of National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Great Lakes Region honors. 

The community service of Huskie student-athletes were celebrated through the community service team awards and the Community Service Champion award. In total this school year, NIU student-athletes have performed over 2,500 community service hours with the gymnastics and wrestling teams taking home the Female and Male Community Service Team of the Year honors, respectively. The Community Service Champion is Jahnetta Jones of the women’s track and field team, who completed 102.5 community service hours this year.

Social Justice Award honorees including Morgan Hooper from the NIU gymnastics team, who took home the Student-Athlete Social Justice Award, Huskie softball, who claimed the Team Social Justice Award, and Courtney Vinson, who was named the Social Justice Administrator of the Year.

2022 Victors Award Winners
Men’s Victors Cup: Wrestling
Women’s Victors Cup: Softball
Miss Victor E. Huskie: Tara Kofmehl, Gymnastics
Mr. Victor E. Huskie: Nick Markanich, Men’s Soccer
Female Team of the Year: Women’s Track and Field
Male Team of the Year: Men’s Soccer
Female Athlete of the Year: A’jah Davis, Women’s Basketball
Male Athlete of the Year: Nick Markanich, Men’s Soccer
Women’s Team Coach of the Year: Sam Morreale, Gymnastics
Men’s Team Coach of the Year: Thomas Hammock, Football
Female Newcomer of the Year: Alyssa Al-Ashari, Gymnastics
Male Newcomer of the Year: Rocky Lombardi, Football
Female Presidential Award for Academic Excellence: Amberly Rodriguez, Softball
Male Presidential Award for Academic Excellence: Paddy McKermitt, Baseball
Huskie Comeback Award: Lance Deveaux, Football
MAC Medal of Excellence Female Nominee: Katie Keller, Softball
MAC Medal of Excellence Male Nominee: Enrique Banuelos, Men’s Soccer
Female Academic Team of the Year: Gymnastics
Male Academic Team of the Year: Men’s Tennis
Social Justice Administrator of the Year: Courtney Vinson
Team Social Justice Award: Softball
Student-Athlete Social Justice Award: Morgan Hooper, Gymnastics
Huskie High Five: Juney Barnett, Sports Performance
Unsung Hero: Matt Ference, Football
Community Service Champion: Jahnetta Jones, Women’s Track and Field
Female Community Service Team of the Year: Gymnastics
Male Community Service Team of the Year: Wrestling
Play of the Year: Izzak Olejnik, Wrestling