St. Edward University honored Hilltopper athletes for outstanding achievements on and off the field at a banquet last week.

More than 200 people attended A Celebration of Champions Athletic Awards Ceremony at the Omni Austin Hotel at South Park on April 27. The guest list included coaches, athletes, and their families.

The night began with a reception featuring mashed potatoes in martini glasses. Banners around the room showcased each athletic team and its accomplishments.

After the reception, Athletic Director Debbie Taylor introduced the evening. Following the introduction, St. Edward’s Executive Vice President and Provost Sr. Donna Jurick congratulated and thanked the athletes for their contributions to the St. Edward’s community.

“We continue to support you and we believe you will be wonderful leaders for our future,” Jurick said.

Taylor then introduced Andy Lemons, the director of Campus Recreation, as the emcee for the night.

After setting the tone of the evening with a bit of comedy, Lemons highlighted some accomplishments of the athletic teams. Lemons congratulated the women’s soccer team for hosting the NCAA regional championships and advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history. He also congratulated the volleyball team for taking its third straight Heartland Conference Championship, St. Edward’s men’s and women’s golf teams for hosting the Heartland Conference championship, and the men’s tennis team for hosting the NCAA regional tournament after wining another Heartland Conference Championship.

Lemons then moved on to acknowledge academic success of all Hilltopper athletes, noting that their overall GPA remains above a 3.0 and their graduation rate remains above 75 percent.

Then came the awards ceremony. The first award presented was the Vincent Powell Spirit Award.

“Started in 2009, this award honors a student whose passion for St. Edward’s and our athletic teams is unparalleled,” Lemons said.

The award went to senior psychology major Heather Richardson. Richardson helped establish and lead Hillraisers, a student spirit organization, during her time at St. Edward’s and has committed much of that time to supporting Hilltopper athletics.

The next award was presented to an athlete who “demonstrates tremendous character, passion, and commitment to representing St. Edward’s athletics in the best possible light,” Lemons said.

This Topper True Award went to sophomore volleyball player Meredith Bard.

The Stacey Copeland Community Service Award was presented to a student who continued Copeland’s legacy and the Holy Cross tradition of commitment to service. Junior basketball player Brittany Ward was given the honor for taking on the position of Coordinator for Community Service on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and spending over 130 hours in service to numerous organizations.

“[The Stacey Copeland Award] represents the character of what it means to be a student athlete at St. Edward’s University,” Lemons said.

Next, the male and female athletes with the highest grade point averages were honored with the Emma Lou Linn Outstanding Scholar Athlete Award. The female winners were senior tennis player Annie Ruscoe and senior soccer player Katy Sutton, each with cumulative GPAs of 3.8. The male winners were senior soccer players Trey Perkins and Sean Arters with cumulative GPAs of 3.6.

After these awards were presented, the audience was entertained by a video of season highlights.

Athletic recognition continued when All-American honorees were presented. Receiving honors were soccer players Janae Averitt and Kelly Boyd, golf players Matthew Hatcher, Collin Mayer, and Matt Smith, and baseball player Dexter Moreno.

The ceremony then turned to honoring all senior athletes. Each athlete received an engraved St. Edward’s watch. This presentation was paired with a video that introduced each senior athlete and briefly described his or her personality.

After the video, Lemons recognized all the coaches, trainers, and administration who worked behind the scenes to help these student athletes achieve success.

The last award of the evening — the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award — was presented by Taylor to one male and one female athlete. This award went to soccer player Kelly Boyd and tennis player Mick Walter.

The night was then closed in prayer by Director of Campus Ministry Fr. Rick Wilkinson.