Carson-Newman Holds Year-End Awards Banquet

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman's Kyle Koeneman, Zoriah Williams, Nikki James, and Tiffany Delias were the 2011-2012 Eagle Club Award winners honored on Tuesday night as C-N recognized its student-athletes for their accomplishments during the past athletic year at its year-end awards banquet. 

Baseball's Kyle Koeneman took home the Eagle Club Male Athlete of the Year honors, while women's basketball's Zoriah Williams and volleyball's Nikki James shared Eagle Club Female Co-Athlete of the Year honors. Junior Tiffany Delias was named the 2011-2012 Eagle Club Academic Athlete of the Year to round out the top awards.

Koeneman carried the Eagles to a 28-26 record this season, leading the team with a .390 batting average and 20 home runs, which put him among the nation's leaders for much of the season. The 2012 South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year was at his best late in games, hitting game-tying or game-winning home runs in the ninth inning four times. He also had three saves and was among the nation's best in on-base percentage and walks.

Williams and James share the women's honors after wrapping up phenomenal careers.

Williams led the Lady Eagles to a 17-11 record and a berth in the SAC Tournament Semifinals. She averaged 15 points and nine rebounds as a senior. The senior forward had 12 double-doubles on the year and leaves C-N as the school's ninth all-time leading scorer (1,157 points) and fifth all-time leading rebounder (843). She was named first team All-SAC and second team All-Region.

James led the Lady Eagles to a 17-14 record as a senior and earned All-SAC and All-Region honors. She was second in the nation in blocks with 180 after amassing 190 as a junior, which led the country and is the most in a single season in the 25-point format. She leaves C-N with 688 career blocks, which puts among the most all-time in SAC and D-II history.

Delias, a junior on the tennis team, was named Eagle Club Academic Athlete of the Year after keeping a perfect 4.0 GPA as an English major. She was 8-6 this season for the Lady Eagles and 4-4 in SAC play.

Soccer's Matthew Craine and cross country's Lauren Henry and were named male and female Academic Athletes of the Year.

Craine has a 3.96 grade point average as a double major in accounting and finance.

Henry is a major in journalism and graphic design, and has maintained a 3.95 grade point average at Carson-Newman.                     

2011 AFCA Good Works Team member Byron Bell was named the John Abe Teague Award winner, while sophomore linebacker Jonathan Sites was given the Roy Harmon Award.