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The North Carolina A&T Department of Athletics held its annual ESPYs Athletics Awards Banquet Monday at the Alumni-Foundation Event Center on campus to celebrate the accomplishments of its student-athletes, coaches, administrators, donors and the A&T community. Women’s basketball, which reached the Super 16 of the postseason WNIT in March, had an enormous evening.
Women’s basketball point guard Jordyn Dorsey took home the biggest prize on the ladies’ side, claiming the Kayla White Female Athlete of the Year. She also received the Catherine Bonner Award for demonstrating determination and persistence while overcoming daily challenges. Teammate D’Mya Tucker took home the Aggie Athletic Foundation (AAF) Award for leadership and growth over four years.
Tucker led the Aggies to the NCAA tournament as a freshman and helped the team smoothly transition from the Big South Conference to the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) before aiding the Aggies in their run through the 2024 WNIT. She is scheduled to return for her COVID season in 2024-25.
Athletics also celebrated and acknowledged the tremendous accomplishments the department experienced under Chancellor Harold L. Martin, who will retire at the end of the 2023-24 school year after serving as chancellor at A&T for 15 years. They celebrated Martin with a 15-minute video presentation.
During Martin’s 15-year tenure at A&T, the Aggies won 61 conference and regular-season championships, 15 national championships and three Olympic Gold medals. A&T won 4.06 championships per year under Martin, and nine different coaches earned conference coach of the year.
Dr. Martin’s reach even went nationwide. Former director of track and field, Duane Ross, earned national coach of the year. His choice for athletics director in 2010, Earl M. Hilton III, won national Athletics Director of the Year. Kayla White became the first Aggie to win NCAA national player of the year when the NCAA named her National Indoor Women’s Track Athlete of the Year.
The top male superlative award went to men’s track and field hurdler Jason Holmes, who earned second-team All-American honors during the indoor season. The senior superlative awards went to bowler Lauren Tomaszewski as Senior Female Athlete of the Year and tennis standout Esteban Lopez as Senior Male Athlete of the Year.
Football’s Joshua Iseah claimed Male Rookie of the Year, and volleyball’s Kaili Doctor was named Female Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, football’s Taymon Cooke won the A&T Sports Hall of Fame Award.
Below is the list of the award winners.
Jason Holmes, Men’s Track and Field
Jordyn Dorsey, Women’s Basketball
Women’s Golf
Men’s Golf
1. Connor Blantz, Baseball
2. Barry Turner, Football
3. Ayush Bodhale, Men’s Golf
4. Martin Gutierrez, Men’s Golf
5. Owen Walsh, Men’s Golf
6. Ethan Baly, Men’s Tennis
7. Esteban Lopez Jimenez, Men’s Tennis
1. Taylor Allen, Cheerleading
2. Sharla Kirkpatrick, Softball
3. Melanie Katen,
4. Tori Mouton, Women’s Golf
5. Kennedy Brown, Women’s Track and Field
6. Candace McGowan, Women’s Track and Field
7. Sady Moody, Women’s Track and Field
8. Valeria Estrada Figueroa, Women’s Volleyball
9. Hannah Howell, Women’s Volleyball
10. Liselotte Spoormakers, Women’s Volleyball
11. Arie Walker, Women’s Volleyball
Esteban Lopez,
Arie Walker, Volleyball
Football
D’Mya Tucker, Women’s Basketball
Ralph Brown
Lauren Tomaszewski, Bowling
Jordyn Dorsey, Women’s Basketball
Joshua Iseah, Football
Taymon Cooker, Football
Bowling Game Changer Award: Lauren Tomaszewski
Bowling Stallings Award: Grace Stull
Bowling Rising Star Award: Savannah Burgin
Women’s Track and Field Coach’s Award: Pebbles Scott
Women’s Field Most Valuable Performer: Julieth Nwosu
Women’s Track Most Valuable Performer: Lucheyona Weaver
Coach’s Award: Tori Mouton
Golfer of the year: Paris Fieldings
Rookie of the year: Paris Fieldings
Volleyball Aggie Pride Award: Valeria Estrada
Volleyball Co-Defensive Players of the Year Award: Morgan Allen and Maya Johnson
Volleyball Most Valuable Player: Naiya Sawtelle
Volleyball Offensive Player of the Year: Naiya Sawtelle
Lady Aggies Defensive Player of the Year: Maleia Bracone
Lady Aggie Impact Player of the Year: Jordyn Dorsey
Lady Aggie Most Improved Player: Chaniya Clark
Lady Aggie Newcomer of the Year: Paris Locke
Lady Aggie Commit to Grit: D’Mya Tucker
Cheer Coach’s Award: Kennedi Stevens
Cheer Most Valuable Performer: Tanasia Lemon
Cheer Most Improved Performer: Sydney Cooke
Cheer Rookie of the Year: Taylor Allen
Cheer Leadership Award: Isaiah Herbin
Cheer Most Spirited: Santana Baker
Softball Aggie Academic Award: Sharla Kirkpatrick
Softball Aggie Pride Award: Kayla Taylor
Softball Defensive Player of the Year: Makayla Layton
Softball Player of the Year: N/A
Softball Pitcher of the Year: Sharla Kirkpatrick
Softball Offensive Player of the Year: Alyxx Estrada
Women’s Tennis Most Valuable Player AGGIES 2.0 -Isabela Romanichen
Women’s Tennis Leadership Award AGGIES 2.0 - Tabeth Tadoum
Women’s Aggie Tennis Award AGGIES 2.0 - Nour Gueblaoui
Men’s Tennis Most Valuable Player AGGIES 2.0- Esteban Lopez
Men’s Tennis Leadership Award AGGIES 2.0 - Mathieu Dussaubat
Rookie of the Year AGGIES 2.0 - Said Bash Akbarov
Men’s Basketball Aggie Award: Ahmad Hamilton
Men’s Basketball Coach’s Award: Camian Shell
Men’s Basketball Most Improved Player: Jalal McKie
Men’s Basketball Most Valuable Player: Landon Glasper
Football Aggie Award: Cesar Minarro
Football Defensive Back of the Year: Karon Prunty
Football Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year: Barry Turner, Jr
Football Defensive Lineman of the Year: Joshua Iseah
Football Most Valuable Player: Kenji Christian
Football Most Improved Player: Kade Moledor
Football Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year: Kevin White
Football Offensive Lineman of the Year: Tairiq Stewart
Football Special Teams Player of the Year: Taymon Cooke
Rod Broadway Award: Lawrence Lagrone
Men’s Track and Field Coach’s Award: Brayden Hodgest
Men’s Field Most Valuable Performer: Carlos Alexander
Men’s Track Most Valuable Performer: Jason Holmes
Coach’s Award: Owen Walsh
Golfer of the year: Drew Walker
Rookie of the year: Camilo Marin
