April 24, 2018

Tech's Male Athlete of the Year Award features five nominees for 2018

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The countdown continues for Thursday's Golden Wings Awards as the Tennessee Tech Department of Athletics will announce one of its biggest honors – the Male Athlete of the Year Award.

By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The countdown continues for Thursday's Golden Wings Awards as the Tennessee Tech Department of Athletics will announce one of its biggest honors – the Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Five student-athletes have been nominated for the award, which was recently voted on by the TTU Awards Committee. This award, as well as the Female Athlete of the Year, Man of the Year and Woman of the Year, will be presented at the annual Golden Wings Awards banquet

The timeframe of the awards period is the current season (2017-18 in this instance) except for baseball, softball and outdoor track & field. With those sports still competing with a large portion of their seasons still left, the previous spring campaigns (2017 in this instance) are recognized. The Man and Woman of the Year awards encompass the 2017-18 period for all sports.

The five finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

<<< Gilbert Boit | Sophomore | Iten, Kenya | Men's Cross Country
Boit became the first Golden Eagle to earn OVC Men's Athlete of the Year honors for cross country, earning the league's Runner of the Week accolade three times. He won the first three meets he competed in to start the season and placed 13^th at the NCAA South Regional to earn All-South Region Honors. He wrapped up the year as the owner of seven of Tech's top 10 8-K times in program history.

Dontez Byrd | Senior | Louisville, Ky. | Football >>>
Byrd claimed All-OVC First Team Offense and HERO Sports' FCS All-American honors while becoming the first Golden Eagle in program history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. He set school marks in single-season receiving yards and receptions, leading the league in receptions per game, receiving yards and receiving yards per game. He also caught six touchdowns on the year.

<<< Ryan Flick | Junior | Bluff City, Tenn. | Baseball
Flick earned five All-American nods, All-OVC Second Team honors and National Player of the Week honors as a junior, finishing with the second most RBI in program history and the third most doubles. He tied single-game program records and broke OVC Tournament single-game marks with three home runs and nine RBI, clinching OVC Tournament MVP honors. He was also named a finalist for the Gregg Olson Award.

Eduardo Mena | Senior | Bultrago del Lozoya, Spain | Tennis >>>
Mena became the first player in program history to participate in the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships and earned the highest national ranking in both program and OVC history, peaking at No. 28 in the fall. Named OVC Tennis Male Athlete of the Week twice, he earned All-OVC First Team honors while finishing with 22 singles victories on the year and leading Tech to its third straight OVC Tournament title.

<<< Trevor Putzig | Junior | Louisville, Ky. | Baseball
Putzig was named to the both the All-OVC Second Team and OVC All-Tournament Team, racking up the second most hits in a single season in program history. He led the Golden Eagles with a .394 average and the fifth most double in school history while helping lead Tech to OVC regular season and tournament titles, as well as a victory in the first game of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.

The Outstanding Male Athlete Award was first established in 1994 and 28 winners have been selected in the previous 24 years, including four years with co-winners.

The previous winners include:

1994 – Mike Jones (Football)
1995 – Greg Bibb (Basketball)
1996 – Michael Penix (Football)
1997 – Mark Maberry (Baseball)
1998 – Andre Caballero (Football)
1999 – Branon Vaughn (Football)
2000 – Branon Vaughn (Football)
2001 – Chad Evitts (Football)
2002 – Grant Swallows (Football)
2003 – Casey Benjamin (Baseball)
2004 – Willie Jenkins (Basketball)
2005 – Willie Jenkins (Basketball) / Frank Omiyale (Football)
2006 – Scott Stallings (Golf)
2007 – Scott Stallings (Golf)
2008 – Larry Shipp (Football)
2009 – A.J. Kirby-Jones (Baseball)
2010 – A.J. Kirby-Jones (Baseball) / Chad Oberacker (Baseball)
2011 – Zac Swansey (Basketball)
2012 – Tim Benford (Football)
2013 – Syrym Abduhkalikov (Tennis)
2014 – Daniel Miles (Baseball) / Brandon Thomasson (Baseball)
2015 – Alex Arovin (Tennis)
2016 – Eduardo Mena (Tennis) / Kevin Strohschein (Baseball)
2017 – Eudardo Mena (Tennis)