2024 President's Awards honor 16 Golden Eagle student-athletes
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Sixteen student-athletes have been chosen as the outstanding representatives of their teams at Tennessee Tech University and are the winners of the 31st annual President's Awards, presented by the TTU Athletics Department. Each of the 16 are first-time winners for their respective sports, with one capturing the honor for a second time in their career.
By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Sixteen student-athletes have been chosen as the outstanding representatives of their teams at Tennessee Tech University and are the winners of the 31st annual President's Awards, presented by the TTU Athletics Department. Each of the 16 are first-time winners for their respective sports, with one capturing the honor for a second time in their career.
After collecting the honor for the beach volleyball team following its inaugural campaign last year, McKenna Young was the recipient of this year's award for the volleyball program. She represents the fourth Golden Eagle to receive the honor from two different teams in their careers, joining Dena Adams (1995, 1996, & 1997 - track & field; 1997 - women's cross country), Stephanie Ward (2001 & 2002 - track & field; 2003 - women's cross country), and Alathea Thompson (2005 - track & field; 2006 - women's cross country).
One member from each of Tech's intercollegiate athletic programs was selected based on a combination of their career academic performance and athletic accomplishments. The indoor and outdoor women's track teams are combined for one award. For the first time, cheer and dance were included in the selection of the awards after their move under the direction of athletics.
"The President's Award has been presented now for over 30 years now," said Tech Director of Athletics Mark Wilson, "and the list of winners that has each year is always impressive. Each and every one of these young men and women represent the best student-athletes Tennessee Tech Athletics has to offer and their respective programs can be extremely proud of all that they have accomplished. These 16 student-athletes serve as the model of what we want each of our Golden Eagles to strive for and they certainly deserve this special recognition."
The 2024 recipients include one four seniors, five juniors, four sophomores, and three freshmen. The recipients also demonstrate the diversity of Tech's student-athletes, hailing from five different states and one other country, including Tennessee (nine), California (one), Georgia (two), Illinois (one), Virginia (two), and Poland (one).
The President's Award was established in 1994.
In alphabetical order, the 2024 President's Award winners are:
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Sean Anderson | Men's Golf | Senior | Jonesborough, Tenn. Anderson rounded out his five-year career with the Golden Eagles by helping lead the program to its first Ohio Valley Conference title since 1990 and the team's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. The team's Bobby Nichols Award for Leadership winner was a leader both on and off the links, producing a 76.86 scoring average while competing in 22 of the team's 29 rounds of action. Already equipped with a bachelor's degree in business management, he maintained a 3.75 GPA while working on his MBA. |
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Carolina Bannach | Track & Field | Freshman | Mt. Juliet, Tenn. |
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Faith Bettencourt | Dance | Junior | San Diego, Calif. Bettencourt took home the inaugural President's Award for dance after the spirit program's move under the direction of Athletics, using her natural leadership skills to guide the team to a top-15 finish at nationals in the DI Hip Hop Division. Displaying the unique ability to always provide a positive and uplifting attitude, she helped bridge the gap that naturally occurs between upper and lower classmen all year. She was a leader in the classroom as well, producing a 3.44 GPA while pursuing her bachelor's degree in accounting. |
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Carmen Betts | Softball | Senior | Glen Allen, Va. Betts wrapped up her impressive career in the purple and gold by helping guide the Golden Eagles back to the OVC Tournament amid one of the nation's biggest turnaround seasons of the year. On her way to All-OVC First Team honors, the third baseman slashed .384/.458/.610 with 15 doubles, four home runs, 48 RBI, and 23 walks with just 12 strikeouts. Off the field, the veteran slugger and defensive wizard earned her bachelor's degree in sociology with a concentration in criminal justice while maintaining a 3.85 GPA. |
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Carter Bradford | Men's Cross Country | Sophomore | Dunlap, Tenn. Bradford showed consistent improvement on the cross country course throughout his sophomore campaign, delivering better and better results while keeping up team morale at all times. An unquestioned leader in the program, he produced his top career time in the 8K at the OVC Championships with a mark of 25:36.31. Bradord was nearly perfect in the classroom, boasting a 3.95 GPA while continuing work on his bachelor's degree in exercise science and physical wellness with a concentration in pre-physical therapy. |
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Peyton Calitri | Baseball | Senior | Collierville, Tenn. Calitri put together the best season by a Tech starter since 2018, earning All-OVC First Team honors, two OVC Pitcher of the Week accolades, and a spot on the College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Watch List. Setting the program record for strikeout/walk ratio, he ended the year 7-4 with a 3.34 ERA, 94.1 innings, and 85 Ks to just 10 walks. A 4.0 student his entire career with a bachelor's in mechanical engineering, he maintained a perfect GPA while working on his MBA. |
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Daniel Egbuniwe | Men's Basketball | Sophomore | Memphis, Tenn. Egbuniwe enjoyed a solid first year in the purple and gold after transferring over from Little Rock, averaging 7.6 points with a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game while making 29 starts and playing in all 31 of the team's games. He shot 35.8 percent from distance while leading the team in blocks and ranking second in steals. Off the court, the sophomore led by example with the books, producing a 3.43 GPA while working on his bachelor's degree in marketing and a minor in social science. |
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Reghan Grimes | Women's Basketball | Sophomore | Nashville, Tenn. Grimes continued her growth on the court in her sophomore campaign, ranking second on the team with 10.3 points and 28.2 minutes per game. The youngster led the team with 5.5 rebounds per game, dished out 68 assists, and racked up 29 steals while making 26 starts and playing in all 31 games on the year while shooting better than 72 percent from the charity stripe. Her leadership as a student was evident as well, thanks to a 3.88 GPA while working on her bachelor's degree in psychology. |
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Seneca Haggard | Cheer | Freshman | Cookeville, Tenn. Haggard was named the inaugural President's Award winner for cheer after the spirit program's move under the direction of Athletics, never complaining while displaying a tough work ethic in one of the team's toughest positions, the bottom layer of pyramids. She helped lead Tech to a fourth-place showing at nationals, two spots better than the team place in 2023. She ended her rookie year with a 3.63 GPA while working on her bachelor's in accounting. |
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Madolyn Isringhausen | Beach Volleyball | Junior | Edwardsville, Ill. Isringhausen, the beach volleyball program's second-ever winner of the President's Award, joined teammate Bella Powell as the first pairing in program history to earn league honors, securing an All-OVC Second Team nod following a breakout campaign. Securing a 9-11 mark overall and a 5-4 showing in OVC action, the two served as the team's top pair all season long. The junior earned her bachelor's degree in marketing with a 3.15 GPA and will begin work on her MBA. |
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Makaleigh Jessee | Women's Cross Country | Freshman | Abingdon, Va. Jessee was an impact performer immediately upon her arrival in Cookeville, finishing second among the Golden Eagles in each of the team's six events, including the NCAA South Regionals where she turned in a season-best 6K of 21:45.46. The rookie earned All-OVC Second Team honors after placing in the top-15 of the OVC Championships. She kicked off her academic career in style as well, boasting a 4.0 GPA while pursuing a bachelor's in exercise science and physical wellness with a concentration in pre-physical therapy. |
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Darek Kuczynski | Tennis | Junior | Gdynia, Poland Kuczynski was a catalyst of the tennis team in his first season in Cookeville after transferring over from Siena, finishing 11-11 overall in singles action, including an impressive 5-0 mark in Horizon League action. He tallied nine more wins in doubles action on the year and was a vocal leader throughout the program. A leader in the classroom as well, he turned in a 3.69 GPA while continuing work towards his bachelor's degree in economics with minors in math, computer science, and accounting. |
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Gittle Sciolis | Women's Golf | Senior | Bremen, Ga. Sciolis was the veteran presence the women's golf team needed in 2023-24, securing her first career All-OVC Team honors after finishing third among the Golden Eagles with a 78.19 scoring average. Competing in all 26 rounds for the purple and gold, she twice earned OVC Women's Golfer of the Week recognition. Having already earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science and physical wellness with a concentration in pre-physical therapy, she earned a second bachelor's in interdisciplinary studies with a 3.69 GPA. |
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Katie Toney | Soccer | Sophomore | McMinnville, Tenn. Toney racked up the accolades in her second season with Tech, becoming the program's first OVC Forward of the Year winner while also securing All-OVC First Team and USC All-South Region Second Team honors. Leading the league with seven assists and ranking second with six goals and 19 total points, she helped Tech to its second straight OVC regular season title. She also continued her dominance with the books, producing a perfect 4.0 GPA while working on her bachelor's in marketing with a minor in social science. |
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Hudson Tucker | Football | Junior | Kingsland, Ga. Tucker enjoyed a great season while contributing heavily to the OVC's top defensive unit, locking down All-Big South/OVC Second Team Defense honors. The defensive lineman wreaked havoc on opposing offenses, ranking second on the Tech squad with six sacks, nine tackles for loss, and three quarterback hurries while totaling 21 stops in nine games. He also showed off in the classroom, locking down a 3.67 GPA while earning his bachelor's degree in business management and starting on his MBA. |
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McKenna Young | Volleyball | Junior | Murfreesboro, Tenn. Young became just the fourth Golden Eagle student-athlete to earn President's Award honors with two different teams, and the first to do so not associated with cross country or track & field programs. For the fourth straight year, the libero led Tech in digs and digs per set, racking up 437 to rank among league leaders. She also maintained her perfect 4.0 GPA for the fourth year in a row, earning her bachelor's degree in psychology while starting on her master's in counseling and psychology. |
