Complete Release
Birmingham, AL—The Gulf South Conference is proud to announce its 15th annual GSC “Top Ten” Award winners. These awards, based on athletic, academic and extracurricular achievement during the 2010-11 academic year, recognize the top five male and top five female student-athletes as the cream of the GSC crop. The top male and female receive the Commissioner’s Trophy, the Conference’s most prestigious honor.
The presentations will be made at the GSC’s Annual Awards Banquet, Monday, June 20, at the Hilton Birmingham Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama at 6:30 p.m. At that time, the Conference will reveal the winners of the Commissioner’s Trophies and recognize its All-Sports Trophy Champions (men: Harding; women: West Florida).
The “Top Ten” are selected with the assistance of an advisory committee representing the ADs, SWAs, SIDs, FARs and Presidents from randomly selected GSC schools, which makes a recommendation to the Commissioner, who has the final decision. Ties are not broken, so more than ten student-athletes can be honored.
All 10 of this year’s honorees are first time winners. Three seniors headline the list of male athletes: Matt Johnson (Arkansas Tech, Baseball, Grand Saline, Tex.), Trey Mitchell (North Alabama, Baseball, Florence, Ala.) and Philip Pakebusch (Valdosta State, Tennis, Hamburg, Germany). Completing the men’s “Top Ten” are juniors Frank Cope (West Florida, Soccer, Mobile, Ala.) and Josh Magette (Alabama-Huntsville, Basketball, Birmingham, Ala.).
Pakebusch helped lead VSU to the 2011 NCAA Division II Men’s Tennis Title and he was also named the ITA National Player of the Year. Johnson led the nation in hits (99), runs scored (79) and scoring (1.55) and was a finalist for Tino Martinez Division II Player of the Year honor. Mitchell is UNA’s fourth consecutive men’s Top Ten winner after setting the school record for victories in a season (12). Magette was a NABC National Player of the Year finalist and guided UAH to its first-ever NCAA South Region Championship and a berth in the Elite Eight. Cope is the eighth UWF men’s Top Ten honoree in nine years after leading the Argonauts to their fifth consecutive GSC Men’s Soccer Title.
The “Top Ten” women’s field is led by two seniors and one graduate student. Maggie Glover (Southern Arkansas, Volleyball, Waxahachie, Tex.) began graduate work last fall, while Taylor Brewster (West Florida, Tennis, Fergus, Ontario, Canada) and Sarah Von Lienen (Arkansas Tech, Volleyball, Lakeland, Tenn.) wrapped their senior campaigns. Underclassmen Nikki Brown (Sophomore, North Alabama, Soccer, Bognor Regis, England) and Kayla Jackson (Junior, Arkansas-Monticello, Softball, Hallsville, Tex.) round out the list.
Jackson is the fifth consecutive UAM softball player to record Top Ten laurels after she secured the GSC West Division Player and Pitcher of the Year awards in 2011. Brewster marks UWF’s fifth straight female Top Ten winner following the Argonauts GSC Title run and her East Division Player of the Year award. Glover is SAU’s first women’s Top Ten winner since 2007 after she helped spring new life into the Lady Muleriders’ volleyball program. Brown is the first Top Ten sophomore since 2006 and UNA’s first-ever Top Ten soccer winner after she was named an All-America for the second year in a row. Von Lienen is the first ATU volleyball star to claim Top Ten accolades since 2000 and she also claimed the GSC West Division Player of the Year award in 2010.
GSC TOP TEN PROFILES
Taylor Brewster, University of West Florida
Women’s Tennis/No. 1 Singles and Doubles
Senior/Fergus, Ontario, Canada
Psychology/3.77 Overall G.P.A.
As the top singles women’s tennis player in the Gulf South Conference, Taylor Brewster has shown that she can handle big responsibilities on her own. But on the court and off, she also has excelled while helping others, making her one of the top student-athletes in the GSC.
Brewster’s on-the-court highlights in 2011 include earning her second career All-America honor after finishing the season ranked No. 20 in Division II singles play and No. 11 in doubles play with partner Caitlyn Barnes. She was the GSC East Division Player of the Year and led West Florida to the GSC Tournament crown for the second time in three seasons. The Fergus, Ontario, Canada native had 17 victories this season in singles play, including 12 at No. 1 singles, and did not drop a set in GSC play. She also had 21 doubles wins.
Brewster earned her degree in Psychology this year, graduating magna cum laude while earning a spot on the GSC All-Academic team for the third consecutive year. Even with all of her individual success, she found time for others, organizing fundraising efforts for the Make-A-Wish Foundation; serving as a volunteer with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, Habitat for Humanity, and the Trellis Mental Health and Developmental Service, where she helped youth with complex mental health issues.
Winning on the court has been paramount for Brewster during her career at West Florida. But she has shown that she is just as strong at helping others to become winners in their lives as well.
Nikki Brown, University of North Alabama
Women’s Soccer/Forward
Sophomore/Bognor Regis, England
Secondary Education (HPE-P 12)/3.68 Overall G.P.A.
Nikki Brown has made the most out of her first two years at the University of North Alabama, becoming the first-ever UNA women’s soccer player to earn GSC Top Ten honors.
Since “crossing the pond” from her hometown of Bognor Regis, England, Brown has been a key component in the best two seasons in Lions’ women’s soccer history.
Brown continued her stellar play on the pitch in 2010, leading UNA to a 16-4-1 overall record and berths in the GSC Tournament Final and the NCAA Regional Tournament. She ranked second in Division II in assists (16) and assists per game (0.76) shooting her to the top of UNA’s career assist record list (32). Brown collected Daktronics All-America Team accolades for the second year in a row and she was tabbed First Team All-GSC and All-Region.
Academically, the sophomore achieved a 3.68 overall grade-point average and a 3.73 mark as Secondary Education major. Brown was selected to the GSC Fall All-Academic Team and was also a CoSIDA Academic All-District IV pick.
Brown was very active in supporting the local community by working with other UNA student-athletes in the university’s “Movie Night With The Lions” and “UNA Kids Fun Night” initiatives. She also volunteered her time to assist in tornado relief efforts in the Phil Campbell Community and worked at a donation distribution center in Russellville, AL. Brown did not stop there, conveying the importance of reading with the Kilby Reading Program.
Frank Cope, University of West Florida
Men’s Soccer/Midfielder and Forward
Junior/Mobile, AL
Exercise Science/3.55 Overall G.P.A.
University of West Florida men’s soccer star Frank Cope is the type of player that every coach respects. The Mobile, AL native has a quiet demeanor off the field, but when his leadership is needed on the field, he knows when to step forward and take charge.
Cope started all 21 games for the Argonauts in 2010, seeing time at midfield and forward, while leading the squad in assists (10) and shots (51). The junior was a key component in UWF’s fifth consecutive GSC Men’s Soccer Championship, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. He was a First Team member of the All-GSC and Daktronics All-South Region post-season squads and capped the season with Honorable Mention All-America laurels.
Cope made his second consecutive appearance on the GSC Fall All-Academic Team, carrying a 3.55 overall grade-point average led by a 3.74 average in his Exercise Science major. He has been a mainstay on the UWF Dean’s List, making the list all but once during his college career.
Fellow West Florida students and members of the local Pensacola community have also benefited from Cope’s leadership abilities. He has helped welcome incoming freshman to the UWF campus, volunteering to help new students move into on campus residence halls. Cope has been highly involved with Camp Rap-A-Hope which is a summer program for children ages 7-17 who have suffered from cancer, serving as a coordinator for fundraisers and as a registration organizer. He has also coached and directed programming for local soccer college combines and volunteered with local youth soccer club, Dallas Texans Florida.
Maggie Glover, Southern Arkansas University
Volleyball/Middle Hitter
Graduate/Waxahachie, Texas
Psychology (Sociology minor)/3.77 Overall G.P.A.
Being a champion is not always determined by who wins the most games or earns the most accolades. While Southern Arkansas’ Maggie Glover does not have a trophy case filled with big-time awards, her work in the classroom and the community certainly embody that of a true winner.
This season, Glover – a graduate student – served as a team leader on and off the court for the Lady Muleriders’ volleyball team. She led the Gulf South Conference and was fourth in NCAA Division II with a .440 attack percentage – the second-best mark in GSC history. She was a First Team All-GSC West member and was a Daktronics Second Team All-Region selection, concluding one of the most successful careers in SAU volleyball history. This all the more impressive because the Lady Muleriders had a first-year head coach who took over a team that won just one match in 2010 but improved 19 games in the win column, thanks largely to the efforts of Glover.
Still, Glover’s story cannot be completely told with just volleyball. Off the court, her prowess in the classroom is sterling. She has already received her degree in psychology, finished with a 3.77 grade point average, and began work on her graduate degree in counseling. Glover was a GSC All-Academic team selection and an ESPN/CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-District choice. She has also been impactful in the SAU community, helping organize annual fundraisers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and provided leadership in organizing fundraisers for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for children.
Despite a stellar career, Glover did not win a GSC title or earn a Player of the Year award at Southern Arkansas. But there is little question that when it comes to championship performances on and off the court, she has been one of the greatest the Lady Muleriders have ever known.
Kayla Jackson, University of Arkansas at MonticelloSoftball/Pitcher and First Base
Junior/Hallsville, TX
Education/3.38 Overall G.P.A.
Dominant! Say it like you mean it, because that’s the way it applies to the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s three-year softball super-star Kayla Jackson. When she pitches, the opposition finds success by eeking out a hit or two and, at the plate opponents are satisfied if they can keep her inside the ballpark. She is the focal point of the UAM offense with opposing teams game-planning to limit her damage with the bat. The domination does not end there; Jackson also pounds the books and walks that extra mile in the community, where her impact has been equally as strong.
Make no mistake; Jackson was the most decorated softball player in the Gulf South Conference during the 2011 season. She won the GSC West Pitcher of the Week award four times and Player of the Week three times, twice winning both awards in the same week. She was named NFCA National Player of the Week once, a precursor to her NFCA Third Team All-American nod. Jackson was the GSC West Player and Pitcher of the Year after winning 29 games for the Cotton Blossoms while hitting .434 55 runs batted in (all league highs) and 12 home runs. She was an All-GSC West First Team selection at pitcher and first base and was named most outstanding player of the GSC Softball Tournament even as UAM finished second.
Away from the field, Jackson has been solid as well. The education major was a member of the 2011 GSC All-Academic team and a Capital One Academic All-Region selection. She has volunteered with the Special Olympics, Relay for Life and a blood drive at UAM. She also spends her spare time leading worship services at a Rescue Mission in her hometown of Hallsville, Texas.
Domination. Say it like you mean it, because Kayla Jackson embodied it in ways that will never be forgotten.
Matt Johnson, Arkansas Tech University
Baseball/Centerfield
Senior/Grand Saline, TX
Health & Physical Education/3.11 Overall G.P.A.
Matt Johnson made the most out of his two-year career at Arkansas Tech University, breaking school records and becoming the first ATU baseball standout to take home GSC Top Ten honors since 1997-98.
Johnson set single-season school records for hits (99), runs scored (79), total bases (156), stolen bases (37) and finished the year with a school-record, 34-game hitting streak which was also the third-longest in GSC history. His totals for hits, runs scored and scoring (1.55) were also tops in all of NCAA Division II.
The Grand Saline, TX native completed the regular season by becoming the first-ever ATU player to be named the GSC West Division Player of the Year, thanks to a .506 batting average and a .840 slugging percentage in 19 league contests. Johnson was an unanimous All-GSC First Team winner and also collected First Team All-Region laurels from Daktronics, the NCBWA and the ABCA. He became ATU’s first-ever First Team ABCA All-American, and earned spots on the College Baseball Lineup All-Star Team and the Second Team All-America by NCBWA and Daktronics. Johnson was one of eight finalists for the Tino Martinez Award, presented annually to the top DII baseball player, finishing third. Johnson’s baseball career will continue, as he was selected by Tampa Bay in the 23rd round of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft.
The senior compiled a 3.11 grade-point average as a Health and Physical Education major. He is a two-time member of the GSC Academic Honor Roll, a two-time Tech Academic Champion and made the Arkansas Tech Dean’s List this spring. His on-campus credentials included a one-year stint on the university’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee and serving as ATU’s representative at the Ark-APHERD Conference.
Johnson was an active volunteer in the Russellville community, serving for Make-A-Wish, Toys For Tots, the Main Street Mission, Salvation Army and PROJECT: FEED ARKANSAS. PROJECT: FEED ARKANSAS, a very successful, year-long food donation initiative for which Arkansas Tech won a NCAA Community Engagement Award.
Josh Magette, University of Alabama in Huntsville
Men’s Basketball/Guard
Junior/Birmingham, AL
Business Administration and Finance/3.19 Overall G.P.A.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville’s storybook season continued when guard Josh Magette became UAH’s first-ever men’s basketball GSC Top Ten winner.
The Chargers put together an impressive 2010-11 campaign which saw them set a school-record for wins in a season (29), en route to their first-ever NCAA South Region Title and NCAA Elite Eight appearance. Magette guided the event host to its first-ever Regional Title en route to Most Outstanding Player laurels. He served as the floor general for all of UAH’s 34 games, while setting the school’s all-time assist record (583) thanks to 272 in 2010-11.
The Birmingham, AL native was named to the All-GSC First Team before collecting First Team Daktronics All-South Region and NABC First Team All-District designations. He was a member of the 2011 State Farm/NABC All-America Team and he was one of just eight finalists for the NABC Division II Player of the Year Award.
Magette is also outstanding in the classroom, earning his second consecutive GSC Winter All-Academic Team award and third straight GSC Honor Roll list. He is also a two-time UAH Bronze Scholar Athlete, carrying a 3.19 overall grade-point average as a Business Administration and Finance major.
Magette’s dedicates his community service time to helping others when they face difficult circumstances. He hosted three fellow students during Huntsville’s recent tornado disaster, an international student athlete and provided free lawn maintenance for a neighbor whose husband battled cancer. Magette participated in his church’s Angle Tree project and he also served as a tutor for fellow UAH students.
Trey Mitchell, University of North Alabama
Baseball/Pitcher
Senior/Florence, AL
Geographic Information Science/3.50 Overall G.P.A.
Trey Mitchell commanded the mound for the University of North Alabama in 2011, setting school records and becoming the fifth UNA baseball Lion to achieve GSC Top Ten status.
The Florence, AL native helped guide his hometown school to its first NCAA post-season appearance since 1999, thanks in a large part to his dependability on the mound. Mitchell set a UNA single-season record with 12 victories, finishing the year with a 12-2 record. He led the GSC with seven complete games and threw 108.0 innings with 82 strikeouts, a 2.75 earned run average and just 17 walks. The senior claimed two GSC East Division Pitcher of the Week honors and was also selected as the NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week after going 3-0 during the first two weeks of the 2011 campaign. Mitchell was a unanimous All-GSC First Team honoree and collected Second Team All-South Region laurels from the ABCA and Honorable Mention from the NCBWA. He capped the season with a Second Team spot on the College Baseball Lineup Division II All Star Team.
Academically, Mitchell compiled a 3.50 overall grade-point average and achieved a 3.44 average in his Geographic Information Science major. He was named to the GSC Spring All-Academic Team for the second consecutive season, earning a unanimous selection this year.
Mitchell went above and beyond to support his hometown community. He assisted with tornado relief efforts in the Lang Town Community by removing debris and assisting with recovery of many families’ belongings. For the past four years, he has been a part of UNA baseball fund-raising efforts, including the Baseball Marathon, which has helped raise money from the community. Mitchell also dedicated his time to helping local children, frequently visiting the Cerebral Palsy Center in Sheffield and reading to elementary students as part of the Kilby School Reading Program.
Philip Pakebusch, Valdosta State University
Men’s Tennis/No. 1 Singles and No. 2 Doubles
Senior/Hamburg, Germany
Business/3.33 Overall G.P.A.
After coming up just short of a national championship in 2010, Philip Pakebusch and his Valdosta State teammates had just one thing on their collective minds: bring home the gold this time around. The senior certainly showed – on and off the court – that he was up to the challenge in 2011, turning in an individual effort that puts him at the top of his class in men’s tennis.
Pakebusch’s athletic achievements were astounding as he led the Blazers to the 2011 Division II national title. He went 10-2 as VSU’s No. 1 singles player and 19-2 at No. 2 doubles, earning his second consecutive Gulf South Conference Player of the Year award. He is just the fourth player in league history to win the award in back-to-back years. He was an All-American in singles and doubles play, earning the ITA Senior Player of the Year award.
The senior business major also excelled in the classroom, earning a spot on the All-GSC Academic Team. He also took part in a Habitat for Humanity project.
Winning a national championship and earning top player honors sealed Pakebusch’s claim as one of the best men’s tennis players in GSC history. Doing it after coming up just short the year before, while also pushing forward in the classroom and community, showed why he was one of the top student-athletes in the Gulf South Conference in 2011.
Sarah Von Lienen, Arkansas Tech University
Volleyball/Middle Blocker
Senior/Lakeland, Tennessee
Fine Art/3.48 Overall G.P.A.
Versatility is an important commodity when playing volleyball because teams must switch from defense to offense in almost a blink of an eye. In the Gulf South Conference, Sarah Von Lienen has shown that she is among the best at on-court versatility, and that trait has served her well away from the game as well.
Von Lienen’s athletic résumé’ is loaded with accolades. She was the GSC West Player of the Week three times during the 2010 season en route to the GSC West Player of the Year award, leading the Golden Suns to the GSC West Division title and their first win in the GSC Tournament since 2002. Her GSC Tournament performance earned her a well-deserved spot on the All-Tournament team, and contributed towards her selection as an Honorable Mention AVCA All-American and First Team All-South Region by Daktronics.
With her exceptional abilities on the court, it was perfectly reasonable to expect Von Lienen to serve as a team leader. But away from the matches and practices, she used those very same skills in the classroom and beyond, serving as one of the more visible student-athletes at Arkansas Tech. The Fine Art major was named to the GSC All-Academic team and was a Capital One Second Team Academic All-District selection. Among her ambassador work at ATU included serving as a coordinator for a National Girls and Women in Sports Day Clinic that was a NCAA Community Engagement Conference winner. Von Lienen also helped promote a Literacy Night event by working with elementary school students.
Hard work helped Von Lienen soar on the volleyball court and become one of the best to ever play at Arkansas Tech. But her devotion to the community showcased her talents and earned her recognition as an exceptionally versatile person, and one of the GSC’s Top Ten!
OTHER “TOP TEN” NOMINEES
Alabama-Huntsville
Alex Lewis, Softball
Senior; Birmingham, AL
Biological Science and English; 3.48 Overall G.P.A.
Christian Brothers
Kathleen Nelson, Softball
Senior; Bartlett, TN
Biology; 3.82 Overall G.P.A.
Delta State
Austin Smithers, Men’s Golf
Senior; Hattiesburg, MS
Accounting; 3.92 Overall G.P.A.
Veronica Walker, Women’s Basketball
Junior; Indianola, MS
Health, Physical Educ. & Recreation; 2.82 Overall G.P.A.
Harding
Stephen Blake, Men’s Basketball
Senior; Greenbrier, AR
Exercise Science; 3.38 Overall G.P.A.
Henderson State
Nick Hardesty, Football
Senior; Salina, KS
Business Management; 3.17 Overall G.P.A.
Ashley Ray, Softball
Junior; Colt, AR
Physical Education; 3.71 Overall G.P.A.
Ouachita Baptist
Eli Cranor, Football
Senior; Russellville, AR
English and Political Science; 3.58 Overall G.P.A.
Kristen Rigsbee, Softball
Senior; Frisco, TX
Accounting; 4.00 Overall G.P.A.
Valdosta State
Marti Littlefield, Softball
Junior; Nashville, GA
Business; 3.34 Overall G.P.A.
West Alabama
Katie Ford, Softball
Senior; Garden City, KS
Mathematics; 3.92 Overall G.P.A.
West Georgia
Stuart Drew, Baseball
Junior; Douglas, GA
Biology; 3.73 Overall G.P.A.
Sarah Ross, Women’s Golf
Senior; London, Ontario, Canada
Psychology; 3.43 Overall G.P.A.