GSC Announces 2020 Top Ten Honorees
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Gulf South Conference is pleased to announce its 24th annual GSC “Top Ten” Award winners. These awards recognize the top five female and top five male student-athletes for their athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievement during the 2019-20 academic year. The top male and top female from each group of honorees will be awarded the Commissioner’s Trophy, which is the conference’s most elite award.
The presentations of the Top Ten and Commissioners' Trophy would have been made at the GSC’s Annual Awards Banquet in Pensacola, but the banquet was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 concerns. The All-Sports Trophy Champions would have been recognized as well, but those trophies will not be handed out this year.
The “Top Ten” are selected with the assistance of an advisory committee representing the Athletic Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, Sports Information Directors, Faculty Athletics Representatives, and Presidents from randomly selected GSC schools, which makes a recommendation to the Commissioner, who has the final decision.
The female Top Ten winners are
Abby Bertram (Lee, Basketball),
Logan Hill (Valdosta State, Softball),
Taylor Gonzales (Montevallo, Cross Country/Track & Field),
Jordyn Poppen (West Florida, Volleyball), and
Katie Taylor (Mississippi College, Soccer). Four of the honorees are seniors (Bertram, Hill, Poppen, Taylor), and one is a graduate student (Gonzales).
Bertram is Lee’s third straight women’s Top Ten student-athlete and eighth overall honoree. She is the first basketball player from the school to be honored. Hill is Valdosta State’s 11th women’s honoree and its first since fellow softball player Caitlyn Calhoun in 2014-15. Gonzales is Montevallo’s fourth Top Ten athlete overall and its first women’s athlete since Katie Nelson, also a distance runner for the Falcons, in 2017-18. Poppen is West Florida’s second straight Top Ten women’s athlete and first volleyball player since Autumn Duyn in 2015-16. Taylor is Mississippi College’s second ever Top Ten women’s student-athlete and first soccer honoree.
The male Top Ten winners are
Brandon Anderson (West Alabama, Football),
Jay Day (Alabama Huntsville, Cross Country/Track & Field),
Clay Guillozet (Valdosta State, Basketball),
Tate Lehtio (West Florida, Football), and
Zach Zediker (Delta State, Golf). The five honorees are composed of four seniors (Anderson, Guillozet, Lehtio, Zediker) and one junior (Day).
Anderson is West Alabama’s first football Top Ten athlete since his coach Brett Gilliland was honored in 2003-04. Day is Alabama Huntsville’s second consecutive male Top Ten honoree and 11th male overall. Guillozet is Valdosta State’s ninth male Top Ten student-athlete and first since fellow hooper Beau Justice in 2017-18. Lehtio is West Florida’s first football honoree and 15th male honoree overall. Zediker is Delta State's first ever golf Top Ten winner and 13th men's honoree.