PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Gulf South Conference honored its 2022-23 Top Ten awardees on Thursday evening in Pensacola, Fla. Headlining the night was GSC Commissioner Trophy winners, Beck Burnette and Taylor Vaneekeren.
PAST COMMISSIONER TROPHY WINNERS
Burnette, a men’s golfer from Lee, became the conference’s eighth recipient to earn the award in back-to-back season. He also joined last year’s winner and two-time Commissioner’s Trophy winner, Celine Ritter, as the school’s only other student-athlete to be be recognized twice in a career. Burnette is also the first golfer, men or women, to received the honor twice and in a career. In 2022, Burnette became the fourth golfer in GSC-history to be recognized as he joined Kevin Warrick (2003) and Chandler Blachet (2018) from West Florida and West Georgia’s Franziska Bream (2019).
A senior, Burnette was named the GSC Golfer of the Year and was GCAA Ping All-Region selection, and helped the Flames advance to the medal match play round of the 2023 NCAA Division National Championship. Academically, he posted a 3.86 GPA as a Communications major while minoring in Public Relations and Business. Additionally, Burnette was active in the community as he participated in reading programs at local elementary schools, youth golf clinics and Bethel Children's Home among others.
Vaneekeren meanwhile became the first volleyball student-athlete since 2017 (Natasha Fomina, North Alabama) to earn the GSC Commissioner’s Trophy. She also became the conference’s 13th volleyball recipient all-time and the ninth from West Florida. The only other Argonaut volleyball student-athlete to garner the award was Autumn Duyn in 2016.
A graduate setter for the Argonauts, Vaneekeren hauled in various on and off the court accolades during the season, including GSC Player of the Year, D2CCA South Region Player of the Year, AVCA Second Team All-American, and CSC Academic All-America® Team honors. Academically, she had a 3.96 GPA majoring in Sport Management and minoring in Sports Psychology & Management. Additionally, she helped organized UWF volleyball's inaugural Silent Set to bring attention to hearing loss and injuction with National Hearing Loss Awareness Month and served as UWF's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) President.
TOP TEN AWARDEE BIOS
The Commissioner’s Trophy is the most prestigious honor bestowed by the conference, which is presented annually to the student-athlete who best combines outstanding performance on the field or court and high academic achievement in the classroom with significant community service and extracurricular activities. The league initiated the men’s award during the 1974-75 academic year, and added the women’s award in the 1982-83 season.