ABILENE, Texas – The McMurry University Athletics Department paid tribute to its scholar-athletes on Tuesday, recognizing excellence in competition, in the classroom and in the community at The 2018 Wally's annual awards banquet. Outstanding athletes from each team and department-wide honors, were all presented at the event, held inside Kimbrell Arena.
 
The first awards given were the "War Hawk of the Year" for each of McM's programs. Those receiving the award from each sport were, in turn, considered for the outstanding male and female athletes. The winners for each sport, or auxiliary program, were:  Cross Country (women)- Tiffany Cox (Fr.); Cross Country (men)- Tyler Rohrman (So.); Football- Jake Ferguson (Sr.); Soccer (women)- Emily Fisher (Fr.); Soccer (men)- Alex Chavez (Sr.); Volleyball- Justice McGowan (So.); Swimming (women)- Robyn Remschel (Sr.); Swimming (men)- Jerick Pena (Jr.); Basketball (women)- Sham Hunter (Sr.); Basketball (men)- LaRandall Scroggins (Sr.); Golf (women)- Kendalyn Ferguson (So.); Golf (men)- Brendon Lowrance (So.); Tennis (women)- Samantha Ritz (Jr.); Tennis (men)- Carlos Martinez (So.); Track & Field (women)- Bethany Everett (Jr.); Track & Field (men)- Tiyoshi Hopes (So.); Softball- Rachel Ripley (Jr.); Baseball- Matthew Chalk (Jr.); Spirit Squad- Abby Trammel (Fr.); Student Athletic Trainer- Diana Rincon Lopez (So.).
 
The female Freshman of the Year was Angelica Navarro (Ft. Worth, Texas) of the women's soccer team. Navarro had a banner 2017 season, with eight goals, five assists, 21 points and a .583 shots-on-goal percentage. Her numbers rank her in the top-four in six different statistical categories. Navarro became the first-ever player in women's soccer 17-year history to earn an All-American award, when she was a second team choice by the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). She was also a first team NCCAA All-Region and third team All-American Southwest Conference (ASC) honoree.  She is a member of McMurry's honors college and the freshman class president.
 
The male Freshman of the Year was men's soccer standout Jordan Sczech (Spring Branch, Texas). Sczech led the War Hawks in scoring with 13 points, scoring six goals. He so impressed other league coaches, that we was selected as the ASC co-Freshman of the Year.  He had game-winning goals versus East Texas Baptist and Hardin-Simmons, as the War Hawks beat the Cowboys for the first time since 2003.  He put better than 53 percent of his shot attempts directly on-goal, as well.
 
The female Comeback Player award went to women's soccer defensive player Karleigh Alsip (Pasadena, Texas). As a freshman last year, Alsip played the most minutes on the team. Major post-season hip surgery threatened not only her sophomore campaign, but also her entire playing career. Alsip not only returned in 2017, but did so at a high level. She started 16 of 17 matches and helped the War Hawks' team to its second-lowest goals allowed total in program history in the defensive half.
 
The male Comeback Player award went to sophomore Tanner Wright (Ft. Worth, Texas) from track and field. Wright – a two-sport athlete (also playing football) – also represented the United States as a member of the paralympic team at the World Para Games in London last summer.  However, a back injury eventually led to leg problems (an inopportune injury for the War Hawks' kicker), forcing Wright to the sideline midway through the 2017 football campaign. But Wright, with the help of McM's Athletic Training staff, worked his way back into competitive form in time for the outdoor track and field season. He is again a part of the War Hawks' relay teams, while ranking among the top-10 in the NCCAA long jump and is No. 8 in the NCAA Division III South/Southeast Region.
 
The female Coach Neel Heart of a War Hawk Award went to senior women's tennis player Symphony Munoz (Monahans, Texas). On campus, she is involved in Social Clubs, SAAC, and Student Government. Munoz was also a member of the Marching Band and the Wind Ensemble, having both marched in the London New Year's Day Parade and played Carnegie Hall! She earned the "Dr. Sandra Harper Women's Leadership Award" in 2016-17.
 
The male Heart of a War Hawk award winner was, for the second-consecutive year, senior Chris Baker (San Angelo, Texas) from the baseball team. Chris worked as a Young Life leader and also interned at Aldersgate Church. He also spent time volunteering for Love & Care Ministries, and uses his skills of skinning and processing deer meat to be donated to an orphanage in Juarez, Mexico. He is a SAAC team representative and a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, as well as a three-year captain for his team.
 
The Senior Scholar-Athlete Award went to Munoz for female athletes and to tennis player Clayton Pope (Abilene, Texas) for men. The award goes to a graduating senior with the highest cumulative grade point average, who has played their entire career at McMurry. Both are ASC All-Academic Team and Distinguished Scholars, as well as NCCAA Scholar-Athletes. Munoz is majoring in sociology and graduating in three years.  Pope is a business finance major.
 
The Shining Moment Award – presented by McM's Athletics Communications Office – is emblematic of the story and/or event which brought great attention of the War Hawks' program. The 2018 winner went to the debut of softball as an intercollegiate sport at McMurry. First-year head coach David McNally accepted on behalf of his team.
 
The final awards of the evening recognize the outstanding female and male athletes, previously named the "War Hawk of the Year." McMurry President Dr. Sandra Harper and Director of Athletics Sam Ferguson announced that awards would, heretofore, be named in honor of a pair of McMurry athletics icons. The female trophy was christened the Bev Ball Award, in honor of the War Hawks' founding swim coach. The men's honor was renamed the Bill Libby Award, recognizing the founder of McM cross country program, longtime professor and former director of athletics.
 
It seem only proper that the inaugural Bev Ball Award went to a person is has been, arguably, one of the finest female swimmers to come through the doors, senior Robyn Remschel (Fredericksburg, Texas). For the third-consecutive season, Remschel won Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships in both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke events, posting times which would have qualified her for the NCAA championships "B-cut." Remschel broke her own SCAC – and school – record in the 200-backstroke by a full second, as well as personally accounting for 188 of 282 points scored by the McMurry team at the 2017-18 SCAC championships. Remschel was a 3-time SCAC "Swimmer of the Week" in 2017-18 and earned nine "Swimmer of the Week" awards in her career. She also owns the school records in the 100-yard backstroke, the 50-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle.
 
Remschel is also heavily involved on the McM campus with various clubs and organizations, among them is serving as a SAAC representative. 2017-18 was the third time Remschel earned the award a McM's top female athlete, also earning accolades as a freshman and sophomore.
 
The 2017-18 Bill Libby Award honoree was men's soccer senior goalkeeper Alex Chavez (Galveston, Texas). In 2017, Chavez led the War Hawks to their first NCCAA Central Region post-season playoff berth since 2012.
 
Along the way, Chavez produced some record-setting numbers, for which he received much recognition during the season: a three-time "Player of the Week" for both the American Southwest Conference and the NCCAA; All-ASC second team, and; NCCAA All-Central Region second team.
 
Chavez set school season records for: saves percentage, goals against average, and shutouts (one of which was over the #21 team in the nation, Mary Hardin-Baylor). At one point during the season, he had a streak of 575 minutes – between September 28 through October 21 – without permitting a goal. Chavez had a rare assist by a goalkeeper versus East Texas Baptist and also owns the McM career shutout record (11).