“The award meant even more to me when I called my dad after and he told me how proud he is and started to cry. I’ve never heard my dad cry before,” Ava Walker, winner of First-year Female Athlete of the Year, said. “All of the other nominees were very deserving of the award… I remember watching each of the other nominees play and saying to myself ‘wow, they’re really good,’” she also added. Walker is a midfielder on the lacrosse team. 

EMU Athletics hosted its annual end of the year awards ceremony on April 21 in Yoder Arena, celebrating student-athletes and all they accomplished during the year and their careers.  

The evening began with refreshments and was followed by award presentations. The six big winners of the night were seniors Jenna Weaver and Jason Dwyer receiving the President’s Award, sophomores Meaghan Dean and Andre Mills winning the Male and Female Athletes of the Year, and Ava Walker and Ezekiel Awkward winning the First-year Athletes of the Year. 

“I am appreciative of all the ways EMU has encouraged me to get involved with multiple groups of people and for the ways that this involvement has allowed me to stay connected with people,” Dwyer, catcher on the baseball team, said. He added, “I am very thankful for the impact the experience has had on making me who I am today. I am incredibly grateful for the lessons I have learned and the relationships with teammates, coaches, training staff, and administration that my time here as an athlete has given me.”

Weaver, who runs cross-country, track and also is part of the triathlon team said, “winning the President’s Award to me is a reflection of the hard work I have put in over the last four years in athletics, my studies, along with my connections with this community. I feel that it also speaks to my values of being a well-rounded person, striving in several areas of my life.”

Athlete of the Year winners, Mills and Dean both attributed their endless hardwork for their success as athletes. Dean, an infielder on the softball team, said “it means to never give up and to always keep pushing.” She added, “Winning an award like this is very accomplishing for me, but the grind doesn’t stop there. It means to continue working hard and keep striving to become a better softball player and person everyday.”

Mills, outside hitter on the men’s volleyball team also said, “this is everything because after working hard all season it feels like a true payoff.” He also noted the verse Philippians 4:13, which says, “I can do all things right Christ who strengthens me.”

 “I always stand by it,” he said.

Apart from winning awards, many of the athletes spoke on the importance of EMU Athletics to their lives and future careers. Weaver said, “EMU Athletics has taught me a lot about myself. I’ve grown in confidence in my abilities, leadership to others on the team, how to work with others, and how to push through the highs and lows of competing.” As she is soon to become a nurse, she also noted, “all of these things really carry over into my life and practice as a nurse, since I truly do know how it feels to push myself and to excel.”