Muskingum announces Athletic Department Awards and Golden Hook Award winners

Muskingum has announced its annual Athletic Department Award honorees and the Golden Hook Award winners.

Senior softball outfielder Alexia Dowdle, senior women's soccer defender Sarah Landis, senior volleyball defensive specialist Kamryn Smith, senior football defensive lineman Benjamin Singer, senior football running back Cameron Near, senior wrestler Garrett Mitchel, senior wrestler Michael Kashuba, senior baseball catcher Zack Kozerski, and senior esports athlete Christopher Summers were all honored with the Greg Riggar Dedicated to Sport Award. The award is bestowed upon senior student-athletes at Muskingum who show excellence in associated areas of dedication to sport, leadership, and practice habits. The athlete must have participated for all four years of his/her collegiate career, be held in high esteem by his/her fellow teammates, and also exhibit the qualities of loyalty and discipline.

Senior softball outfielder Shaena Mayer, senior men's lacrosse attacker Josh Fletcher, and senior men's basketball forward Mitch Clark were honored with the Ann White, and Roy "Red" Turner Strive for Excellence Awards.

Mayer led the team in runs scored (34) and stolen bases (19) while batting .336. Her play helped lead the team to a 29-win season and a second-place finish in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

Fletcher returned from injury to score 11 goals and register seven assists. He was second on the team in points with 18 and ended his tenure as Muskingum's all-time assist leader with 29.

Clark battled through injuries and provided leadership on and off the court. He played in 62 games and ended his Muskie career with 427 points and 233 rebounds.

Senior volleyball setter Erin Dickson and senior men's golfer Brenton Franks were all honored with the Donna J. Newberry Pursuit of Perfection Award.

Dickson earned her third straight All-OAC accolade, helping guide the Muskie attack with 482 assists averaging 6.89 assists per set. She ranks third all-time for Muskingum in career assists with 3,430. Dickson's play helped lead the Muskies to the OAC Regular-Season Championship and a national ranking of 16th.

Franks was an All-OAC honoree and helped lead the men's golf team to three tournament wins this spring for the first time since 2002-03. He won medalist honors at the Muskingum Spring Invitational and was honored for his play by being named OAC Men's Golfer of the Week.

Freshman women's basketball guard Taylor DeMassimo and freshman men's lacrosse goalie Trevor Connolly were presented with the William F. Lange Outstanding Freshmen Awards.
DeMassimo led the team in three-point shots made (25) and free-throw shooting percentage (.769). She was second on the team in scoring (8.1 ppg) and helped set the school record for three-point shots made in a game (15) in Muskingum's 93-83 win against Wilmington.

Connolly made 150 saves and played 687 minutes between the pipes. During the season, he was recognized for his play by being named OAC Defensive Player of the Week twice. Connolly recorded a career-high 24 saves against Ohio Northern and helped lead the Muskies to their most OAC wins in the program history.

Senior volleyball outside hitter/libero Brooke Fatheree was recognized as the Barbara Steiner Outstanding Senior Female Athlete, while senior football linebacker Nehemiah Bowie was acknowledged as the William G. Moore Outstanding Senior Male Athlete.

Fatheree captured her fourth straight All-OAC honor and third straight First Team selection en route to being named the OAC Player of the Year. She led the Muskies defensively with 356 digs averaging 4.94 digs per set. She also notched 133 kills and has added 50 assists. Fatheree earned OAC Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week accolades during the season. She currently ranks fourth all-time in program history with 1,251 kills and eighth all-time in digs with 1,531.

Bowie is an All-OAC honoree and led the team in tackles during the shortened spring season with 30. He played in 33 career games, racked up 176 stops, recorded 10 pass breakups, had five interceptions, forced two fumbles, recovered one fumble, and logged one sack.

Senior cross country/track athlete Macy McAdams and senior men's golfer Brenton Franks were honored with the Ohio Athletic Conference Clyde Lamb Award. Criteria for the award include at least two years participation in an OAC-sponsored sport, senior status, a minimum grade point average of 3.00, and sportsmanlike conduct in a manner that has brought credit to the student-athlete and his or her institution.

McAdams, an art education major, has earned 12 varsity letters in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. She is a two-time All-Ohio honoree and All-OAC selection in cross country and track and a two-time All-Great Lakes honoree in indoor track & field. She ended the 2021 indoor season ranked eighth nationally in the 5K and 10th nationally in the 3K. McAdams ended the outdoor regular season ranked seventh nationally in the 10K. She is the school record holder in the distance medley relay, 3K and 5K.

McAdams is President of the Muskingum programming board, works as a tour guide and admissions assistant, and serves as a resident assistant. She is also a member of the council for exceptional children and works as a youth art leader at a Christian day camp. McAdams has been honored as a President's list recipient for eight semesters.

Franks, a special education major, is a four-time Academic All-OAC honoree and two-time All-OAC selection. He was a four-year member of the Muskingum men's golf team and a two-year member of the Muskingum men's tennis team. Franks was selected twice as the OAC Men's Golfer of the Week, won medalist honors three times, and helped lead the team to three tournament wins on the golf course. He also served as a student assistant for the Muskingum men's basketball team.

Franks works as the student director of intramurals and tutors at Meadowbrook Middle School and has volunteered at the Special Olympics. He is a Dean's list and President's list recipient and was voted homecoming king his junior year.

The Muskingum Student-Athlete Advisory Committee presented Golden Hook Awards to numerous student-athletes and teams.

Sophomore esports athlete Kesten Taylor was presented the Golden Hook Breakthrough Male Athlete of the Year Award. Taylor led the Muskingum Fortnite team to the program's first-ever National Championship in 2021. He led the entire country in eliminations and Victory Royales and was named National Player of the Week twice.

Sophomore volleyball middle hitter Emma Dunham was presented the Golden Hook Breakthrough Female Athlete of the Year Award. Dunham was named All-OAC after tallying 149 kills averaging 2.53 kills per set, and was second in the OAC in hitting percentage (.388). Dunham helped lead Volleyball to its first OAC regular season outright championship since 1999 and to a final national ranking of 16th.

Senior softball outfielder Shaena Mayer was presented with the Golden Hook Spark Plug Award. Mayer led the team in runs scored (34) and stolen bases (19) while batting .336. Her play helped lead the team to a 29-win season and a second-place finish in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

The Muskingum football team won the Golden Hook Award for Best Team Comeback Win for its 26-21 win at Otterbein. Muskingum scored the final 14 points of the contest to erase a second-half deficit to win its season finale. The Muskies amassed six interceptions and had 398 yards of offense in the win.

Senior volleyball outside hitter Maddie McGee was presented the Golden Hook for Biggest Hit. McGee, an All-OAC honoree, led the volleyball team with 268 kills and added 12 service aces.

Senior cross country/track athlete Macy McAdams was presented with the Best Leg Golden Hook Award. McAdams set the school record in the 10K and is ranked #1 in the Great Lakes Region and #7 in the nation in the 10K.

The volleyball duo of senior setter Erin Dickson and sophomore setter Emma Conrad were presented the Golden Hook for Best Duo. They combined to register 772 assists to help aid the Muskie net attack and helped lead volleyball to its first OAC regular season outright championship since 1999 and to a final national ranking of 16th.

The Muskingum men's golf team won the Golden Hook for Best Win with its team victory at the five-team Muskingum Spring Invitational. The win marked Muskingum's first team win since 2003.

Men's basketball junior guard MJ Smith won the Golden Hook Award for Hands of Gold. Smith made the game-winning three-point shot in Muskingum's season-opening win at Capital. Smith led the team with 20 points.

Senior football defensive back Brian Brown was presented the Golden Hook Award for Best Male Single-Game Performance. Brown registered three interceptions against Otterbein to help lead the Muskies to the win. His three interceptions in a game ranked second all-time at Muskingum and propelled him to 8th all-time in career interceptions.

Senior cross country/track athlete Macy McAdams was presented the Golden Hook Award for Best Female Single-Game Performance. McAdams set the school record in the 10K at the OAC Elite Meet and was ranked seventh in the nation at the time.

Senior men's lacrosse attacker Josh Fletcher was presented the Golden Hook Award for Comeback Athlete of the Year. Fletcher battled through injuries to set the school's all-time assist record with 29 and scored 11 goals and added seven assists his senior year.

The Muskingum volleyball team was honored with the Outstanding Team of the Year Golden Hook Award. The Muskies won the outright OAC Regular Season Championship for the first time since 1999 and was the top-seed in the OAC Tournament. Muskingum was ranked in the national Top 25 every week once the season began and ended the year ranked 16th in the nation.