The 2016 Coca-Cola Scrappy Awards are here! Tonight (Thursday - April 14) is the big night at the Tivoli, celebrating all things Mocs. Tickets are $15 if you can get to the UTC Box Office before 5:00 p.m. today, otherwise they are $20 at the door.
Come join us as we recap the accomplishments of the student-athletes at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga over the last year.
Be sure to check back to GoMocs.com, or follow The Scrappys on Twitter
@thescrappys to keep up with all of the award winners and the fun throughout the evening.
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FSG Bank Team of the Year
Softball - SoCon Regular Season and Tournament Champs
The softball team had another championship season in 2015, capturing the Southern Conference regular season title and its second consecutive tournament crown. This was the first time since 2011 that Chattanooga took both titles. The Mocs went 35-15 and 12-4 in league play, making their 10th NCAA appearance at Auburn last May. The squad was ranked within the top 50 teams in the NCAA RPI, with its best ranking being 40.
Volleyball – SoCon Regular Season Champs
Volleyball had a historical year after winning the 2015 Southern Conference regular season title, the program's first since 1998. With a 26-6 overall record, the squad tied for the most victories during a season in school history. Beating Virginia Tech was a memorable win for UTC, its first victory against a "Power 5" opponent since 2004. The team also advanced to the SoCon Tournament Championship for the first time since 2001.
Football – SoCon Regular Season SoCon Champs
The Mocs claimed their third-consecutive Southern Conference Championship with a 9-4 overall record and a 6-1 mark in league play. The Mocs advanced to the NCAA FCS Playoffs, winning a game for the second year in a row. UTC tied its school record with a No. 8 national ranking, while 17 Mocs were honored by the Southern Conference in the postseason. It was the seventh SoCon title for the Mocs and the third trip to the FCS Playoffs.
Wrestling – SoCon Regular Season Champs
The Mocs finished the regular season ranked No. 23 in the nation. UTC posted a 12-4 overall record and shared the Southern Conference regular season championships with a 6-1 mark in league duals. UTC posted wins over Power 5 teams Arizona State and 19
th ranked Virginia, while junior heavyweight Jared Johnson spent most of the season ranked in the top 20.
Men's Basketball - SoCon Regular Season and Tournament Champs
The men's basketball team won its 11th Southern Conference Regular Season and 11th SoCon Tournament titles in 2015-16. They recorded a school-record 29 wins, breaking a record (27) that stood for 33 seasons. The team reached its 11th NCAA Tournament which is second all-time in the conference. It made national headlines with wins at Georgia, Illinois and Dayton.
Women's Basketball - SoCon Regular Season and Tournament Champs
The Mocs claimed their 20
th regular season Southern Conference title and 17
th SoCon Tournament crown with a 24-8 (12-2 SoCon) record in 2015-16. Chattanooga advanced to its 14
th NCAA Tournament, making a fourth-straight appearance overall. The Mocs topped the 20-win mark for the 20
th time and led the nation in blocked shots and fewest fouls for most of the season. They ran their home-court SoCon win streak to 43 games and their 3-point streak to 530 consecutive games.
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College of Health, Education & Professional Studies Scholar Athlete of the Year
Eric Robertson – Men's Basketball – 3.74 GPA – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll
Alicia Payne – Women's Basketball - 3.89 GPA – Academic All-SoCon – SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll
Paul Stuart - Men's Cross Country – 3.94 GPA – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll
Helenka Kis - Women's Cross Country/Track & Field - 4.00 GPA – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll – Dayle May Award
Derrick Craine – Football – 3.59 GPA – Academic All-American – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll
Wes Gosselin – Men's Golf – 3.82 GPA – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll
Isabella Loza - Women's Golf – 3.91 GPA – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll
Clare Latham – Soccer – 3.95 GPA – Capital One Academic All-District - Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll
Sam Taylor – Softball – 3.76 GPA – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll
Pavels Grigorjevs – Men's Tennis - 3.46 GPA – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll – ITA Scholar Athlete
Kaylene Chadwell – Women's Tennis – 3.87 GPA – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll – ITA Scholar Athlete
Sarah Batterton – Volleyball – 3.90 GPA – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll
John Lampe – Wrestling – 3.97 GPA – Academic All-SoCon - SoCon Commissioner's Medal – SoCon Honor Roll – Dayle May Award
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Coca-Cola Male Student Athlete of the Year
Jacob Huesman - Football
Jacob capped off his outstanding career by winning his unprecedented third Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year Award and leading the Mocs to their third SoCon title. The two-time All-American broke nearly every offensive record at UTC, and rushed for over 1,200 yards in 2015. His 66.9 completion percentage was No. 6 in the FCS last season and he ran for 13 TDs, threw for 12 and caught another one.
Jared Johnson – Wrestling
Johnson finished the year with an impressive 23-7 record as a junior heavyweight. He spent the season ranked in the top-20 and was the No. 13 seed at the NCAA Tournament. He had a second place finish at the Wolfpack Open and a fourth place showing at the prestigious Southern Scuffle. His run at the Scuffle included a win over Cleveland State's No. 12 Riley Shaw. He also pinned Virginia's Patrick Gillen to cap a 19-18 comeback win over the No. 19 Cavaliers.
Paul Stuart - Cross Country/Outdoor Track & Field
Stuart was a second team All-Southern Conference runner at the 2015 Cross Country Championships where he placed 11
th overall. He posted a season-best time of 24:58.06 at the league meet. He was also an All-SoCon runner at the 2015 outdoor championships in the 10,000M race and was UTC's top finisher in every race in 2014-15.
Liam Johnston – Men's Golf
Johnston made the All-Southern Conference team after completing his career with a team-best 73.03 average in 2014-15. His +1.13 scoring vs. par was the ninth-best in school history. His efforts led the squad in five tournaments, twice finishing second (AutoTrader.com Collegiate/Davidson College Invite).
Tre' McLean – Men's Basketball
McLean was a first team All-Southern Conference player, leading the team in scoring (12.1), rebounding (6.3) and steals (1.6). He also ranked in the top 15 in the SoCon in nine of 13 categories. He averaged 14.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists & 2.0 steals per conference game. McLean's scored career-high 29 points in home win over rival ETSU.
Gino Delavalle – Men's Tennis
In his final season with the Mocs, Delavalle led Chattanooga with a 14-12 overall singles record. He was 8-10 in the spring and had four wins at No. 5 singles. In doubles play, he finished with a 5-3 overall record. That included a 3-1 mark at No. 3 in the spring.
Coca-Cola Female Student Athlete of the Year
Anyssa Robles – Softball
Robles started in all 50 games as the catcher for the Mocs and was named to the Southern Conference All-Tournament Team as the Most Outstanding Player. She had a walk-off hit in three straight games, including a three-run, two-out walk-off home run in the seventh inning to beat Mercer 7-6 in the SoCon Tournament. During the season, Robles tallied 42 hits, 12 runs and 31 RBI.
Kayla Jones – Women's Tennis
Jones earned First Team All-Southern Conference honors for the second time in her career, thanks to a 22-9 record in 2014-15. She was 15-6 against a tough schedule at No. 1 and had a 5-1 mark in SoCon action in the top spot. She was also named second team All-SoCon in doubles with a 25-6 doubles record. Her play at No. 1 doubles and No. 1 singles led the Mocs to an 18-4 overall record and a second place finish in the SoCon race at 5-1.
Alicia Payne – Women's Basketball
Payne was named the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year after wreaking havoc on opposing point guards. She continued to grow as a player in her senior year and was selected the Southern Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player. She was fourth on the team in scoring and entered the Top 10 all-time at UTC for assists and played in 130 career games – second most at UTC.
Kristy Weiser – Volleyball
Weiser was named to the All-Southern Conference First Team, ending the season nationally ranked at No. 49 for her .369 hitting percentage. As a right-side attacker and middle blocker, she collected 2.65 kills per set and 66 blocks. Averaging 3.06 points per set as a junior, Wieser started in all 32 matches and 121 frames for the Southern Conference Regular Season Champion Mocs.
Agathe Sauzon – Women's Golf
Sauzon was an All-Southern Conference performer, who led the squad in scoring (74.70), par 4 scoring (4.20), birdies (2.53) par or better holes (76.1%) and fewest bogeys (3.50) in 2014-15. She posted five top 10s and ranked in the top 15 in seven of 10 appearances. Agathe ended her career with the third-lowest scoring average in school history and earned her Ladies European Tour Card in the fall.
Maddison Melchionna – Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Melchionna ran the 800M leg for the SoCon Champion Distance Medley Relay Team at the 2016 indoor meet. She also won the SoCon 800M individual indoor race after finishing third at the 2015 Outdoor SoCon championships. She also set the school record in the 800 at the Samford Invitational on Feb. 12, 2016.
Skylar Brewer – Soccer
Brewer helped the Mocs to their best Southern Conference finish since 2005. She led the team in scoring with three goals and three assists. Brewer scored goals in the Mocs wins against Alabama A&M and The Citadel while assisting on a goal in the Mocs win against ETSU. She also assisted on the game-tying goal against Wofford.
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Coach of the Year
Frank Reed - Softball
Reed was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year for the sixth time following the 2015 season. He was the 28
th coach in the nation to reach 1,000 collegiate wins after Chattanooga beat Furman twice in one day in 2015. Reed has coached the Mocs for 14 years, having won his ninth SoCon regular-season title, eighth SoCon Tournament crown and made his eighth NCAA appearance last season. He was recently inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame.
Travis Filar – Volleyball
Filar earned his first Southern Conference Coach of the Year honor in his fifth season with the Mocs. The 2015 seniors are his first full recruiting class, as Filar worked to change the culture of Chattanooga volleyball. He coached the Mocs to their first regular season title since 1998, marking the first time the program has reached 24 wins in regular season play. The squad also reached the SoCon Tournament Championships for the first time since 2001.
Bill Gautier – Women's Cross Country
Gautier was named the Southern Conference Women's Cross Country co-Coach of the Year following the 2015 campaign. He guided the Mocs to a second place showing at the league championships, led by Teghan Henderson's second place overall showing. The Men's team posting the top GPA in the nation for the third time in the last five years, while the women's GPA ranked eighth.
Matt McCall – Men's Basketball
McCall led the basketball team to a school-record 29 wins in his first season with the program. He earned Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors, leading the Mocs to the SoCon Regular Season and Tournament Championships as well as the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2009. The team posted three nationally-recognized road wins at Georgia, Illinois and Dayton.
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Comeback of the Year
Volleyball's 3-2 win at ETSU to clinch the SoCon title.
The Mocs came back from a 2-0 deficit against the Bucs to force a third set in Johnson City, Tenn., on Nov. 13, 2015. In the final frame, UTC trailed 14-4 before saving 11 match points to win 21-19. Not only was it an improbable comeback, but the win also gave UTC a share of the Southern Conference Regular Season title for the first time since 1998.
Men's Basketball's win at Illinois.
The Mocs trailed Big 10 opponent Illinois 69-60 with 6:26 left to play before storming back for an 81-77 win over the Illini. Chattanooga scored on seven of the next nine possessions, including five straight 3-pointers, in a 19-5 run. That win gave UTC a 3-0 start for the first time since 1997-98 and helped to jumpstart UTC's 29-6 season.
Wrestling's comeback win at No. 19 Virginia to close the regular season.
After losing at 174, the Mocs trailed the Cavaliers 18-7 with three matches left. UTC won a decision at 184 and junior Scottie Boykin had a huge upset against No. 11 Zachary Nye at 197. That left the Mocs down 18-13 with one match left. Junior Jared Johnson needed a pin to get the win and did just that in the second period against Patrick Gillen.
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McDonald's Fan of the Year
Jeremy Bryson – The head of the UTC Student Veterans Organization at UTC and on the front row of most home football and basketball games.
Erik Gray – You can find him at every home football games as a part of the Big Shoe Crew, and behind the visiting bench at basketball games leading the "CHATTA" "NOOGA" chants.
Dennis Haskins – AKA Mr. Belding and now a graduate of UTC. Dennis is a huge supporter of his alma mater. His 40K+ Twitter followers know all about the Mocs and how much he loves UTC.
Brian Millican – Always sporting the Blue & Gold Loudmouth pants, Millican is a regular at most Mocs sporting events.
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Victory of the Year
Women's Tennis 4-3 win over Furman.
The Mocs got a huge monkey off their back with a 4-3 win against Furman on March 29, 2015. That victory snapped a 24-match losing streak to the Paladins and was the first win in the series for Chattanooga since 1997. UTC had come close is recent matches, losing 4-3 in each of the previous meetings. Junior Alison Storie won the deciding match at No. 6 singles, as Chattanooga went on to finish second in the SoCon race.
Softball defeating Mercer 3-1 to win the Southern Conference Tournament.
The Mocs won their 13
th Southern Conference Tournament in 2015 behind a 3-1 victory against Mercer in the championship game. It was the second consecutive tournament crown for UTC and the first time since 2011 the Mocs won both the regular season and tournament trophies in the same year. Senior Taylor Deason only allowed one run on four hits, sending the Mocs to their 10
th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Volleyball beating Virginia Tech 3-2.
The Mocs got off to the best start in school history in 2015, racing out to a 15-2 record that included an 11-match winning streak. Included in that run was an impressive 3-2 win at Virginia Tech on Oct. 2. The five-set victory was the first for UTC against a "Power 5" school since Sept. 18, 2004 when the squad posted a 3-2 win over North Carolina State.
Men's Basketball 61-59 win at Dayton.
The men's basketball team had an improbable 61-59 win at Dayton on Dec. 12, 2015. The day after losing preseason SoCon Player of the Year Casey Jones to an injury, UTC visited a 7-1 Dayton squad that was ranked just outside of the top 25. Greg Pryor's team-high 15 points, and two free throws with 5.3 seconds to play, proved to be the difference in the huge win over the eventual Atlanitc-10 Champion Flyers.
Women's Indoor Track & Field winning the SoCon DMR.
Hannah Chamblin, Kiaana Howard, Maddison Melchionna and Teghan Henderson teamed to win the Southern Conference Distance Medley Relay title at the indoor championships in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 26, 2016. Chamblin took the lead in the 1200M, followed by Howard in the 400M, Melchionna in the 800M and Henderson anchoring in the 1600M.
Women's Basketball beating Mercer 65-57 to win the SoCon Tournament.
The Mocs capped off an 11-game winning streak with a 65-57 win over Mercer in the finals of the 2016 Southern Conference Tournament on March 6 in Asheville, N.C. Mercer grabbed a 54-53 lead with 4:07 left, but the Mocs went on a 9-0 run to seal the win. It was the 17
th tournament title for Chattanooga, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 14
th time in school history.
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Individual Performance
Anyssa Robles – Softball - SoCon Tournament MVP
Earned Southern Conference Tournament MVP honors after going 5-11 with three game-winning RBIs while leading the Mocs to the title in 2015. She had a walk off single in the 10
th inning against Western Carolina in the opening game and followed that with a three-run walk off homer against Mercer in the semifinals. She capped it off with a SAC fly that gave the Mocs their second run in a 3-1 win against the Bears in the title game.
Peyton McCollum – Soccer - Hat trick vs. ETSU
The Mocs closed out the 2015 regular season in grand fashion with a 3-1 win over ETSU on Oct. 25. Sophomore
Peyton McCollum tallied all three goals in the win. Trailing 1-0, McCollum put three unanswered strikes in the back of the next for the come-from-behind win on the road. It was the first hat trick by a Moc since 2010.
Derrick Craine – Football - Four Rushing TDs vs. Western Carolina
Derrick Craine set a new school record with 1,251 rushing yards in 2015. Part of that was a four touchdown game in a 41-13 win against Western Carolina on Oct. 31, 2015. All four of his scores came in the first half and he finished with 103 rushing yards on 15 carries. It was the most rushing TDs in a game by a Moc since Artis Edwards had four against Appalachian State on Nov. 6, 1982
Kamaal Shakur – Wrestling – SoCon Tournament MVP
Named Southern Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler in the 2016 championships. He is the first freshman to win the award since UTC's Cody Cleveland in 2009. Shakur came into the Tournament as the No. 2 seed at 157 pounds. He scored major decisions in his first two wins, advancing to the finals against top-seeded and defending champion Aaron Walker of The Citadel. There he beat Walker 10-6 to avenge a loss from earlier in the year and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Maddison Melchionna – ITF – SoCon Title in the 800M
Sophomore
Maddison Melchionna set the school record in the 800M during the indoor season, but it was her performance at the Southern Conference Championships that was most impressive. There she covered the distance in a time of 2:12.38, a full second ahead of Samford's Karisa Nelson.
Alicia Payne – Women's Basketball – SoCon Tournament MVP
Named the MVP of the 2016 Southern Conference Tournament after guiding the Mocs to their fourth title in a row and 17
th overall. She averaged 11.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and two steals in the three games in Asheville, N.C. Her best showing came in the title game against Mercer when she posted 12 points, five assists and four boards. She was 6-8 from the line against the Bears, helping to seal the win in the closing moments of the game.
Greg Pryor – Men's Basketball – SoCon Tournament MVP
Named the MVP of the 2016 Southern Conference Tournament after guiding the Mocs to their 11
th title and first since 2009. After being plagued by foul trouble in the first game against Samford, he bounced back with 16 points and five assists in a tough win over Western Carolina. Finished with 13 points and six boards in the title game against ETSU, including 7-10 from the foul line that helped to seal the win.
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Behind the Scenes
Lynn Trent - Press Box/Scorers' Table
Lynn just finished his 50th season as the official scorer of UTC football. He has also served as the clock operator at all UTC home men's and women's basketball games.
Dewayne Gass - Moc Maniac
The Man on the Mic, Dewayne Gass has been the secondary public address announcer for the Mocs for nearly three decades. He also took over the same duties at Mocs football this season.
Zach McGinty – Training Room
Zach McGinty is in his second year in the Mocs training room. His primary responsibilities are assisting with the Mocs football team, and he also supervises services for the men's and women's golf programs.
Rhonda Watts – Strength & Conditioning
Rhonda Watts is in her first season on the Mocs Athletic Performance Staff. She works with the SoCon Champion volleyball and women's basketball teams, as well as the softball and women's tennis programs.
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Play of the Year
Anyssa Robles – Softball – Walk off HR vs. Mercer in the SoCon Tournament semifinals.
For the third game in a row, catcher Anyssa Robles won a game with a walk off hit. This time it was a three-run blast in the bottom of the seventh inning against Mercer that sent the Mocs to the championship game of the 2015 Southern Conference Tournament with a 7-6 win. Her shot to right field at Frost Stadium came after UTC trailed 6-4 heading into its last at bat.
Women's soccer last second goal vs. UAB.
With the game tied a 1-1 in the closing seconds of double-overtime against regional rival UAB and the countdown booming over the PA at Finley Stadium, junior Samantha Hogan shot a pass into the box from the right side. It deflected back out and she sent it back in for another chance. Sophomore Emily Moseley picked it up and flicked it in for the game winner with no time left on the clock, giving the Mocs a 2-1 win.
Briana Reid's Game-Winning Kill at Western Carolina.
Down two sets to none at Western Carolina on Nov. 14, 2015, the Mocs stormed back for a 3-2 win. It was capped by senior Briana Reed's 17th kill of the match. After a strong dig by Allie Davenport, Madison Bergen sent it over to the left side where Reid nailed it down the middle for the win. That secured the outright Southern Conference regular season title for the Mocs.
Jared Johnson pins Virginia heavyweight in the win over the Cavaliers.
The Mocs trailed No. 18 Virginia 18-7 with three matches left and had closed the gap to 18-13 when junior heavyweight Jared Johnson took the mat in the final match of the day. He needed a pin to give UTC the win. As improbable as that was, it is exactly what he did. Following a scoreless first, the cavaliers Patrick Gillen chose down. Johnson turned him once for four points before pinning him at the 4:38 mark.
Men's Basketball sequence vs Samford in the SoCon Tournament
With just under 13 minutes to go in the Mocs' SoCon Tournament quarterfinal against Samford, UTC trailed 38-34. Tre' McLean grabbed a rebound, but was tripped and turned the ball over. Jonathan Burroughs-Cook blocked a fast break lay-in and got the rebound. He kicked ahead to Dee Oldham who found McLean in the corner for a three. That sparked a run that put the Mocs on top for good.
Football trick play against The Citadel.
With a share of the SoCon title on the line and the No. 20 Citadel Bulldogs in town, UTC needed to get off on the right foot against the Bulldogs. On the game's first play, Jacob Huesman threw a backwards pass in the flat to backup quarterback Alejandro Bennifield. The southpaw looked deep and found Xavier Borishade open in the secondary. He led him nicely for a 75-yard touchdown strike and the fastest score in school history. Chattanooga went on to win 31-23 and secure the automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
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UTC College of Business Newcomer of the Year
Cori Jennings – Softball
Cori had an outstanding freshman year for the 2015 SoCon Champion softball team. She posted a 2.96 ERA with a 14-6 record that included 10 complete games and three shutouts. She struck out 78 batters in 127.2 innings and was twice named the SoCon Pitcher of the Week. Following the season, Jennings earned a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman Team.
Kamaal Shakur – Wrestling
Kamaal led the No. 23-ranked wrestling team with a 24-8 overall record as a freshman in 2015-16. He won the Wolfpack Open during the season and was named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year. He won the Southern Conference title as the No. 2 seed at 157 pounds, defeating The Citadel's defending champion Aaron Walker in the finals earning Most Outstanding Wrestler at the SoCon Tournament.
Samantha Caswell – Women's Tennis
Samantha was named the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year after posting a 21-8 record in singles and a 23-7 mark in doubles during the 2014-15 campaign. She earned Second Team All-SoCon honors in doubles with teammate Kayla Jones and made the SoCon All-Freshman team. In the spring, she was 15-6 in dual singles, including 5-1 in conference matches, and was 17-4 in doubles.
Queen Alford – Women's Basketball
Queen enjoyed a terrific debut season with the Mocs after transferring from Jacksonville University. She finished third on the team, averaging 10.9 points per game, and was named second team All-SoCon. Alford played in all 32 games and made 22 starts for the Southern Conference Champion Mocs. She shot 42.4% from the field and 38.5% from 3-point range, while also grabbing 4.3 rebounds per game.
Andrew Weathers – Men's Golf
Andrew posted a 75.57 scoring average with seven rounds of par or better in his first year with the Mocs in 2014-15. Those numbers earned him Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors. He played in 10 events, all as a starter, and counted in 20 of a possible 28 team rounds. His best showing was a tie for second at the Davidson College Invite.
