The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga continued the yearly tradition of celebrating its student-athletes with the sevent annual Coca-Cola Scrappy Awards.  The event was held Thursday at the Tivoli Theater in downtown Chattanooga and covered the last calendar year of achievements in the classroom, in competition and in the community.

Awards included Rookie of the Year, Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year and Team of the Year, just to name a few.  To get things started, UTC wrestling head coach Heath Eslinger hosted a pre-event show on facebook live.  Check out the full video as everyone arrived below.



Despite this being the seventh edition of the show, many who have not attended are still curious about what exactly goes on at The Scrappys.  For those who made it to the Tivoli, you were lucky enough to experience the fun-filled evening of awards and highlights from the last year of Mocs Athletics.

If you couldn't make it, below are the nominees and award winners.  One of the most popular pieces was the "Proud to be a Moc" video, so check it out.  Other highlights included the Sage Advice and Coach Impersonations Videos, along with the Victor Ulmo and Makinde London intro.   

A complete list of award winners is available below, with each of the nominee videos included. We will add photos as soon as we get them all in, but go ahead and mark your calendars for next year's show back at the Tivoli - Thursday, April 11, 2019. 

Individual Performance of the Year
Scottie Boykin – Wrestling
Scottie Boykin scored a fall, a major decision and a decision on his way to the 2018 Southern Conference Title at 197 pounds.  It was the second individual title for the senior from Murfreesboro, Tenn., who wrapped up his career with 95 wins, eighth all-time at UTC. 

Other nominees included Makinde London (Men's Basketball), Brooke Burns (Women's Basketball), Taylor Reynolds (Football), Wes Gosselin (Men's Golf) and Chloe Arnold (Soccer). 


 
Play of the Year
Victor Ulmo - Football
Rredshirt Freshman Victor Ulmo booted a 39-yard field goal through the uprights with 19 seconds left to give the Mocs a 23-21 win at No. 8 Samford.  It was UTC's first road win over a top-10 team since 1983, snapping a nine-game home winning streak for the Bulldogs. 

Other nominees included Rodney Chatman (Men's Basketball), Etienne Brault (Men's Golf), Chloe Arnold (Soccer). 


 
Behind the Scenes Award
Matt Tipton – Wrestling Trainer
Jessica Pierce – Interim Director of Sports Medicine
For the first time in the history of the Scrappys, we have a tie.  Jessica Pierce is in her fifth season as the Associate Director of Sports Medicine, working with the women's basketball program.  She spent the past year as UTC's Interim Director of Sports Medicine.  Matt Tipton is also in his fifth year, working with the wrestling team.

Other nominees included Michael Huggins (Men's Basketball) and Billy Wilson (Equipment Room).



Newcomer of the Year
Megan Kaufman – Volleyball
Megan Kaufman started all 31 matches as a true freshman libero.  She finished with 613 total digs, second among all freshmen in the NCAA and the ninth-most in a season in school history.  She led the SoCon with 5.19 digs per set and made the league's all-freshman team.

Other nominees included Emily Poole (Cross Country/Track & Field), Cole Strange (Football), Holly Morgan (Wome's Golf), Chloe Arnold (Soccer) and Niklas Gerdes (Men's Tennis).



Victory of the Year
Women's Basketball at the Challenge in Music City
The women's basketball team won the Challenge in Music City in November with victories against Northwestern, Georgetown and a 50-41 triumph over Auburn in the championship game.  Couple that with wins at Indiana and Florida and the Mocs took down some big names this past season.

Other nominees included Men's Basketball's 87-85 win over SoCon Champion UNCG, Football's 23-21 win at No. 8 Samford, men's golfer Wes Gosselin wins Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate, men's tennis beat defending OVC Champions Tennessee Tech 4-2 in 2017.



Comeback of the Year
Football's game-winning drive in a 23-21 win at No. 8 Samford.
The Mocs' game-winning drive started when Tae Davis forced a fumble that was recovered by Kareem Orr.  Quarterback Cole Copeland then orchestrated a nine-play, 56-yard drive that included 14 and 17 yard runs by Alex Trotter and a 16-yard catch by Alphonso Stewart.  Victor Ulmo capped it off with a 39-yard FG for the 23-21 win.   

Other nominees included men's basketball trailing by nine in the second half before scoring a 70-67 win at Jacksonville State, men's golf improving 13 shots in the final round to finish in sixth-place at the prestigious Southern Intercollegiate, women's basketball trailing by five with 3:30 left before posting a 71-65 win at Samford.



Coach of the Year
Jim Foster – Women's Basketball
Hall of Fame head coach Jim Foster takes home the award for the second year in a row.  He became just the eighth head coach in NCAA history to win 900 games, defeating the likes of Indiana, Northwestern, Georgetown, Auburn and Florida during the 2017-18 season.

Other nominees included Chad Camper (Women's Tennis) and Heath Eslinger (Wrestling).


 
UTC StepUp! Leadership Award
Mollie Miller – Soccer
Mollie Miller is a junior member of the Mocs soccer team.  Despite her battles with a recent diagnosis of Lupus, she has remained a part of the UTC soccer program and the Mocs Athletics Department.  Not only does she serve as an athletics tutor, but she is back on the team and actively involved with FCS.



Coca-Cola Male Student-Athlete of the Year
Bryce Carr - Wrestling
Bryce Carr became the eighth Moc in school history to win SoCon Wrestler of the Year honors.  He was one win away from All-American status and won his second SoCon title at 184 pounds.  The senior from Dublin, Ga., graduated with a degree in Psychology in December.

Other nominees included Ryan Gebelein (Cross Country), Lucas Webb (Football) and Wes Gosselin (Men's Golf).



Coca-Cola Female Student-Athlete of the Year
Emma Sturdivant - Softball

Emma Sturdivant is a junior on the Mocs softball team.  She made the all-southern conference first team as a designated player in 2017.  This year she is hitting .309 with 34 hits and a pair of homeruns for the Mocs. 
Other nominees included Keiana Gilbert (Women's Basketball), Emily Poole (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field) and Monica San Juan (Women's Golf).



College of Health, Education and Professional Studies Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Chad Pyke – Wrestling
Megan Woods – Women's Golf
For the second time tonight, we have a tie.  Chad Pyke posted a 4.0 GPA in the MBA program.  He transferred to UTC from N.C. State for his final season of wrestling competition.  Women's golfer Megan Woods was the Dayle May Award winner and recently earned a post-graduate scholarship from the Southern Conference. 

Other nominees included Dylan Brewster (Men's Basketball), Lakelyn Bouldin (Women Basketball), Nathan Watson (Men's Cross Country), Julia Henderson (Women's Cross Country/T&F), Alex Hooper (Football), Wes Gosselin (Men's Golf), Emily Moseley (Soccer), Morgan Kazeroni (Softball), Michael Birnbaum (Men's Tennis), Samantha Caswell (Women's Tennis) and Madison Bergren (Volleyball).



Team of the Year
Wrestling
The UTC wrestling team posted an 8-7 overall record, including a 6-1 mark and a second place showing in the SoCon regular season race.  The Mocs had three individuals win SoCon championships and advance to compete at the NCAA Tournament, where they placed in the top 50 in the nation. 

Other nominees included Women's Basketball, Women's Golf and Women's Tennis.