Emporia State University held their annual Athletic senior recognition and honors banquet Wednesday night. Over 80 seniors were recognized with 9 athletes receiving special honors.
The Outstanding Student Athletes of the year honorees were Justin Marcha and Latiyera Yeargin.
The Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award is presented annually to deserving male and female student-athletes based upon their performance over time, athletic achievement, academic success, and contribution to the team.
Justin Marcha is a physics/mathematics major from Edmond, Okla. He was named First-Team All-American by Don hansen’s Football Gazette, the Associated Press and D2 Conferene Commissioners and earned Second-Team All-American honors from the AFCA and D2Football.com after leading the nation in punting average with an Emporia State school record 45.0 yards per punt. He has a 3.52 GPA in physics and mathematics and has earned D2 Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award, was on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, is an MIAA Scholar-Athlete and was on the Emporia State Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
Latiyera Yeargin is a senior crime and delinquency studies major from Topeka, Kan. She set the Emporia State record in the indoor 60m dash with a time of 7.61 at the Herm Wilson Invitational this season and ranks third all-time in the 100m entering this weekend’s MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She is a part of the fourth ranked 4x100m relay at Emporia State and has anchored that relay to championships in the last two Kansas Relays.
She will graduate this spring and has been a member of the Emporia State Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
Taysean Goodwin of the Track and field team and Tatum Graves of both the volleyball and womens basketball team were honored with the Undergraduate award.
The Undergraduate Award of Excellence is given to an outstanding male and female underclass student-athlete who excels in their sport.
Goodwin is a physics major from Blue Springs, Mo. He is an eight-time All-American and holds Emporia State records in the indoor 400m and both the indoor and outdoor 4x400m relays.
Graves is an accounting major from Shawnee, Kan. A dual sport athlete for Emporia State she earned Second-Team All-MIAA honors as a middle blocker in volleyball before transitioning to the basketball court in the winter. She has a 3.71 cumulative GPA and is a member of the Emporia State Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, the MIAA Academic Honor Roll and is an MIAA Scholar-Athlete.
Payson Maydew and Elizbeth Blevins, both of the track and field team were selected by fellow student athletes as the Students About the Crowd award winners.
Maydew has completed his undergraduate degree in business with a 3.69 GPA and is now pursuing an MBA. His academic accolades include being a two-time COSIDA Academic All American. He has been a four-time Division II All American in the Multi-Events and finished third in the decathlon at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the decathlon, and was a USA Junior Track and Field National Championships Qualifier. He holds the Emporia State record in both the Heptathlon and Decathlon.
Blevins has maintained a 3.86 GPA while balancing athletics and nursing. She has numerous academic awards including the Division 2 ADA Academic Award and the Division 2 All-Academic Award from the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association. She has been a member of the ESU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and the Dean’s List and is an MIAA Scholar Athlete.
The Legacy Award winners were Wyatt Sander, Duke Tibbs and Bethany Bowman of the track and field team.
The Hornet Legacy Award is meant to recognize an Emporia State senior that has exemplified what it means to be a Hornet throughout his or her career. It is based not only on athletic ability but leadership talents both on and off the field of play. It signifies making a lasting, positive impression on their teams, the Athletics Department, and the University.
The Joe Cannon Service Award was given to Lyndel Landgren for his 22 years of work in the Emporia State admissions office.
The Joe Cannon Service Award recognizes people not currently a member of the staff athletic staff for their dedication, service and commitment to bettering Emporia State and intercollegiate athletics. Joe Cannon was one of the most prominent supporters of Hornet Athletics over the years.
{gallery}Emporia State Athletics Honors Banquet{/gallery}
