CONWAY - The Coastal Carolina Department of Athletics honored its top athletic and academic performers of the 2015-2016 season at the annual Student-Athlete Excellence Awards at the HTC Center Monday evening.

The program, hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, included opening remarks from Director of Athletics Matt Hogue, a year-in-review highlight video, a GPA recognition video, awards presentations and a blooper reel of "Not So C.I.NO. Moments." Coastal also recognized its academic successes, both individual and team.

Coastal Carolina student-athlete Bri Chiusano (softball) served as the master of ceremonies.

To date, Coastal Carolina has produced four Big South Championships (volleyball regular season and tournament, men's tennis regular season and tournament) and five teams have qualified for NCAA postseason play (women's cross country, men's soccer, football, volleyball and men's tennis).

Also, four Chanticleers have earned Big South Player of the Year honors, including Devin Brown (Football Special Teams Player of the Year), Leah Hardeman (Volleyball Player of the Year), De'Angelo Henderson (Football Offensive Player of the Year) and Letitia Saayman (Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year).

A total of 139 Coastal Carolina student-athletes own a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (through the Fall 2015 semester), including 116 with a 3.5 GPA or better and 21 of those posting a 4.0 GPA.

Tristian Curtis (men's basketball), a two-time Big South All-Academic team member, was named the Presidential Student-Athlete of the Year, an honor presented each year to the singular Coastal Carolina University student-athlete who displays extraordinary achievements in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.

Curtis, a senior, carries a 3.47 GPA as an exercise and sport science major. Curtis became the first Chanticleer to earn the Big South's top academic honor in the sport of men's basketball since Jack Leasure was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year from 2006-08.

In addition to his work in the classroom, the Bahamian has had his best season on the court averaging 6.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per outing. He shot an absurd 69.0 percent from the field and was perfect from the floor in 17 of 32 games played. In addition to his on court and classroom efforts, Curtis played an integral role in re-establishing the Coastal Carolina chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Awards were presented to Darbie Kelley (women's soccer) as the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and to Brinson Corn (men's track & field) as the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, based on their cumulative GPAs.

Kelley graduated in the Fall of 2015 as a marketing major with a 3.92 cumulative GPA. A four-year member of the Coastal Carolina women's soccer team, Kelly was a three-time member of the Big South Conference Presidential Honor Roll. She has tallied 19 points in her four-year career at Coastal, including two goals and four assists in 2015.

Corn will graduate in May with a degree in resort tourism management after posting a 3.82 cumulative GPA. A pole vault standout on the men's track & field team, Corn made the President's List with a 4.0 GPA for the Spring 2015 semester. During the 2013-14 school year, Corn made the Big South Presidential Honor Roll, Dean's List in Fall and President's List in Spring. He was also named to the 2012-13 Big South Conference Presidential Honor Roll in his freshman year.

Leah Hardeman (volleyball) was named the Female Athlete of the Year, while De'Angelo Henderson (football) was honored as the Male Athlete of the Year for their outstanding effort in their respective fields of play.

Hardeman was the Big South Volleyball Player of the Year both in 2014 and 2015, becoming the third player in conference history to earn the honor in consecutive seasons. In 2015, she led the Big South in total kills (410), kills per set (4.02), total points (460.5) and points per set (4.51), and became the first Chanticleer to be named an AVCA All-Region selection.

Henderson, a 2015 All-American, graduated from Coastal Carolina in the Spring of 2015 with a degree in recreation and sport management and is pursuing a second degree in communication. In just two seasons, he ranks third on the CCU career rushing yards list (2,133) and career rushing touchdowns list (26) while ranking sixth on the school's all-time rushing attempts list (316). His current 6.75 career yards per carry is a CCU record and his 73.5 yards per game is second.

Bobby Holmes (baseball) was named the Male Newcomer of the Year, while Kayla Christian (women's soccer) was named the Female Newcomer of the Year.

Holmes stormed onto the scene last spring by posting a 4-1 record in 27 appearances with four saves and a 2.90 ERA as a freshman. In 2015, Holmes was named to the Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American team, named the 2015 Big South Freshman of the Year and earned second team All-Big South as a relief pitcher.

Christian had a stellar freshman campaign, scoring nine goals and recording four assists in 19 games played. In 2015, Christian became the fourth Coastal Carolina women's soccer player to earn a Big South Freshman of the Year award, joining Fia Jonsson (2012), Blair Monroe (2005) and Marisa Kovacs (2000).

The forward from Chantilly, Va. played in all 19 games for the Chants while starting 18 of them, scoring nine goals and dishing out four assists. She tallied two game-winning goals, including one in overtime against NC State earning her Big South Attacking Player of the Week honors. She found the back of the net in back-to-back games including a 3-1 win over UAB where she netted all three goals, the first Chant to score a hat-trick since 2009. Christian also earned second team and all-freshman team honors from the Big South.

Ellie Taylor (women's soccer) was voted the Comeback Athlete of the Year. The junior made an outstanding comeback after numerous lower leg injuries, tallying two goals and two assists in 19 appearances in 2015.

Miki Antzoulatos (women's soccer), Tristian Curtis (men's basketball), Lena Schaeffner (women's golf) and Tyler Chadwick (baseball) garnered the National Strength and Conditioning Athletes of the Year awards. The honor recognizes collegiate student-athletes whose athletic accomplishments, in the opinion of their strength coach, reflect dedication to strength and conditioning.

The Linda C. Vereen Academic Excellence Award, which is given to the teams with the highest combined grade point average, was awarded to the men's and women's tennis teams. The women's tennis team boasts a combined GPA of 3.66, while the men's team has a 3.38 GPA.

Andy Hendrick, Professor Emeritus Marketing and Resort Tourism, was named this year's Student-Athlete Faculty Member of the Year as voted upon by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The Student-Athlete Faculty Member of the Year award is given annually to the CCU faculty member who has supported student-athletes academically, athletically and personally.

Additionally, Devin Brown's kickoff returns against Furman and Western Illinois won for Department of Athletics Chanticleer Play of the Year. On Sept. 5, 2015 against Furman, Brown received the ball two yards deep in the end zone and raced 100-yards down the left sideline for his fourth career kickoff return. His 100-yard return tied the Big South record for longest kick return in league history. Just two weeks later against Western Illinois, in front of a record crowd of 10,311 at Brooks Stadium, Brown got fans on their feet with a 93-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.

The award portion of the banquet closed with the third annual Savannah Thompson Humanitarian Service Award. The award, which recognizes people in the Coastal Carolina community who make a difference and inspire those around them, was presented to Gabriel Diaz Rodriguez. The award is named after its inaugural winner, Savannah Thompson.