CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina Department of Athletics honored its top athletic and academic performers of 2022-23 on Tuesday night at the 2023 Student-Athlete Excellence Awards at the HTC Center.
 
The program, hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), included remarks from Coastal Carolina University President Dr. Michael T. Benson, D.Phil. and Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and University Recreation Matt Hogue, as well as a year-in-review highlight video, GPA recognition, and athletic and academic awards.
 


Male Athlete of the Year
Grayson McCall – Football
 
McCall was named the Male Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season.
 
Named the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, marking the first-ever Sun Belt Conference football player to win the award three straight years, McCall also earned a spot on the 2022 All-Sun Belt first team.

McCall also earned a spot on the Davey O'Brien QB Class of 2022 list, the 2022 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top 25 list, and the 2022 CFPA National Performer of the Year Trophy watch list. He was also named The Draft Network Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year and picked up Pro Football Focus (PFF) All-Sun Belt first-team honors as well.
 
Last season, McCall's 24 touchdowns to two interceptions ratio was among the leaders in all of FBS, while he also threw a touchdown pass in 23-straight games dating back two years. He also threw for over 245 yards in eight of 11 games played this year and had three touchdown tosses in six different games on the season.
 
In 11 games in 2022, McCall completed nearly 70 percent of his passes (207-of-297) for 2,700 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. He also rushed 91 times for 195 yards and six scores.
 
McCall ranked in the top 40 in all of NCAA Division I FBS in several offensive categories. He was third in passing efficiency (171.4), third in completion percentage (69.7 percent), fifth in yards per pass attempt (9.09), 18th in points responsible for per game (16.4), 29th in passing touchdowns (24), 30th in passing yards per completion (13.04), 32nd in points responsible for (180), and 40th in total offense (263.2 yards per game).



Female Athlete of the Year
Melissa Jefferson – Women's Track & Field (Spring 2022)
 
Jefferson was named the Female Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season, earning this year's recognition for her 2022 outdoor track & field season.
 
In the spring and summer of 2022, Jefferson won a Gold Medal and was crowned a 2022 World Champion as part of Team USA's women's 4x100-meter relay team at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in July 2022. At the World Championships, she also crossed the finish line with a time of 11.03 (0.8) in the women's 100-meter finals to place eighth overall.
 
She was crowned the U.S. Track & Field National Champion in the women's 100-meters at the 2022 Toyota USA Track Outdoor Championships, crossing the finish line first with an amazing time of 10.69 (+2.9) in the finals to earn the gold medal.
 
During the outdoor season, she was a 2022 NCAA Division I USTFCCCA first-team All-American with an eighth-place finish, with a time of 11.24 (0.2) in the 100-meters and picked up first-team All-American honors as part of the 4x100-meter relay, posting an eighth-place finish with a time of 43.78. She also garnered second-team All-American accolades with a ninth-place finish with a time of 22.90 (1.3) in the 200-meters at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Named the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Women's Outstanding Track Performer of the Year, Jefferson was a three-time 2022 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track & Field Champion, taking gold in the 100-meters, 200-meters, and part of the 4x100-meter relay team.
 
Jefferson set the Coastal Carolina school record in the 100-meters (10.88) and 200-meters (22.46) and was part of the school-record-breaking 4x100-meter relay team (43.23) in the preliminaries at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 


Presidential Student-Athlete of the Year
Lina Perugini - Volleyball
 
Perugini, who is on track to graduate with her MBA degree this spring, earned her bachelor's degree in public health in May 2022. Last season, the four-year Chant was named to the 2022 Academic All-District Team by the College Sports Communicators 


On the court in 2022, the senior was named to the 2022 All-Sun Belt second team, as she led Coastal Carolina with 473 digs and was fourth in the Sun Belt Conference with 4.15 digs per set average. She was also fourth on the team with 15 service aces.

Off the court, Perugini served as SAAC President and volunteered her time with Caring for Kindergartners, Adopting a Chant for Christmas, the Thanksgiving Food Drive, Valentines for Seniors, Easter for Seniors, and Shine Prom.



Male Newcomer of the Year
Jared Brown - Football
 
Brown had a standout redshirt freshman season in which he was named to the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) 2022 Freshman All-America Team and the 2022 College Football (CFN) News Freshman All-American second team.
 
Tabbed the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, Brown also earned a spot on the 2022 Phil Steele Sun Belt Conference All-Conference fourth team.
 
Brown was second on the team in receptions with 49, receiving yards with 789, and receiving yards per game at 60.69. He led the team with six receiving touchdowns and also had a team-high seven total touchdowns adding a rushing score on the year.
 
Brown was also fourth on the team in rushing yards with 187 on just 20 carries and averaged a team-high 9.4 yards per rush on the year.
 
Brown, who became the first freshman in Coastal Carolina history to post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games in wins over Georgia State (Sept. 22) and Georgia Southern (Oct. 1), caught at least one pass in all 13 games on the season. Each one of his seven touchdowns on the season was 30 yards or more on the year.
 


Female Newcomer of the Year
Devin Rybacki - Lacrosse (Spring 2022)
 
Named to the 2022 ASUN All-Freshman team last spring, Rybacki played in all 17 games last year as a true freshman.

She tallied 13 points with 10 goals and three assists, including notching a season-high two goals three times – versus William & Mary, Winthrop, and Kennesaw State. She recorded two game-winning goals in back-to-back wins against William & Mary (March 16) and Winthrop (March 18), won 16 draw controls, and scooped up seven ground balls in her first year for the Teal and Bronze.
 


Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Payton Eeles - Baseball
 
Voted the top male scholar-athlete of the year, Eeles was named to the Dean's List in the fall semester while producing an impressive 3.84 cumulative grade point average as an engineering science major. This season on the baseball field, Eeles has played and started in all 38 games on the year. He is hitting .381 at the plate and leads the team with 56 hits, 47 runs, 27 walks, 13 hit-by-pitches, and a .508 on-base percentage. He also leads the team with 24 stolen bases on the year to date.
 


Female Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year
For the first time in history, the top female scholar-athlete of the year award will be awarded to two female student-athletes. 

Nikki Boon – Women's Track & Field
 
Named to the 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 team last year, Boon has posted an outstanding 4.00 cumulative GPA while majoring in Psychology in her three-plus years at Coastal Carolina. A seven-time member of the President's List (4.0 GPA), Boon is also a two-time All-Sun Belt performer for outdoor track & field, having earned second-team honors in 2021 and third-team recognition in 2022. Last spring, she set a new program record in the heptathlon by compiling 5,061 points and earned a bronze medal at the 2022 Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Brooke Gottlieb – Women's Lacrosse
 
A two-time member of the ASUN Academic Honor Roll, Gottlieb has been named to the President's List (4.0 GPA) every semester that she has been at Coastal Carolina. The senior attack player has a 4.00 cumulative GPA while majoring in communications. Overall, she has played in 11 games for the Chants, notching two goals and passing out two assists for a total of four points.
 
 
Male and Female Academic Triumph of the Year
The academic triumph of the year award is voted on by the Student-Athlete Academic Services staff and awarded to a male and female student-athlete who has persevered despite difficulty to achieve success academically. 

Tavyn Jackson – Football
 
Jackson, who was once forced to retire from football due to sickle cell and has overcome several injuries in his collegiate career, will graduate this spring with a degree in informational technology. Through hard work and dedication, he overcame several challenges athletically but more importantly academically as he has compiled a 3.5-grade point average and has recently been admitted into the Instructional Technology master's degree program.
 
Last season on the field, Jackson played in all 13 games for the football team, totaling 29 tackles and two interceptions, including a 54-yard interception return versus Appalachian State (Nov. 3), and defended six passes. He returned four kickoffs for a total of 51 yards and fielded one punt for 16 yards on the year.
 
Cari Ginther – Women's Beach Volleyball
 
Ginther, who suffered a career-ending injury prior to her senior season this year, is an interdisciplinary studies major concentrating on education and psychology. The setback that removed her from the sand courts also heavily impacted her academics. She persevered through adversity and landed on the Dean's List last fall.
 
Prior to helping the beach volleyball team as a student assistant this year, Ginther posted a career record of 51-22 over three seasons on the sand from 2020-22. Her 51 career wins rank in the top 10 in CCU's career record books, while she held the program record for the most wins in a single season at flight No. 4 with 18 up until this spring season.
 

Linda C. Vereen Team Academic Excellence Award 
Men's Tennis – 3.806 GPA
Women's Beach Volleyball – 3.734 GPA
 
The Linda C. Vereen Team Academic Excellence Awards were given to the men's tennis and women's beach volleyball teams with the highest combined grade point average (GPA).
 
The men's tennis team won the award for the second consecutive year, while the women's beach volleyball team won the award for the first time in team history. 

 
Student-Athlete Faculty Member of the Year
Dr. Justin Lovich – Associate Professor, Assistant Chair Director, Sport Management Graduate Program
 
As voted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, this year's recipient is Dr. Justin Lovich.
 
Dr. Lovich has gone above and beyond the call of duty not only for student-athletes but the student body in general. He has been a popular invitee by student-athletes of all sports to be a guest coach and is frequently seen cheering on the Chants from the sidelines.
 
Dr. Lovich teaches multiple courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels within the Recreation Sports Management program of the Conway Medical Center College of Health and Human Performance. 

 
SAAC Community Service Team Honor
Baseball
 
A new award this year, the SAAC Community Service Team Honor recognizes the team who contributed the most hours to our community. The baseball team totaled 960 hours of community service this year in helping give back to our community.
 
Investing in the community is a profound pillar of the student-athlete experience.  Coastal Carolina student-athletes have danced at the Shine Prom with those with special needs, have played sports with athletes participating in the Grand Strand Miracle League, and built houses with Habitat for Humanity, to name just a few projects. Collectively, the department's teams have volunteered 5,000 hours of service, resulting in an economic impact of approximately $140,000.00.
 

Savannah Thompson Humanitarian Award
Corey LeSane, Jr.
 
Corey LeSane, Jr. was awarded the eighth annual Savannah Thompson Humanitarian Service Award. Named after its inaugural winner, the award recognizes those individuals in the Coastal Carolina community who make a difference and inspire those around them.
 
LeSane Jr. became an inspiration to all student-athletes, coaches, and administrators very quickly upon his arrival to campus. He enjoys participating in the Life Program and can be seen supporting student-athletes through his art of taking pictures.
 

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