Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications
Annual Ziggys Awards Honors BGSU's Student-Athletes
April 28, 2016 | General, Falcon Club, Student-Athlete Services
Bowling Green, Ohio – The second annual Ziggys Awards were held Thursday night at Bowling Green State University's Stroh Center, honoring and recognizing BGSU's 425 student-athletes and supporters of the department. The Ziggys follow in the tradition of the former Athletics Honors Night.
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Gymnastics alumna Jessica (Guyer) Stevens was the Distinguished Alumnus award winner. Stevens is a 2006 BGSU graduate and currently a partner at Midwest Physician Anesthesia Services. She was a first team All-MAC competitor in 2005-06 and was part of the program's record-breaking single-meet team score of 196.100 in 2005. She was an Academic All-American and maintained a 4.0 grade point average in biology.
Les and Doris Disher were named the department's Distinguished Service Award winners. Although Les passed away in March, Doris accepted the award on behalf of the couple, who have made an impact department-wide as well as specifically focused on men's and women's basketball.
Ryan James, of the BGSU men's soccer team, and Alyssa Nocella, of the gymnastics team, earned the highest honor given to a student-athlete – The Falcon Medal of Honor. The award is given to one male and one female student-athlete who embody the essence of the qualities BGSU Athletics hold important for all student-athletes.
Nocella was also named the Female Senior Scholar-Athlete, while baseball's Kory Brown earned the Male Senior Scholar-Athlete Award. Football's Matt Johnson and Track and Field's Brooke Pleger were named Athletes of the Year. For Pleger, it was the third consecutive year in which she won that award. Johnson also picked up the Comeback Performance of the Year honor after recovering from an injury that cost him the 2014 season to break school and MAC records in passing yards and passing touchdowns in 2015.
The Junior Scholar-Athletes of the Year were men's cross country's Nathan Kuck and gymnastics' Lauren Feely, while baseball's Zac Carey and women's basketball's Sydney Lambert were named Newcomers of the Year.
The men's cross country team was honored with the highest team GPA Award for male teams and the women's track and field/cross country team earned the female award. Women's track and field/cross country also was the Community Service Team of the Year and women's basketball's Haley Puk was the Community Service Individual of the Year.
Finally, in voting on Twitter, the gymnastics team was named Best Dressed Team at the Ziggy's and baseball's Logan Giddings earned Best Dressed Individual.
A full rundown of awards is listed below:
Falcon Medal of Honor – Ryan James (Soccer) and Alyssa Nocella (Gymnastics)
Athlete of the Year – Matt Johnson (Football) and Brooke Pleger (Track and Field)
Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Kory Brown (Baseball) and Alyssa Nocella (Gymnastics)
Junior Scholar-Athlete of the Year – Nathan Kuck (Cross Country) and Lauren Feely (Gymnastics)
Newcomer of the Year – Zac Carey (Baseball) and Sydney Lambert (Basketball)
Highest Team GPA – Men's Cross Country and Women's Track and Field/Cross Country
Comeback Performance of the Year – Matt Johnson (Football)
Community Service Individual of the Year – Haley Puk (Women's Basketball)
Community Service Team of the Year – Women's Track and Field/Cross Country
Distinguished Service Award – Les and Doris Disher
Distinguished Alumnus Award – Jessica (Guyer) Stevens
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