The Chicago State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics honored student-athletes from its 15 athletic teams for their athletic and academic accomplishments during the 2021-22 season on Tuesday night via Zoom.
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The Cougars Choice Awards were hosted by SAAC president Jacob Huber (men's soccer) and vice president Christina Britter (women's basketball) with
Sam Brief serving as Master of Ceremonies.
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In addition to each team handing out Most Valuable Player and Cougar Choice awards, the department recognized award winners in nine categories, including the male and female Student-Athlete of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, among others.
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The full roster of award winners are listed below:
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2021-22 CSU Departmental Award Winners
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Male Newcomer of the Year
Jahsean Corbett
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Female Newcomer of the Year
Aaliyah Collins
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Male Iron Cougar of the Year
Rahim Burrell
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Female Iron Cougar of the Year
Berenice Almeyda
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Corey Miggins Cougar Pride Award
Lauren Reiber
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Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Pedro Alvarez
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Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Katarina Dukic
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Male Student-Athlete of the Year
Brandon Betson
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Female Student-Athlete of the Year
Yanlis Feliz
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2021-22 Team Award Winners
MVP- This award is presented to the student-athlete on each respective team the head coach
feels contributed the most to the team during the season, taking into account attitude,
stats, skill and performance.
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Cougar's Choice-This award is presented to the student-athlete on each respective team the
head coach feels contributed the most to the team during the season, taking into account
sportsmanship, dedication, improvement and contribution to the team.
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Men's Basketball
MVP: Brandon Betson
Cougar's Choice: Robert Pierce Blount
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Women's Basketball
MVP: Aaliyah Collins
Cougar's Choice: Quentarra Mitchell
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Women's Cross Country
MVP: Brenda Jepkoech
Cougar's Choice: Angelica Moreno-Lopez
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Men's Cross Country
MVP: Jonnathan Fernandez
Cougar's Choice: Kevin Castruita
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Women's Golf
MVP: Koranis Boonmadee
Cougar's Choice: Montserrat Ramirez
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Men's Golf
MVP: Cam Jones
Cougar's Choice: Vada Williams
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Men's Soccer
MVP: Enrique Zamora
Cougar's Choice: Sebastien Manabat
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Women's Soccer
MVP: Lauren Reiber
Cougar's Choice: Charne Van der Walt
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Women's Tennis
MVP: Katarina Dukic
Cougar's Choice: Danina Hughes
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Men's Tennis
MVP: Pedro Alvarez
Cougar's Choice: Jakub Zamorski
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Men's Track
MVP: Joseph OgunbodeÂ
Cougar's Choice: Wesley Keith
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Women's Track
MVP: Miahna Harden
Cougar's Choice: Adaria Blackwell
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Volleyball
MVP: Yanlis Feliz
Cougar's Choice: Maria Lopez
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About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. In 1991, the Chicago State women's tennis team became the first all-black college team to amass an unbeaten season at the NCAA level. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title, also making an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet. Chicago State volleyball recorded a historic season in 2021, with Yanlis Feliz becoming CSU's first volleyball All-American and head coach Tony Trifonov earning selection as WAC Coach of the Year. During that same season, three different CSU teams earned victories over Big Ten opponents with men's soccer beating Northwestern, women's basketball upending Wisconsin and volleyball, which established a school record 17 wins and hosted a post-season volleyball tournament for the first time in program history, swept Indiana in Bloomington.
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