By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin athletic department recognized its student-athletes for another successful season at the UTMmy’s, presented by Leaders Credit Union.
The UTMmy’s event, which made its debut in 2018, rewards Skyhawk student-athletes for their hard work throughout the academic year. Each UT Martin head coach submitted a Team Most Valuable Player and the award winners were selected from that pool.
Kelby Kane (equestrian) and Kamryn Chappell (soccer) were named 2022 Bettye Giles Co-Female Athletes of the Year while Peyton Logan (football) received the 2022 Bob Carroll Male Athlete of the Year trophy. In addition, Paige Clark from the UT Martin softball team earned the 2022 Leadership Award.
A Lexington, Ky. native, Kane captured first team All-American accolades for a Skyhawk equestrian squad that appeared in the national top-10 rankings in nine out of 10 weeks. She is the first rider in school history to claim first team All-American status in fences and was also named Eastern College Athletic Conference Fences Rider of the Year. This season alone, she collected 21 victories and eight MOP performances during both events in the Jumping Seat discipline – upping her career totals to 44 wins and 15 MOP’s in just three years. Outside of the arena, she was named ECAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Chappell was the defensive backbone of UT Martin’s 2021 soccer team, who went 11-6-1 and nabbed the program’s sixth Ohio Valley Conference championship in the last decade. The Flushing, Mich. product became only the fourth player in program history to be named OVC Defender of the Year while also earning a spot on the league’s first team. She led the Skyhawks with 1,650 minutes played (out of a possible 1,660) and helped UT Martin lead the league in fewest goals allowed (16 in 18 matches). She ends her vaunted collegiate career as the program’s all-time leader with 87 matches played.
Also helping his team claim a league championship was Logan, who guided the Skyhawks to their second OVC title in school history and first-ever playoff victory at the Football Championship Subdivision level. UT Martin went 10-3 overall and was ranked as high as No. 8 nationally thanks in large part to Logan, who was voted to the All-OVC first team after ranking second in the nation in rush yards per carry (7.19) and eighth in total rushing yards (1,121). The Horn Lake, Miss. native ranks third in school history with 2,605 career rushing yards and is the Skyhawks’ all-time leader in career yards per rush (6.3).
Clark has been the model of consistency as the two-time All-OVC honoree has played in 209 games and started all but one contest in the last four years. She currently ranks in the top-10 in school history in batting average (.347, second), stolen bases (92, second), hits (208, fifth), triples (eight, sixth), runs scored (123, sixth) and at-bats (599, 10th). Off the diamond, the outfielder from Lafayette, Tenn. has racked up a pair of OVC Medals of Honor for a perfect 4.0 GPA and has found herself on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll in each of her first four seasons as a Skyhawk.
UT Martin’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee also presented awards tonight. Kayla Carrell (volleyball/beach volleyball) won “Unsung Hero” while soccer’s Parker Gelinas was named “New Kid on the Block”. Gabi Melby from women’s basketball won “Team Clown” while Timeria McCullough was named “Biggest Cheerleader”. Claudia Colston (cheer) and Victoria Petersen (rifle) each won the “Call of Duty” award.
Academic award recipients included seniors Logan Alfano-Webb (cheer), Kane (equestrian), Rachel Mills (rifle), Shayne Mallory (rodeo), Sina Albersmeier (tennis), Karen Scanlon (volleyball/beach volleyball), Alex Schell (cross country/track and field), Cody Hogan (rodeo), Brent Borden (cross country/track and field) and Alexis Grandys (cross country/track and field). Graduate student academic honorees included Mizuki Sakurai (tennis), Amelia Campbell (tennis), Takeem Young (football), Clark (softball), Jule Streif (tennis), Chappell (soccer), Will Oglesby (cross country/track and field), Hannah Phillips (beach volleyball) and Darius Simmons (men’s basketball).
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information