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Senior men’s golfer Ethan Miller, senior baseball pitcher Gino Barber, senior baseball outfielder Brice Shaub, senior women’s soccer goalie Kelly Buck, senior women’s soccer defender Izzy Cadogan, senior men’s soccer defender Ryan Watson, senior track & field athlete Hailey Wilson, senior track & field athlete Luke Jewett, senior men’s bowler Logan Karl, senior softball infielder Rosie Hayes, senior men’s lacrosse defender Evan Showler, senior football tight end Owen Hively, football senior tight end Jalon Jones, senior football wide receiver Gabriel Marks, senior football offensive lineman Mason Hensley, senior football linebacker Jerimiah Hensley, senior football fullback Terry Williams, and senior men’s basketball guard Sean Johnson were all honored with the Greg Riggar Dedicated to Sport Award. The award is bestowed upon senior student-athletes at Muskingum who show excellence in associated areas of dedication to sport, leadership, and practice habits. The athlete must have participated for all four years of his/her collegiate career, be held in high esteem by his/her fellow teammates, and exhibit the qualities of loyalty and discipline.
Sophomore softball infielder Susie Blocher and senior wrestler Noah Dehainaut Michael were honored with the Ann White and Roy “Red” Turner Strive for Excellence Awards. The award is designed for those who are willing to go the extra mile – overcoming injuries or obstacles to participate; or assisting the other athletes and helping them along in the program; or providing outstanding example and leadership; or putting in whatever time and effort is required to achieve a given task.
Women’s basketball junior forward Caitlyn DeMassimo, women’s bowler senior Kaylee Hauck, and men’s lacrosse senior attacker Spencer Zecchini were honored with the Donna J. Newberry Pursuit of Perfection Award. The “Pursuit of Perfection Award” is awarded annually to honor a female and male student-athlete who leads on and off the court or field with a high set of standards that translate to a valuable asset on the playing field/court and in the classroom – ultimately being the most valuable student-athlete on campus.
Freshman volleyball outside hitter Mackenzie Krouse Cara and freshman track & field athlete Daven Gibson were presented with the William F. Lang Outstanding Freshmen Awards.
Senior softball pitcher Madelyn Thomas was reorganized as the Barbara Steiner Outstanding Senior Female Athlete, while senior men’s lacrosse attacker Spencer Zecchini was acknowledged as the William G. Moore Outstanding Senior Male Athlete.
Volleyball senior middle hitter Raegan Flood and football senior men’s golfer Cameron Henry were honored with the Ohio Athletic Conference Clyde Lamb Award. Criteria for the award include student-athletes’ having performed with distinction as a member of a varsity sport by earning two or more varsity letter awards in one or more sports at an OAC institution. The award winners must have conducted himself or herself, on and off the field, in a manner that has brought credit to the student, the institution, intercollegiate athletics, and the ideals and objectives of American Higher Education
The Muskingum Student-Athlete Advisory Committee presented Golden Hook Awards to numerous student-athletes and teams.
Sophomore football linebacker Conner Gurney was presented with the Golden Hook Breakthrough Male Athlete of the Year Award. Gurney was a First Team All-Ohio Athletic Conference honoree and was named Third Team All-Region 4 as a linebacker. He led Muskingum with 73 tackles, including 46 solo stops.
Junior women’s basketball forward Caitlyn DeMassimo was presented the Golden Hook Breakthrough Female Athlete of the Year Award. DeMassimo, a First Team All-OAC honoree, led the Ohio Athletic Conference in scoring (16.4 ppg) and ranked fourth in rebounds (7.8 RPG), field goal shooting percentage (.497), and blocks (29).
Women’s lacrosse junior midfielder Riley Hudock was presented with the Golden Hook Spark Plug Award. Hudock led the team with 58 goals and 84 draw controls.
Men’s lacrosse junior midfielder Drew Schneider was presented the Golden Hook for Biggest Hit. Schneider delivered a bone-crushing hit against Franciscan to ignite the Muskies.
Women’s soccer junior defender Hannah Ritchie was awarded the Best Leg Golden Hook Award. Ritchie led the Muskies with four assists and added one goal.
The men’s lacrosse duo of senior attacker Spencer Zecchini and freshman attacker Evan Cosgrove were presented the Golden Hook for Best Duo. The duo combined to score 86 goals, record 56 assists, and register 87 ground balls.
The Muskingum baseball team won the Golden Hook for Best Win. The Muskies swept John Carroll for the first time since 2002.
Men’s lacrosse senior attacker Spencer Zecchini won the Golden Hook Award for Hands of Gold. Zecchini led the Muskies with 45 goals and 31 assists. He also added 43 ground balls.
Junior women’s basketball forward Caitlyn DeMassimo was presented the Golden Hook Award for Best Female Single-Game Performance. DeMassimo powered the Muskies against Otterbein with a season-high 33 points, nine rebounds, two steals, two assists, and one blocked shot.
Junior men’s lacrosse goalie Trevor Connolly was presented the Golden Hook Award for Best Male Single-Game Performance. Connolly had a career-high 27 saves and added four ground balls to help lead Muskingum to a 10-9 win at Trine.
Senior baseball pitcher Erik Cover was presented the Golden Hook Award for Comeback Athlete of the Year. Cover missed the entire 2023 season due to injury and returned this year to be Muskingum’s number-one starting pitcher and leads the team in wins (4), innings pitched (51.2), and strikeouts (51).
The Muskingum women’s bowling team was honored with the Outstanding Team of the Year Golden Hook Award. The Muskingum women’s bowling team concluded its season by being crowned the 2023 Women’s Club National Champions. The win marked the program’s first Club National Championship.
The Muskingum football team was presented with the Team Impact Golden Hook Award. The award recognizes a team’s impact on Muskingum athletic events and community involvement.
After raising the most donations during the annual food drive, the Muskingum STUNT team was crowned Hoops/Headlocks for Hunger Champion.
The Muskingum women’s basketball team received the department’s highest GPA award for the fall semester during Muskingum’s Celebration of Excellence.
Caption: Kelly Buck hugs head women’s soccer coach Dani Gunderson. Credit – @FightingMuskies
