On Sunday, April 14, the UNI Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted the second annual 2019 Panther ESPY’s, the awards show recognizing standout Panther athletes from the 2018-2019 year.

Winning a PESPY award is more than just recognition it is an award for the best of the best at UNI, as all winners were voted on by fellow their student-athletes. The SAAC was grateful to the technology department as they put in many hours making the awards for the ceremony.

The awards show started out with the Moment of the Year Award, which was awarded, by no surprise, to senior wrestler Drew Foster following his national championship in the 184-pound weight class. Foster’s championship broke a near 20-year drought for the purple and gold.

This award was one of three for the national champion as he also took home the Male Athlete of the Year and the Big Cat of the Year, which is awarded to the senior athlete who best exemplifies what it means to be a Panther.

Following Foster was the Female Athlete of the Year, which was awarded to Piper Thomas. Thomas was named the player of the week twice, first team all-conference, conference all-tournament team, conference player of the year and conference tournament MVP in the 2018 season.

The next two awards went to the male and female newcomers of the year. The awards went to freshmen AJ Green, point guard for the men’s basketball team, and Patrice Watson, hurdler for women’s track and field.

Green became the all-time leading scorer as a freshman with 509 points, earned MVC freshman of the year and the all-conference tournament team.

Watson received all-conference honors in the 60-meter hurdles at the conference indoor championships and recorded the third fastest time in UNI history.

Next up was the Male and Female Scholar of the Year which was awarded to Marcus Weymiller and Hannah McDevitt.

Weymiller balanced football along with a public administration major, with an emphasis on human resources and a double minor in political science and politics and law.

McDevitt balanced soccer while double majoring in business economics and Spanish.

The UNI Spirit Award was awarded to softball pitcher Jaclyn Spencer. The award is given to the athlete who attends the most events outside of their respective sport to support her fellow student-athletes.

The Unsung Hero Award also went to softball’s outfielder/first baseman, Abby Downs, voted by her teammates as the one who has an unbelievable work ethic and passion for their sport and takes their team the extra mile.

Carter Isley, the sophomore wrestler, was awarded the Best Comeback of the Year Award. After missing much of the season due to injury, Carter was able to take down an in-state rival wrestler from ISU in overtime. The coaching staff of the year and team of the year both were awarded to the wrestling team as they placed third in the Big 12 Championships, qualifying six men for nationals and placing 13th at the national tournament as a team.

The final award from the 2019 PESPY’s was the Community Service Award, which is awarded to the athletic team with the most community service hours logged. The Panther’s women’s swimming and diving team were given the award.