Tag: sec awards

More accolades for Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith

Hagen Smith earned first team All-America honors by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Wednesday, as well as National Pitcher of the Year by Perfect Game.

Award season is upon us in college baseball and Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith is finding his name on a lot of lists.

Smith earned first team All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Wednesday. He was also named National Pitcher of the Year by Perfect Game.

Already a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, Golden Spikes Award and National Pitcher of the Year, Smith went 9-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 16 starts spanning 84 innings in 2024.

The left-hander entered the NCAA Tournament with a 1.48 ERA, the best in college baseball among Division I starters, but was tagged for six runs in the fifth inning of Arkansas’ 7-6 loss to Kansas State in the Fayetteville Regional.

Smith still ranks fourth in ERA among DI pitchers and first in strikeouts per nine innings (17.25). He struck out a season-high 17 batters in the Razorbacks’ 5-4 win over Oregon State in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Arlington’s Globe Life Field (home of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers) on February 23.

Smith fanned 14 batters against both Kentucky and Texas A&M in SEC play and had 10 or more strikeouts against LSU, South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi State, as well. The Bullard, Texas, native is the first two-time Arkansas All-American since Nick Schmidt in 2006-07.

On May 16 at Texas A&M, Smith passed Schmidt’s previous record of 345 strikeouts to become the Razorbacks’ all-time strikeout leader. He finished 2024 with 161 strikeouts to 24 walks and has 360 strikeouts in three seasons at Arkansas.

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Dylan Crews named SEC Male Athlete of the Year

Dylan Crews continues to pile up the accolades.

[autotag]Dylan Crews[/autotag] piled up accolades on his way to leading LSU to a national title.

He kept it rolling this week when he was named the 2022-23 SEC Male Athlete of the Year.

The award is decided by a vote of the SEC’s athletic directors.

Entering the season with near-impossible expectations, Crews delivered, having his best year as a Tiger. That says a lot considering how good he was as a freshman and sophomore.

Crews led the SEC in hits, batting overage, on-base percentage, and runs. He was one of the best defenders in center field too, not committing an error this year.

Crews is joined by Florida gymnast Trinity Thomas, who won SEC Female Athlete of the Year.

Crews remains a projected top three pick in the upcoming MLB draft, with a chance to go first overall.

“We are proud and grateful for their outstanding representation of the SEC and of the accomplishments they have achieved as member of their university communities,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said of Crews and Thomas in a release.

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Check out every Razorbacks player and coach to earn All-SEC honors

Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn was named SEC Coach of the Year for the third time Monday. Four of his players earned All-SEC honors.

Arkansas has just been a different program under Dave Van Horn’s watch. And the 2023 may have been his best coaching job in 21 years at the program’s helm.

The league noticed, too, as Van Horn was named SEC Coach of the Year on Monday. Arkansas won the SEC West for the seventh time and fourth since 2018 this year. His Razorbacks will carry the No. 2-seed into this week’s SEC Tournament.

Van Horn previously won the award in 2004 and 2021. He is now one of three active coaches – joining Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin and Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan – as three-time winners.

DVH was not the only Razorbacks baseballer honored Monday. As four Arkansas players earned All-SEC marks from the league’s coaches. Check the complete list below.

Four Razorbacks were named to All-SEC teams by the league’s head coaches, led by Hagen Smith’s first-team selection at starting pitcher and All-Defensive honors. Kendall Diggs picked up second-team recognition at designated hitter, while pitcher Gage Wood and outfielder Tavian Josenberger garnered Freshman All-SEC and All-Defensive praise, respectively.

Maggie MacNeil, coach Drew Livingston earn SEC women’s swimming and diving awards

MacNeil was the Female Swimmer of the Year, while Livingston was named the Women’s Diving Coach of the Year.

BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU swimmer Maggie MacNeil and diving head coach Drew Livingston received end-of-season awards from the Southeastern Conference, the league office announced Wednesday.

MacNeil earned the second SEC Female Swimmer of the Year honor in LSU’s women’s program history after an outstanding graduate season. In addition to pursuing her master’s degree in the classroom and maintaining a GPA over 4.0, her success in the pool was unlike any other swimmer in school history.

At the 2023 NCAA Championships, the London, Ontario, Canada product had the opportunity to add to her two national titles. Competing in the 50-yard free, 100-yard fly and 100-yard free, MacNeil qualified for the championship final in each event.

She won her third NCAA title in the 50-free after throwing down an NCAA record 20.79. The time also broke the U.S. Open, NCAA meet, LSU school, and pool marks. In addition, she took home silver in the 100-fly with a time of 48.51 and claimed bronze in the 100-free with a time of 46.58.

In her one and only SEC Championship appearance, MacNeil led the way with three individual gold medals. She won conference championships in the 50-free, 100-fly, and 100-free. MacNeil was also a part of the first relay victory at the conference meet since 1986. The Tigers won the 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard freestyle relay. The LSU women closed the meet with the most gold medals at a single SEC’s in school history with eight.

Livingston, who joined the program last June and replaced a diving legend in Doug Shaffer, was named the Female Diving Coach of the Year. Not even a year removed from his arrival in Baton Rouge, Livingston made a statement with his diver’s performances. This recognition marks the second straight season an LSU diving coach has received this honor.

He coached the women’s diving squad to an SEC title and a runner-up on the tower at NCAA’s. Montserrat Gutierrez Lavenant completed both feats with the first SEC title on platform for the program since Cassie Weil in 2015. Lavenant also finished in second at the NCAA Championships becoming the first diver to finish in the top three on platform at the national meet since 2001.

Livingston coached a total of six divers through NCAA diving zones, qualifying each one for their respective championships. On the women’s side, LSU’s four qualifiers finished with two All-American honors from Lavenant and Chiara Pellacani.

The SEC also announced the athletes to receive to the Commissioner’s Trophy at the conference meet, along with All-SEC teams and the All-SEC Freshman teams.

Commissioner’s Trophy

Men

Jordan Crooks, Tennessee

Bryden Hattie, Tennessee

Baylor Nelson, Texas A&M

Women

Maggie MacNeil, LSU

All-SEC First-Team

Women

Kalia Antoniou, Alabama

Emily Jones, Alabama

Kensey McMahon, Alabama

Rhyan White, Alabama

Avery Wiseman, Alabama

Talia Bates, Florida

Micayla Cronk, Florida

Ekaterina Nikonova, Florida

Emma Weyant, Florida

Zoie Hartman, Georgia

Rachel Stege, Georgia

Megan Barnes, LSU

Jenna Bridges, LSU

Peyton Curry, LSU

Michaela De Villiers, LSU

Montserrat Lavenant, LSU

Maggie MacNeil, LSU

Katarina Milutinovich, LSU

Ella Varga, LSU

Brooke Schultz, South Carolina

Brooklyn Douthwright, Tennessee

Mona McSharry, Tennessee

All-SEC Second Team

Women

Diana Petkova, Alabama

Kailyn Winter, Alabama

Bella Cothern, Arkansas

Alessia Ferraguti, Arkansas

Kobie Melton, Arkansas

Andrea Sansores, Arkansas

Meghan Lee, Auburn

Maha Amer, Florida

Nina Kucheran, Florida

Katie Mack, Florida

Olivia Peoples, Florida

Aris Runnels, Florida

Jillian Barczyk, Georgia

Duné Coetzee, Georgia

Callie Dickinson, Georgia

Eboni McCarty, Georgia

Sloane Reinstein, Georgia

Caitlin Brooks, Kentucky

Kyndal Knight, Kentucky

Lauren Poole, Kentucky

Maggie Buckley, LSU

Chiara Pellacani, LSU

Sophie Verzyl, South Carolina

Aly Breslin, Tennessee

Julia Burroughs, Tennessee

Emma Carlton, Tennessee

Josephine Fuller, Tennessee

Julia Mrozinski, Tennessee

Jasmine Rumley, Tennessee

Kristen Stege, Tennessee

Sara Stotler, Tennessee

Giulia Goerigk, Texas A&M

Chloe Stepanek, Texas A&M

All-Freshman Team

Women

Emily Jones, Alabama

Betsy Wizard, Arkansas

Zoe Dixon, Florida

Hayden Miller, Florida

Lydia Hanlon, Kentucky

Grace Frericks, Kentucky

Denise Phelan, Kentucky

Megan Barnes, LSU

Michaela De Villiers, LSU

Ella Varga, LSU

Malin Grosse, Missouri

Kamryn Wong, Missouri

Giulia Goerigk, Texas A&M

Joslyn Oakley, Texas A&M

LSU forward KJ Williams named a Second Team All-SEC selection

Williams currently ranks second in the league with 17.4 points per game, and his 7.6 rebounding average ranks in the top 10.

It’s been a rough season for men’s basketball in Baton Rouge, but one of the few bright spots has been the play of [autotag]KJ Williams[/autotag], a transfer from Murray State who followed coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag].

The reigning Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, Williams could have tried his hand at the NBA draft after last season. Instead, he took his talents to the SEC against tougher competition, a decision that has seemingly paid off.

On Monday, Williams was named a Second Team All-SEC selection by the league’s coaches. He’s the only LSU player represented in the conference’s postseason awards.

Williams ranks second in the SEC in scoring this season with an average of 17.4 points. His rebounding average of 7.6 also ranks in the league’s top 10, and he has notched eight double-doubles this season.

The veteran will be heading to the league after this campaign as his one-year lease is expiring. Though his addition didn’t lead to a lot of success on the court, he still managed to become one of the most impactful players in the SEC this season.

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LSU track and field’s Brianna Lyston, Matthew Sophia earn SEC weekly honors

Lyston and Sophia were named Freshmen of the Week by the league.

Editor’s Note: The following is an official press release courtesy of LSU’s athletic’s department.

BATON ROUGE, La. – The conference office announced that both Brianna Lyston and Matthew Sophia have been named SEC Freshman of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. Combined, this is the fourth and fifth weekly honor from the conference for the Tigers this season.

Lyston ran the fifth fastest 60-meter time in the nation this week at 7.30 seconds in LSU Twilight’s final. She finished in second in both the prelims and finals behind her teammate junior Favour Ofili. Her final time shaved .09 seconds off of her 7.39 second time from the prelims. This is Lyston’s first weekly honor from the SEC.

Sophia placed first in the 60-meter hurdles’ prelims and finals at the LSU Twilight. The freshman ran a time of 7.89 seconds in the prelims and a time of 7.93 seconds in the finals. He currently ranks tied for ninth in the SEC with a 7.75 (converted from 7.73) earlier this season at the Red Raider Open. This is Sophia’s first weekly honor from the SEC.

LSU SEC Athletes of the Week – Indoors

Favour Ofili – Women’s Runner of the Week (February 7)

Favour Ofili – Co-Women’s Runner of the Week (February 14)

Michaela Rose – Co-Women’s Runner of the Week (February 14)

Brianna Lyston – Women’s Freshman of the Week (February 21)

Matthew Sophia – Men’s Freshman of the Week (February 21)

Angel Reese sets record with 6th SEC Player of the Week award

Reese averaged 30.5 points and 18 rebounds in wins over Ole Miss and Florida this week.

[autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] is in the midst of a historic campaign, and she added another accolade to the list on Tuesday.

The LSU women’s basketball sophomore forward was named the SEC Player of the Week after averaging 30.5 points and 18 rebounds in wins over Ole Miss — against whom she scored a career-high 36 points, the most for an LSU player since 1995 — and Florida. It’s the sixth time she’s received the award this season, setting an SEC record.

In the win against the Gators, she became the first SEC player to notch 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a conference game in the last 20 years.

Reese — a Baltimore native who transferred in from Maryland this season —  is averaging 23.8 points and 15.5 rebounds in her first season with the Tigers. She has recorded a double-double in 25 of 26 games and is two away from tying Sylvia Fowles’ school record of 27 in a season.

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LSU freshman named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week

Will Campbell shined in his return to the field.

What a difference a week makes for [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag].

He had to sit out for the Tennessee game due to an illness that sent him to the hospital. One week later, he found himself starting at offensive tackle in the Swamp against the Florida Gators. He was named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts.

Life comes at you fast, and Campbell was ready for the challenge. Thanks to his blocking, [autotag]Josh Williams[/autotag] was able to run for 106 yards on 14 carries, and [autotag]Jayden Daniels[/autotag] had all day to throw the ball.

Daniels finished with 349 yards and three touchdowns through the air. If you are going to win a tough game, especially on the road, you have to win the game in the trenches. LSU did that against the Gators.

Campbell is only a freshman, so this could be one of the many awards he receives during his career in Baton Rouge. The future looks bright at offensive tackle for the Tigers.

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Antonio Johnson wins SEC co-defensive player of the week award

Antonio Johnson wins SEC co-defensive player of the week award

Following the Aggies’ Week 4 23-21 victory over, then, No. 10 Arkansas this past Saturday night, it’s the second week in a row an Aggies player has earned SEC recognition as a “Player of the Week” award winner.

Antonio Johnson was selected as the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week – shared with Alabama’s, Will Anderson – after an impressive performance all over the field in AT&T Stadium. Johnson saw snaps as at cornerback, safety, slot corner, and even linebacker, and totaled 13 tackles (5 solo). A hidden play at the time – Johnson made the touchdown-saving stop in the second quarter, that put the Razorbacks first-and-goal at the 3-yard line. The very next play was the wild fumble recovery for a touchdown to get the score within one point.

Johnson’s versatility in the Aggies’ secondary is valued each time their defense takes the field.

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Arkansas Baseball: Four Razorbacks grab SEC Awards

Arkansas Baseball was well represented on the all-freshman team, as well as the all-defensive team from the Southeastern Conference

Now that the regular season has concluded, four Razorbacks find themselves listed among the Southeastern Conference’s best.

Arkansas pitchers Hagen Smith and Brady Tygart were named to the Freshman All-SEC team, while Connor Noland and Robert Moore grabbed SEC all-defensive team honors, the league announced Monday.

[autotag]Hagen Smith[/autotag], a freshman from Bullard, Texas, was thrown into the Razorbacks weekend pitching rotation early, starting in 13 of 14 series primarily as the Saturday starter. In 13 starts, Smith struck out 68 batters while holding an ERA of 4.34 in 64.1 innings pitched. In what was his best outing of the season, Smith struck out nine batters while tossing 7.0 innings in a 4-2 win over Southeastern Louisiana on March 5. He matched his longest outing of 7.0 IP against LSU on April 15.

Fellow freshman [autotag]Brady Tygart[/autotag] was a reliable arm for the Arkansas bullpen, being used primarily in a late-inning, closer role. The freshman from Hernando, Miss. recorded eight saves for Arkansas in 2022, striking out 47 batters in 34.0 innings pitched.

[autotag]Connor Noland[/autotag] has stepped up in a huge way for the Razorbacks. With the loss of [autotag]Peyton Pallette[/autotag] due to Tommy John Surgery at the beginning of the calendar year, Noland has become the Friday night starter for Arkansas. Noland, who only made 12 appearances over the last two seasons, has started in 14 games this season with a 5-4 record. Noland has struck out 90 batters while walking just 26.

The primary second baseman for Arkansas, [autotag]Robert Moore[/autotag], has just one error in the field in 204 fielding opportunities, while making 74 putouts. He and shortstop Jalen Battles have combined to become one of the best one-two punches in the SEC when it comes to making plays in the field.

Arkansas Baseball opens their stay at the SEC Tournament on Wednesday morning. While in Hoover, the Razorbacks will look to win a couple of games in an effort to boost their chances of hosting a regional next weekend at Baum-Walker Stadium.

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