PHOTO GALLERY

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— The Samford athletics department held its sixth-annual SAMSPY Awards Monday evening at Hyatt Regency Birmingham - The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover.
 
The SAMSPY Awards are held to honor Samford's student-athletes, teams, coaches and administrators for their accomplishments throughout the year.
 
A total of 21 awards were given out at the event. The first awards were the Team Academic Awards. These awards were given to the teams, one male and one female, that posted the highest grade-point average in the past year. The women's tennis and men's golf teams took home the Team Academic Awards.
 
The Female Rookie of the Year Award was given to Malcanisha Kelley of the soccer team. Kelley led the team in goals with eight, and in scoring with a total of 19 points. Kelley was named first team All-Conference for her efforts.
 
Fares Kilani from the men's tennis team was named Male Rookie of the Year. Kilani earned Second-Team All-SoCon honors and finished the season with an 18-7 record.
 
The Comeback Athlete of the Year Award went to Mollie Hanson of the softball team. After only playing 16 games in 2013, Hanson suffered a season-ending arm injury. She bounced back in 2014 to help lead the softball team to its' best season in the program's 27-year history and during that journey broke the school's single-season record for wins. She has also placed in the top-ten for single-season shutouts and ERA.
 
The Breakthrough Athlete of the Year went to Niba N'tcha of the women's tennis team. N'tcha earned first team All-SoCon honors in both singles and doubles play. She also finished the regular season with a 15-4 singles record.
 
The Jim Griffin Award goes to the Supporting Player of the Year. This award was given to Shanika Thomas of the soccer team. Thomas played a huge role in the soccer team's 13-6-2 overall record, as well as victories against Tennessee, Auburn and Vanderbilt.
 
The Support Staff of the Year Award went to Assistant Director of Athletics for Facilities and Operations Michael McGreevey. The Assistant Coach of the Year Award went to Bill D'Ottavio of the football staff.
 
The Fan of the Year award was given to Monty Hogewood. Hogewood, who works in development for Samford University, is a loyal fan of all Samford athletic teams.
 
The Best Finish award went to the football team for its thrilling win over Elon to capture the Southern Conference championship. With just seven seconds left, senior quarterback Andy Summerlin hit senior receiver Chris Cephus for a 12-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone to give the Bulldogs a 33-32 win and a share of the program's first conference title.
 
The Best Upset award went to the soccer team. The Bulldogs swept their three SEC opponents, earning wins against Tennessee, Auburn and Vanderbilt.
 
Senior Fabian Truss was given the Play of the Year Award. In the season-opener against Georgia State in the Georgia Dome, Truss took the opening kickoff back 109 yards for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs the early lead. Samford went on to knock off the Panthers, 31-21, for the program's first win over a Football Bowl Subdivision team.
 
The Best Championship Performance award went to Brandon Bassett and Ashley Cope of the track and field teams. Bassett earned the Heath Whittle Most Valuable Performer Award at the SoCon Indoor Championships after scoring the most points in competition. Bassett claimed an individual SoCon championship in the high jump and top three finishes in the 60-meter hurdles and the long jump.
 
The Blooper of the Year went to Kelvin Clay of the football team for running into a goal post while catching a pass in a scrimmage last spring.
 
Cope earned SoCon Women's Most Valuable Field Performer Award after her dominant performances in the SoCon Indoor Championship pentathlon events. She took first place in the pentathlon with a school-record 3,461 points.
 
The Most Outstanding Team award went to the men's tennis team. The 2013 men's tennis team recorded the program's best season in school history and earned the SoCon's highest seed in the NCAA Tournament. The nationally-ranked Bulldogs also defeated Alabama for the first time in nearly 52 years.
 
Rahim Esmail, head coach of the men's tennis, was named the Head Coach of the Year. Esmail led the men's tennis team to its best season in school history. The Bulldogs won the SoCon Tournament and earned a No. 3 seed in the Mississippi State Regional of the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Best Female Athlete award was given to Ashley Cope of the track and field team. Cope dominated the pentathlon events in every competition during the 2014 indoor season as she broke five school records: most points, the 60-meter hurdles, the high jump, the shot put and the long jump. She earned the 2013 SoCon Outdoor Women's Most Outstanding Athlete and the 2014 SoCon Women's Most Valuable Field Performer Award.
 
Justin Shade from the football team won the Best Male Athlete award. Shade saved his best season for his last year in a Samford uniform. Shade led the Southern Conference in tackles per game, averaging 9.9 per contest. He also led the conference in total sacks, with a school-record nine and a half sacks for the season. He was named the SoCon's Defensive Player of the Year at the conclusion of the season.
 
The Miss Bulldog and Mr. Bulldog Awards were the final two awards of the evening. These awards are given based on all-around academics, athletics, team leadership and service.
 
The Miss Bulldog award went to Emily Mallory of the women's tennis team. Mallory helped lead the women's tennis team to its best record in school history. She earned second team All-SoCon honors in singles play and finished the regular season with a 15-2 record. In the classroom, Mallory was named to the 2013 Spring Academic All-SoCon team by registering a 3.81 grade-point average in business/economics.
 
Jeremy Towns of the football team was named Mr. Bulldog. Towns is the epitome of a true student-athlete. During his time at Samford, he has been an outstanding student and a model citizen. He has been heavily involved with community service and has won numerous leadership and service awards. On the field, Jeremy overcame injuries earlier in his career to serve as a starter on the Bulldog defensive line as a senior, helping lead the football team to its first Southern Conference title and a bid to the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
 
Below is a list of all of Monday night's SAMSPY Awards winners.
 
2014 SAMSPYs WINNERS
 
Female Academic Team of the Year - Tennis
Male Academic Team of the Year - Golf
Female Rookie of the Year - Malcanisha Kelley, Soccer
Male Rookie of the Year - Fares Kilani, Tennis
Comeback Athlete of the Year - Mollie Hanson, Softball
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year - Niba N'tcha, Women's Tennis
Jim Griffin Award - Shanika Thomas, Soccer
Support Staff of the Year - Michael McGreevey
Assistant Coach of the Year - Bill D'Ottavio, Football
Fan of the Year - Monty Hogewood
Best Finish - Football vs. Elon
Best Upset - Soccer
Play of the Year - Fabian Truss, Football
Best Championship Performance - Brandon Bassett and Ashley Cope, Track and Field
Best Blooper – Kelvin Clay, Football
Most Outstanding Team - Men's Tennis
Head Coach of the Year - Rahim Esmail, Men's Tennis
Best Female Athlete  -Ashley Cope, Track and Field
Best Male Athlete - Justin Shade, Football
Miss Bulldog - Emily Mallory, Tennis
Mr. Bulldog - Jeremy Towns, Football