Samford Holds 2015 SAMSPY Awards

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— The Samford athletics department held its seventh-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 Tiana Pisoni of the track and field team. As a freshman, Pisoni etched her name not only in the Top 10 of the Samford record books but also took home an individual SoCon Championship in the women's triple jump during the 2015 indoor season. She also earned a spot on the SoCon Women's All-Freshman team and took home the SoCon's Freshman of the Year award on the women's side.

Heath Quinn of the baseball team was named Male Rookie of the Year. As a freshman in 2014, he started 59 of the team's 60 games in right field, batting .319 with 20 doubles, nine home runs and 48 RBI. Quinn was named a consensus Freshman All-American, and he earned Southern Conference Freshman of the Year honors as well.

The Comeback Athlete of the Year award went to Taylor Reece of the women's basketball team. After missing the entire 2013-14 season with a knee injury, Reece came back to once again be one of the leaders of the women's basketball team. She finished second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 points per game. Following the regular season, she was named second team All-Southern Conference.

Adam Jones of track and field was named the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. In the spring of 2014, Jones developed into one of the nation's best in the 1,500 meters. After starting the outdoor season with a time of 3:51.99 he pushed week after week to better his time until he eventually broke the school record with a time of 3:44.89 to earn a spot at the NCAA Preliminary rounds. From there he advanced to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon where he earned Honorable Mention All-American.

The Jim Griffin Award went to Austin Ferrer of the men's tennis team. Ferrer displayed his tremendous heart and character last season as he filled in at court No. 6 for the short-handed Bulldogs. In addition, he has continued to play a key role on the team this season.

The Support Staff of the Year award went to Athletic Trainer Chappell Evans. Evans is one of the hardest workers in the athletics department, caring for her student-athletes with a dedication that is second to none. She is always looking for ways to better treat Samford's student-athletes and to improve, not only the sports medicine department, but the athletics department as a whole.

Matt Scott of the volleyball team was named the Assistant Coach of the Year. Scott has dedicated countless hours to breaking down film, prepping for team practices and fulfilling all of the normal duties of an assistant but yet he still finds the time help each student-athlete better themselves through extra rep requests at random times.

Samford senior student Samantha Stallings was named this year's Fan of the Year. Whether she is in the stands cheering for the Bulldogs or working as a student assistant in the athletics department, Stallings is one of the most consistent supporters of Samford athletics.

The Best Finish award went to the men's basketball team for its finishes against Western Carolina and East Tennessee State. In back-to-back road games at Western Carolina and ETSU, Samford's Tyler Hood and Marcus Johnson both hit last-second, game-winning 3-point baskets.

The Best Upset award went to Niba N'tcha and Carita Moolman of the women's tennis team. The pair tallied the biggest doubles upset in school history as they knocked off Auburn's No. 7-ranked tandem of Emily Flickinger and Pleun Burgmans.

Amanda Abbott of the soccer team earned the Play of the Year award. Abbott scored the game-winning goal against Mercer that clinched the Bulldogs' 1-0 victory and the 2014 Southern Conference regular-season championship.

The Best Championship Performance award went to the volleyball team. On the verge of going to a fifth set and down 24-20 to the No. 1 seed in the SoCon Championship match the Bulldogs rallied to make one of the most memorable comebacks in program history. The team ripped off five-straight set points during an 8-2 run to earn its second SoCon Championship in the last four seasons.

The Best Blooper award went to Sidney Jordan of the track and field team for falling during the hammer throw.

The Most Outstanding Team award went to the men's and women's track and field teams. Samford became the first private university to win both the men's and women's SoCon Outdoor Track and Field Championship. The two teams had a total 61 scorers place in 31 events on their way to sweeping the championships. The program also sent a school-record eight student-athletes to compete at the NCAA East Preliminaries.

Rod Tiffin of the track and field team was named the Head Coach of the Year. Tiffin earned 2014 SoCon Track & Field Coach of the Year honors as he led both the men's and women's track and field teams to a sweep of the 2014 Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The Best Female Athlete award went to Michaela Reesor of the volleyball team. Reesor was named First Team All-SoCon, October's SoCon Player of the Month and 2014 SoCon Player of the Year. As a senior she helped the Samford volleyball program soar to new heights through her leadership and athletic ability.

Jaquiski Tartt of the football team was named the Best Male Athlete. He is considered by many to be one of the top safeties in the country. He had another stellar season in 2014, finishing with 62 tackles, including 53 solo stops. Following the season, he was named both All-SoCon and All-American for the third-straight season. He became the first player in Samford history to play in the prestigious Senior Bowl, and he is projected to be the highest NFL Draft pick in school history.

The Miss Bulldog award went to Katie Danehy of the soccer team. Danehy helped lead the soccer team to the 2015 SoCon regular-season title and a trip to the league's championship game. She played a key role in the Bulldogs' 2-1 victory over No. 18-ranked Auburn and finished the season with four goals, despite playing on the back line. She was named a member of the All-SoCon Tournament team and excelled in the classroom with a brilliant 3.7 grade-point average in mathematics.

Tyler Hood of the men's basketball team was named this year's Mr. Bulldog. A 2014-15 team captain, Hood will go down in Samford lore as one of the top scorers in school history. He accumulated 1,164 points in his career and is ranked 16^th on the school's all-time scoring list. A SoCon All-Freshman Team member in 2012, he started in 122 games in his career. Also this season, he received one of the University's most coveted honors as he was selected to lead the 34th annual Hanging of the Green service held in Reid Chapel.

Below is a list of all of Monday night's SAMSPY Awards winners.

2015 SAMSPYs WINNERS

Female Academic Team of the Year - Tennis
Male Academic Team of the Year - Golf
Female Rookie of the Year – Tiana Pisoni, Track and Field
Male Rookie of the Year – Heath Quinn, Baseball
Comeback Athlete of the Year – Taylor Reece, Women's Basketball
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year – Adam Jones, Track and Field
Jim Griffin Award – Austin Ferrer, Men's Tennis
Support Staff of the Year – Chappell Evans, Athletic Trainer
Assistant Coach of the Year – Matt Scott, Volleyball
Fan of the Year – Samantha Stallings
Best Finish – Men's Basketball
Best Upset – Niba N'tcha and Carita Moolman, Women's Tennis
Play of the Year – Amanda Abbott, Soccer
Best Championship Performance - Volleyball
Best Blooper – Sidney Jordan, Track and Field
Most Outstanding Team - Men's and Women's Track and Field
Head Coach of the Year – Rod Tiffin, Track and Field
Best Female Athlete -Michaela Reesor, Volleyball
Best Male Athlete – Jaquiski Tartt, Football
Miss Bulldog – Katie Danehy, Soccer
Mr. Bulldog – Tyler Hood, Men's Basketball

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