PHOTOS of Award Winners  

DURHAM, N.C. – Women's basketball senior Paulina Afriyie and men's basketball senior Jibri Blount were announced as the North Carolina Central University Female and Male Student-Athletes of the Year on Tuesday, April 28.
 
The annual NCCU Athletics awards ceremony, The Eddies, was scheduled for Tuesday, but could not be held due to the COVID-19 virus. Instead, the announcements were made via social media.
 
Afriyie, out of the Bronx, New York, was voted First Team All-MEAC and named to the BOXTOROW Division I Women's Basketball All-America Team during her senior campaign, as she led NCCU with averages 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. She topped the MEAC with 14 double-doubles, and ranked second in the conference in rebounds per game (9.6), third in field goal percentage (50.5%), fourth in points per game (14.5), seventh in blocks per game (1.13), eighth in free throw percentage (70.8%) and 15th in steals per game (1.5). During her four-year NCCU career, Afriyie scored 1,203 points, which ranks second in the Division I era and ninth all-time at NCCU, and became the Division I era leader with 955 career rebounds (third all-time at NCCU) and 129 career blocks.
 
Blount, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was honored as the MEAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year, and selected to the BOXTOROW All-America Team and NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) All-District Second Team. He finished first in the conference in steals with 2.2 per game, second in scoring with 19.2 points, third in rebounding with 9.5, and fifth in field goal percentage at 52.5. Blount also finished sixth all-time at NCCU in a single season with 596 points, fifth in field goals with 216, fifth in rebounds with 294, fourth in steals with 68, fifth in total minutes with 1,141, and fourth in minutes per game. Blount is the only Eagle to reach those point, rebound, and steal totals in a single season in program history.
 
The Chancellor's Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest overall grade point average, was earned by women's tennis seniors Frida Cnossen (Laren, Netherlands) and Sofia Miller (Toronto, Canada) with unblemished 4.0 grade point averages. Cnossen is a biomedical sciences major, while Miller is majoring in political science with a concentration in theory and pre-law.
 
Below is a list of all of the award winners from The Eddies 2020…
 
Most Valuable Player Award
Baseball: Luis DeLeon
Men's Basketball: Jibri Blount
Women's Basketball: Paulina Afriyie
Cheer: Brandi Wright
Men's Cross Country: Ashton Drake
Women's Cross Country: Ashley Jean-Raymond
Football: Darius Royster
Golf: Daniel Barbare
Softball: Tamiera Sanchez
Men's Tennis: (Coach's Award) Sebastian Bromley
Women's Tennis: (Coach's Award) Hannah Gaines
Men's Track & Field: Gordon Lewis
Women's Track & Field: Bhrandi Crenshaw
Volleyball: Yomaries Villegas
 
Debra Saunders-White Leadership Award
Baseball: Ryan Miller
Men's Basketball: Jibri Blount
Women's Basketball: Paulina Afriyie
Cheer: Taylore Harris
Men's Cross Country: Joshua McLean
Women's Cross Country: Kenedi Curtis
Football: Cyrus Stanback
Golf: Camron Ratliff
Softball: Jacobia Johnson
Men's Tennis: Pablo Juez Torres
Women's Tennis: Sofia Miller
Men's Track & Field: Marvin Jones
Women's Track & Field: Hannah Stephens
Volleyball: Ammaarah Williams
 
Eagle Excellence Academic Award
Baseball: Jacob Eigner
Men's Basketball: Nicolas Fennell
Women's Basketball: Theyoung Pouy
Cheer: Alaisia Gilliam
Men's Cross Country: Joshua McLean
Women's Cross Country: Chayil Townsend
Football: Chuck Manning
Golf: Hollan Strepay
Softball: Madison Mifsud
Men's Tennis: Amit Baran
Women's Tennis: Frida Cnossen & Sofia Miller
Men's Track & Field: Jazire Notice
Women's Track & Field: Emmaya Waters
Volleyball: Jessica Pilivi
 
Chekeria Reid Sportsmanship Award
Female: Arlanda Faulkner, Volleyball
Male: Andrew Dale, Football
 
Iron Eagle (Strength & Conditioning) Award
Female: Maru Berghaus, Tennis
Male: Jibri Blount, Basketball
 
Donor of the Year Award
Lauretta Holloway
 
Sponsor of the Year Award
Subject 2 Change (Jamie Patterson)
 
Faculty Athletic Council Academic Award
Men's Tennis (small team)
Women's Tennis (small team)
Baseball (large team)
Softball (large team)
 
Harper-Armstrong Academic Award (Graduate Assistant)
Mirrah Colbert-Grant
 
Politano-McCree Service Award (Graduate Assistant)
Michelle McLeod
 
Chancellor's Award (highest GPA)
Frida Cnossen and Sofia Miller, Women's Tennis
 
Student-Athlete of the Year Award
Female: Paulina Afriyie, Basketball
Male: Jibri Blount, Basketball
 

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