DURHAM, N.C. – Cross country/track and field runner Victoria Swepson and golfer Daniel Barbare were announced as the North Carolina Central University Women's and Men's Student-Athletes of the Year on Wednesday, April 27, during the annual NCCU Athletics awards ceremony, The Eddies.
Swepson, a freshman from Durham, captured All-MEAC honors with a team-best ninth-place finish at MEAC Cross Country Championships and claimed an All-MEAC silver medal in the mile run at the MEAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. She delivered five top-10 performances during cross country season, including a first-place finish at the Greensboro XC Invitational, while also placing fourth in the 800-meter run at the conference indoor championships. During the outdoor campaign, Swepson is currently ranked fifth in the MEAC in the 1500m run and sixth in the 800m run.
Barbare, a redshirt junior from Raleigh, earned four top-5 finishes this season with three runner-up performances, including at the MEAC Men's Golf Championship to earn All-Tournament Team honors. He was named MEAC Golfer of the Month for March after posting a career-best 3-under-par 68 on March 14 in the Bash at the Beach event, which is the lowest score by an Eagle in four years and tied for the third-lowest round in program history. He also registered the second-best 36-hole total (138) in the NCCU records book, a tally no Eagle has achieved in the past 17 years.
The Chancellor's Award, presented to the student-athlete(s) with the highest overall grade point average, was earned by women's tennis senior Hannah Gaines (Kernersville, N.C.), softball senior Madison Mifsud (Jacksonville, Fla.), and men's tennis senior Amit Baran (Eilat, Israel).
Below is a list of all of the award winners from The Eddies 2022…
Most Valuable Player Award
Cheer: Ke'Vaun Richardson
Football: Davius Richard
Volleyball: Ammaarah Williams
Men's Basketball: Justin Wright
Women's Basketball: Kira Lowery
Men's Cross Country: Ashton Drake
Women's Cross Country: Victoria Swepson
Men's Track and Field: Marvin Jones
Women's Track and Field: Victoria Swepson
Softball: Jaden Davis
Men's Golf: Daniel Barbare
Women's Golf: Natasha Ainsley-Thomas
Men's Tennis: Miles Clark
Women's Tennis: Jade Houston
Debra Saunders-White Leadership Award
Cheer: Chandler Phillips
Football: Latrell Collier
Volleyball: Celene Morris
Men's Basketball: Kris Monroe
Women's Basketball: Ashlyn Lockard
Men's Cross Country: Yrelus Mackenson
Women's Cross Country: Ariana Harrell
Men's Track and Field: Joshua McLean
Women's Track and Field: Zinzili Kelley
Softball: Jaylah Barr
Men's Golf: Kendall Wallace
Women's Golf: Zoe Key
Men's Tennis: Sebastian Pino
Women's Tennis: Kennedy Hill
Eagle Excellence Academic Award
Cheer: Arianne Brown-Stephenson
Football: Juan Velarde
Volleyball: Celene Morris
Men's Basketball: Terrence Crawford
Women's Basketball: Simone Edmundson
Men's Cross Country: Jacob Irving
Women's Cross Country: Ariana Harrell
Men's Track and Field: Matthew Swepson
Women's Track and Field: Jordan Braxton
Softball: Imara Harrell, Madison Mifsud
Men's Golf: Daniel Barbare
Women's Golf: Natasha Ainsley-Thomas, Zoe Key
Men's Tennis: Amit Baran
Women's Tennis: Hannah Gaines, Maria Picazo
Chekeria Reid Sportsmanship Award
Maria Picazo, Women's Tennis
Newcomer of the Year Award
Women's: Diamond Thomas, Basketball
Men's: Devin Smith, Football
Donor of the Year Award
Helen S. Davenport
Sponsor of the Year Award
Right Time Realty
Faculty Athletic Council Academic Award
Women's Tennis (small team)
Softball (large team)
Harper-Armstrong Academic Award (Graduate Assistant)
Dominique Tatum
Politano-McCree Service Award (Graduate Assistant)
Christopher Gloetzel
Chancellor's Award (highest GPA)
Women's: Hannah Gaines, Tennis and Madison Mifsud, Softball
Men's: Amit Baran, Tennis
Student-Athlete of the Year Award
Women's: Victoria Swepson, Cross Country/Track & Field
Men's: Daniel Barbare, Golf
