ABILENE – Abilene Christian University seniors Jennie Hutt and
Nick Jones were honored Tuesday night at the ACU Athletics Awards Banguet as the winners of the Paul Goad Award for the 2011-12 athletic year.
The Paul Goad Award signifies the top male and female athlete at ACU each year. Hutt was a standout on the women's volleyball team over the last four seasons, while Jones is one of the top throwers in collegaite track and field, regardless of division.
Hutt is the fourth women's volleyball player since 2005-06 to be honored with the female award, while Jones is the first track and field honoree on the men's side since Nicodemus Naimadu won the award in 2006-07.
Hutt led the Wildcats to a surprising berth in the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament in 2011. A first team NCAA Division II academic all-America selection in 2011, Hutt was voted the Lone Star Conference Academic Player of the Year. Hutt was also voted an honorable mention all-America by the American Volleyball Coaches' Association.
A first team all-South Central Region selection, Hutt recorded 518 kills in 2011 to rank sixth in the country in that category. Additionally, her 3.78 kills per match ranked her third (46th nationally) within the conference, while her 4.20 points per match placed her second (60th). A winner of two LSC Player of the Week awards, Hutt also registered 32 kills vs. Incarnate Word on Sept. 24, which was the second-highest total in team history.
Over the course of his Wildcat career, Jones has been one of the most consistent and best performers in all of collegiate track and field, and the 2012 season is no different.
Jones owns the top collegiate discus mark in the nation this season – regardless of NCAA affiliation – with his throw of 203 feet, 3 inches two weeks ago at the UTEP Invitational in El Paso. That mark is also the third-best NCAA Division II history.
Jones also has the best shot put mark in NCAA Division II track and field this season – and 13th-best in collegiate track and field – with his mark of 62 feet, 4.50 inches at Angelo State earlier this spring. Jones will enter the NCAA Division II track and field championship meet next month as the favorite to win the national championship in both events.
Earlier this season, Jones added another individual national championship to his already impressive resume during the indoor season when he won the national title in the shot put in March at the national indoor championship meet.
Jones has won the individual national championships in the discus at each of the three outdoor championship meets in which he's participated (2008, 2009 and 2011). No athlete in NCAA history has won the national championship in the discus in four straight outdoor championship meets, a feat that Jones will be aiming for in May at the outdoor championship meet in Pueblo, Colo.
Fighting Heart Award
Presented to student-athletes who continually display a positive attitude and great effort within their respective sport.
Baseball: Luke Mejia
Football: Matt Webber
Golf: Adam Carpenter
Men's Basketball: Ben Warton
Men's Cross Country: Trey Knight
Men's Tennis: Corey Hale
Men's Track & Field: Erik Forrister & Milo Parsons
Soccer: Katie Stivers
Softball: Sara Vaughn
Women's Basketball: Hillari Adam
Women's Cross Country: Rachel Belcher
Women's Tennis: Felicity Delgado
Women's Track & Field: Cassie Brooks & Tara Riley
Volleyball: Aubree Vick
Athletic Trainer Awards
Comeback Student-Athlete of the Year: Lindsay Womack
Outstanding Student Athletic Trainer: Kelly Baskin
