RALEIGH, NC -- William Peace University Athletics honored 12 student-athletes last week for its annual Derby Awards. The Derby's are hosted each year to honor WPU student-athletes for their success both in competition and in the classroom. There are four historical awards given by the Athletics Department - the Bierce Most Outstanding Athlete, the Pacer Outstanding Male Athlete, the Frazier Cup, and the Scholar-Athlete Award - and five awards given through the Athletic Communications Department - the Male and Female Performance of the Year Award, the Male and Female Newcomer of the Year Award, and the Team of the Year Award. Congratulations to all of our outstanding student-athletes this year!

Bierce Most Outstanding Athlete - The Bierce Most Outstanding Athlete Award is given annually to one female student-athlete deemed to have had the greatest impact on the College's athletic program during the current academic year. This year's recipients of the Bierce Most Outstanding Athlete Award were Brittany Carpenter and Brienna Laskowski, both from the Volleyball program. Laskowski and Carpenter were both named to the USA South First Team East Division as they helped lead the program to an undefeated 7-0 regular season in conference play. Laskowski ended the year with 207 kills, averaging 3.57 per set. Carpenter tallied 526 assists throughout the season, averaging 9.07 per set.

Pacer Outstanding Male Athlete - The Pacer Outstanding Male Athlete Award is given annually to one Male student-athlete deemed to have had the greatest impact on the University's athletic program during the current academic year. Tyshawn Barrett was named this year's Pacer Outstanding Male Athlete. Barrett was also named the USA South Baseball Player of the Year and was named to D3Baseball.com's Second Team All-Region. Barrett led the USA South in the majority of offensive categories, including batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, hits, home runs, RBIs, and total bases.

Frazier Cup - The Frazier Cup is awarded annually to the individual who best exemplifies the characteristics of the term student-athlete. This year's recipient was Summer Jacobs. Jacobs was an integral part of the softball program while also remaining involved on campus as a member of the Honors program, Psi Chi and Alpha Chi Honors societies, Delta Kappa Gamma Education Society, and a WPU Marshall.

Scholar-Athlete Award - The William Peace University Scholar Athlete Award is presented to the male and female student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point average. This year's scholar-athletes were Hayley McNair (Women's Tennis), Emily Puckett (Softball), and Shelby Cooper (Volleyball).

Female Performance of the Year - This year's Female Performance of the Year award went to Marketta Bennett. At the USA South Track & Field Conference Championship, Bennett won the 400m while also finishing second in the 200m.

Male Performance of the Year - This year's Male Performance of the Year award went to Jorge Lemus. Lemus tallied two goals in the USA South Semifinal against Averett, including the game winner in 2OT, marking the first conference tournament win for a men's program in University history.

Male Newcomer of the Year - This year's Male Newcomer of the Year award went to Scout Philipp of Men's Lacrosse. Philipp tallied 24 goals and 11 assists as he was named to the USA South First Team All-Conference.

Female Newcomer of the Year - This year's Female Newcomer of the Year award went to Sophia Swenson of Women's Swimming and Logan Ayers of Softball. Swenson led the Pacers in several meets throughout the season while breaking several PRs. Ayers was selected to the USA South First Team East Division for 3B after a standout year.

Team of the Year - This year's Team of the Year award went to the 2021 Volleyball team. The Pacers went undefeated in conference play during the regular season, securing the #1 seed in the USA South while also receiving four All-Conference selections!