TROY, Ala. – Troy Athletics honored greatness among its student-athletes Wednesday night with the seventh annual Trojan Tribute award show. For the second straight spring, the awards were presented virtually via Facebook and YouTube.
Awards were handed out in 17 different categories ranging from strength & conditioning honors, to top grade-point-averages and Team of the Year. The awards, which were based on the 2020 calendar year (Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2020-21), were voted on by Troy’s student-athletes and the Trojan Tribute Senior Voting Committee.
“I would like to congratulate all of our winners and nominees from this year’s Trojan Tribute,” Director of Athletics Brent Jones said. “This was the most unprecedented year ever in collegiate athletics, and all our student-athletes should be commended for their hard work in the classroom, in the community and in competition. We had some remarkable individual and team performances this past year, and it is always rewarding to see the hard work of so many recognized with these awards.”
Football junior wide receiver Luke Whittemore took home the evening’s top award by earning the Trojan Way Leadership Award. Women’s basketball earned Team of the Year honors for the second straight year, while Edita Sklenska (track & field) and Levi Thomas (baseball) were named the respective Female and Male Athletes of the Year.
Thomas earned Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-America honors last season and was selected in the fourth round of the MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres after posting a 0.39 ERA with 42 strikeouts in just 23 innings of work.
Sklenska struck gold three times at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Championship, the only female athlete in the conference to win three gold medals at the event. She broke a conference and school record in the 800m with a time of 2:08.34 and was part of both the gold medal-winning distance medley relay and the 4x400m realy.
Women’s basketball won the Sun Belt Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last five opportunities. The Trojans took No. 4 Texas A&M to the final buzzer in the NCAA Tournament and finished the season ranked No. 21 in the final Mid-Major Poll.
Male Strength and Conditioning Award
B.J. Smith – Football
Female Strength and Conditioning Award
Natalie Hummel – Volleyball
Clements Award – Highest Male Graduating GPA
Eli Charron – Golf
Sorrell Award – Highest Female Graduating GPA
Karina Valeriano – Soccer
Highest Male Team GPA Award
Tennis
Highest Female Team GPA Award
Cross Country
Staff Member of the Year
Alyson Gramley – Athletic Training
Male Heart of a Warrior
Nick Stampley – Men’s Basketball
Female Heart of a Warrior
Michelle Ncube – Tennis
Strength of Character
Michael Alvernaz – Track & Field
The Jadarious Garner Total Trojan Award
Logan Calhoun – Softball
Team of the Year Award
Women’s Basketball
Male Newcomer of the Year
Carles Anton – Men’s Tennis
Female Newcomer of the Year
Felmas Koranga – Women’s Basketball
Male Athlete of the Year
Levi Thomas – Baseball
Female Athlete of the Year
Edita Sklenska – Track & Field
Director of Athletics Trojan Way Leadership Award
Luke Whittemore – Football
