MTSU Raiders Choice Awards: Courtney Whitson, Francisco Rocha win top honors
Middle Tennessee State women's basketball player Courtney Whitson and men's tennis standout Francisco Rocha were big winners at the 11th-annual Raiders Choice Awards Thursday night.
Held in person for the first time since 2019, the event took place at MTSU's Tucker Theater.
Whitson and Rocha were honored with the True Blue President's Award, which is the highest honor given to an MTSU athlete. The President's Award recognizes outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments, university/community service and leadership.
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Both excelled in the classroom, community and on the court. Whitson carries a 3.7 GPA in English and helped lead MTSU to one of the best seasons in program history. An All-Conference USA performer, she averaged nearly a double-double with 12.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Rocha, who also won the award last year, owns a 4.0 GPA while majoring in business administration. He carries a mark of 22-8 in singles and 18-11 in doubles, and was instrumental in the Blue Raiders winning their third straight C-USA Championship.
"This is a tremendous evening where we celebrate the accomplishments of our student-athletes but this year is a little more special because we were back in person," said MTSU athletics director Chris Massaro. "I am proud of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff for putting themselves in position to succeed all year long both in the classroom and on the field/court. I applaud all their efforts and it's just a great night for Blue Raider Athletics."
Several other athletes were recognized for their achievements during the school year.
2022 Raider Choice Awards winners
True Blue President's Award (Male): Francisco Rocha, tennis.
True Blue President's Award (Female): Courtney Whitson, basketball.
Male athlete of the year: Chris Edge, tennis.
Female athlete of the year: Eusila Chepkemei, track; Peyton DePriest, soccer.
Male newcomer of the year: Alaba Akintola, track.
Female Newcomer of the year: Dor Saar, basketball.
Female breakout performer of the year: Marley Banton, volleyball.
Male breakout performer of the year: Jaylin Lane, football; Eli Lawrence, basketball.
All-Americans: Peyton DePriest (2021 women's soccer), CoSIDA Academic All-American; Eusila Chepkemei (2022 Indoor track and field), first team/one mile; Omamuyovwi Erhire (2022 Indoor track and field), first team/high jump; Alaba Akintola (2022 Indoor track and field), second team/200m; Esther Isa (2022 Indoor track and field), second team/triple jump; Jaylin Lane (2021 football), FWAA first team freshman All-American; Kigen Chemadi (track and field), first team/3000M steeplechase.
Team GPA award, spring 2021: Women's golf (3.79); Men's tennis (3.91)
Team GPA award, fall 2021: Women's golf (3.52); Men's tennis (3.90)
Game/event of the year: Soccer's 2-1 win over reigning SEC Tournament champion Vanderbilt and the football team's Bahamas Bowl win over Toledo.
Performance of the year: Anastasiia Boldyreva's career-high 28-point effort in a road win over Toledo during the WNIT quarterfinals. Boldyreva had 26 points in the second half, including the go-ahead basket in overtime with 59 seconds to play.
Play of the year: Nick Wolf recorded a hole-in-one on the 11th hole at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley in the first round of the JT Poston Invitational.
Make a Difference Award: Jordan Ferguson (football). A two-time captain for Middle Tennessee's football team, in 2021 Ferguson started a non-profit, Hands Worldwide, which has helped feed those in need in his hometown of Atlanta over the winter holidays and also launched a blanket drive during the winter months in the Midstate, with the help of many of his teammates, that helped keep the homeless warm in both Murfreesboro and Nashville.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU athletes recognized at 11th annual Raiders Choice Awards
