Cole, Ingram Win Top Awards

May 2, 2007

WEATHERFORD, Okla. -- Baseball star Mark Cole and cross country runner Rachel Ingram were the top award winners at the annual All-Sports Banquet held Tuesday on the Southwestern Oklahoma State University campus. Cole won the male athlete-of-the-year while Ingram was recognized as the top female athlete for the second straight year. The award is based on the student's athletic achievement, academic standing, community and campus involvement and citizenship.

Cole, a senior outfielder from Perry, has been one of the key players in driving the remarkable turnaround of the Bulldog baseball team. He finished the year hitting .375 in Lone Star Conference North games and helped the team to a second-place finish in the division. Earlier this week, he was one of two Bulldogs chosen to the LSC North First-team squad. Cole and the rest of the SWOSU baseball team will be making their first LSC Tournament appearance since 2002 when the Bulldogs meet Angelo State in a Saturday game in Abilene, Texas.

Ingram, a junior from Springfield, Mo., continued to build on her already growing collection of awards. She again qualified for the NCAA Division II National Cross Country Championships in Florida. Ingram has finished sixth or better in her three runs at the LSC Championship, this year placing a career-best second. She won individual titles at East Central University and won again at Oklahoma State University. She has been accepted into the SWOSU's prestigious pharmacy school where she maintains a perfect 4.00 average.

The following is a list of other student-athletes that were recognized as their team's MVP.

Women's Golf -- Jaryn Rainey
Jaryn Rainey, a junior from Burneyville, was the top Bulldog finisher in all eight tournaments this season. Rainey, who played previously at Redlands Community College, had two top 10 finishes this yea, including a third-place finish at the St. Edward'ss Invitational in Austin, Texas and a seventh-place finish in the Oklahoma Intercollegiate in Lawton. She finished 13th in the LSC Championships and was awarded honorable mention all-conference.

Volleyball -- Paula Harry
Paula Harry, a junior from Mornington, Australia, played in 99 of Southwestern's 110 volleyball games this year. She was second on the team in digs at 3.15 per game, third on the team in kills per game at 2.20, third in attacking percentage at .109 and third in total blocks with 37. She was one of the main reasons why the Bulldogs were able to double their win total from their first year.

Women's Rodeo -- Brittany Wiedel
Brittany Wiedel, a junior from Hebron, Nebraska, was one of the top barrel racers and goat tiers in the Central Plains Region this year. She won the barrel racing title at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and was among the top goat tiers at the Pratt, Northwestern and Kansas State rodeos this year.

Soccer -- Robin Kluck
Robin Kluck, a senior midfielder from Edmond, provided the Bulldogs with toughness and boundless energy on the soccer field. In her four years at SWOSU, she played in 68 career games where she scored five career goals and three assists. This year, she led the Bulldogs into the final week of the season before falling short of qualifying for their first-ever LSC Tournament Berth.

Softball -- Alli Flaman
Alli Flaman, a senior from Westakiwin, Alberta, Canada, rewrote several hitting records for the Bulldogs this season. She finished second in the Lone Star Conference in hitting with a .450 average, which was the second highest average in school history. She broke school records for most home runs in a season (9), runs batted in (38) and walks (23). She hit safely in 34 of the team's 43 games and earlier this week was named to the LSC North first-team all-conference squad.

Women's Basketball -- Grace Anne Jones
Grace Anne Jones, a junior from Fort Smith, Ark., was SWOSU's starting point guard in 25 of the team's 26 games this year. She finished third on the team in scoring averaging 8.5 points per game and tied for the team lead in assists with 48. She recorded her first collegiate double-double when she scored a career high 22 points and pulled down a career-best 11 rebounds in a win against Central Oklahoma.

Men's Golf -- Pat McCarthy
Pat McCarthy, a junior from London, England, is the only SWOSU player to qualify for the NCAA Division II South/South Central Super Regional which will be held later this month in Alabama. McCarthy earned his way into the Super Regional thanks to his steady play throughout the year. He was the top SWOSU finisher in four of the eight golf tournaments and his best showing was an eighth-place finish at the Drury University Classic.

Football -- Austin Ellis
Austin Ellis came to SWOSU this year after beginning his football career at New Mexico Highlands. The Burns Flat native was instrumental in the improved fortunes of the Bulldog football team as an offensive lineman. He was one of only three players named to the first-team Lone Star Conference North Division team and was later a third-team selection to the all-region squad.

Men's Rodeo -- Dusty Gracia
Dusty Gracia has helped to continue SWOSU's lengthy streak of either sending a team or a participant to numerous College National Finals Rodeo events when he goes this summer. Gracia, a native of Leedey, finished atop the Central Plains Regional standings in Bareback Riding with over 1,000 points, more than 300 points ahead of his nearest competitor. He has won bareback titles at Pratt, Southeastern Oklahoma Sate and our own rodeo here at SWOSU.

Men's Basketball -- Nate Perry
Perry, a junior from Racine, Wisc., made an instant impact on SWOSU's basketball team after transferring from Mesa Community College. The 6-6 center led the team in five categories including points (13.7 ppg.), rebounds (6.5 ppg.), field goal percentage (.597), blocks (15) and steals (53). He was a second-team, all-conference selection and was named the LSC North Newcomer of the Year for the Bulldogs who finished the year with a 17-7 record.