HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – A top men’s lacrosse player and a track and field star have earned this year’s Wayne B. Powell Student-Athlete Award of Excellence at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
The Bears athletic department announced Haylea Salamon as the winner in women’s sports and Colin Lett as the winner in male sports.
LETT
SALAMON
The two recipients will be honored at the Bears Choice Awards at the end of the athletic season.
The award honors the 11th President of LRU, who retired in Jan. 2017 after 14 years.
Salamon, a native of Saskatchewan, Canada, graduated from LRU in May with a degree in Health and Exercise Science (3.95 grade point average). A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, she was the top graduate for the College of Health Sciences, earning Summa Cum Laude honors and the Student Government Associate President’s Award.
Salamon was the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Field Athlete of the Year in 2015 and 2016. She won three SAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the discus and was in the top 10 in the shot put, javelin and hammer throw in all four of her years with the Bears.
Lett, from Greensboro, was named a first-team NCAA Division II All-American in lacrosse. He was the SAC Player of the Year after finishing with seven goals, five assists, 12 points and 77 groundballs, and also won a Specialty Player Award for Long Stick Midfielder.
The Bears went 17-3 overall and 8-0 in the SAC, earning an appearance in the NCAA Division II Final Four in the eighth year of men’s lacrosse at LRU.
Lett played in the NCAA Division II North-South All-Star game and signed with the Charlotte Hounds after graduating from LRU.
Stevens wins Lott Award for Catawba game
STEVENS
Ameen Stevens, a freshman running back from Savannah, Ga., has received the Ronnie Lott Heavy Hitter Award for LRU’s football game last Saturday against Catawba, a 63-21 home win.
He finished with 10 carries for 68 yards and two TDs, leading the Bears to 412 rushing yards. Nine players collected yardage against a defense that came in allowing an average of 242.1 yards per game.
The Defensive Player of the Week award went to Jaquan Artis, a junior defensive end from Kinston. He had 2 ½ sacks, 2 ½ tackles for lost yardage and forced a fumble against Catawba.
The Offensive Player of the Week award went to Cole Henderson, a junior tackle from Greer, S.C., as LRU averaged 6.9 yards per rush and had seven rushing scores.
Kyle Dugger, a junior from Fayetteville, Ga., won Special Teams Player of the Week. He fielded three punts for 61 yards, helping the Bears with field position.
The Offensive and Defensive Scout Team Players of the Week were freshman offensive lineman Blake Myers of Brentwood, Tenn., and Dawson Sigmon, a sophomore outside linebacker from Morganton (Draughn High), respectively.