Student Athletes Honored at Banquet

CSM athletes were honored for their performance during the 2017-2018 season, including, from left, CSM Scholar Athlete of the Year Savanna Pavkov of Clinton, CSM Male Athlete of the Year Juwan Smith of Lexington Park, and CSM Female Athlete of the Year Samantha Summers of Mechanicsville.

The highest priorities for student athletes — athletic distinction, sportsmanship, and academic success — were celebrated recently at the College of Southern Maryland’s annual athletic awards banquet at the Greater Waldorf Jaycees Center.

During the ceremony, coaches from CSM’s athletics department presented awards for accomplishments during the 2017-2018 season in basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, softball, and women’s lacrosse. Awards for CSM’s Hawks’ athletic teams capped off a fulfilling spring season overall, with a total of 78 wins and 114 losses across every sport.

Athletes of the Year

Starter and co-captain of the softball team Samantha Summers of Mechanicsville was named the Female Athlete of the Year. Summers came back for her second season of college softball and ranked in the top 25 for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). She was the only player in the top 25 who did not strike out the entire season. She was also in the top 10 in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference (JUCO).

Basketball player Juwan Smith of Lexington Park was the Male Athlete of the Year because of his outstanding play with the Hawks. The sophomore starting point guard is also Second Team NJCAA Division II All American, Second Team All-Maryland JUCO and First Team NJCAA Region XX. Mr. Smith racked up impressive stats, averaging 20.1 points per game, 4.1 rebounds each game, 82 steals, and 4.4 assists each game. He also sunk 98 three-pointers during the season.

Savanna Pavkov of Clinton was named Scholar Athlete of the Year for maintaining 36 credit hours with a 4.0 average while delivering a solid performance on the women’s softball team as left fielder.

The Wings of the Hawk Award is given by the entire athletic department to a person who helps the athletic program behind the scenes. This year it was given to two recipients for their outstanding support of every athlete. Director of Student Services Dr. Dorothy Collins and Coordinator of the Southern Maryland Studies Center Anna Kephart were recognized for their academic support of the students. The two worked with athletes who needed help academically throughout the season, teaching study strategies and techniques that helped lift their success.

Other Award Winners

Women’s Soccer:

Outstanding Leadership Award: Jazmin Summers of Mechanicsville

Player of the Year: Kelsea Burgess of Leonardtown

Men’s Soccer:

Coaches Award: Max Bode of Nanjemoy

Coaches Award: Paul Burton of Pomfret

Volleyball:

Offensive Player of the Year: Alexandra Allen of Billings, Montana

Defensive Player of the Year: Brandie Todd of Charlotte Hall

All Around Player of the Year: Ashley Hall of Hughesville

Cross Country:

All Around Best Male Runner of the Year: Jacob Weber of Great Mills

All Around Best Female Runner of the Year: Allison Mattera of Huntingtown

Women’s Basketball:

Coaches Award: Jennifer Nanosi of Hyattsville

Coaches Award: Te’a Green of Landover

Award of Academic Excellence: Amashia Moyd of Montgomery Village

Award of Academic Excellence: Alexandra Allen of Billings, Montana

Men’s Basketball:

Most Valuable Player: Juwan Smith of Lexington Park

Coaches Award: Sean Scott of Waldorf

Women’s Lacrosse:

Most Valuable Player: Kayla Clark of Chaptico

Most Improved: Jenna Purdy of La Plata

Team Player of the Year: Heather Donovan of St Leonard

Softball:

Offensive Player of the Year: Samantha Summers of Mechanicsville

Pitching Award: Lindsey Wood of Hollywood

Hawk Award: Megan Cunningham of La Plata

Golf:

Most Valuable Golfer: William Garrett, of Chesapeake Beach

Leadership Award: Tyler Potts, of Owings

Baseball:

Offensive Leader: Derek Taitano of Hollywood

Defensive Leader: Gavin Moore of Waldorf

For information on athletics at CSM, visit the Athletics website.

To view photos from the CSM Athletic Awards banquet, visit CSM’s photo sharing site.

For more about the College of Southern Maryland, visit its Leader member page.