2008 CATSPY Awards Presented

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky Athletics Association presented 25 honors at the sixth-annual CATSPY Awards, held Monday at Memorial Coliseum to recognize athletic and academic performance during the 2007-08 year. With co-winners in some categories, a total of seven teams and 25 individuals were recognized. Jay Crawford of ESPN and Christi Thomas of WKYT served as co-hosts of the event.

Football and women’s tennis won the Male and Female Team of the Year awards for their achievements in 2007. Football posted some of the most exciting, dramatic wins in school history while winning back-to-back bowl games for only the second time ever. The women’s tennis squad made its 11th-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and finished in the nation’s top-35 rankings for the 10th-straight season.

The Mr. and Miss Wildcat Awards are given for all-around excellence in athletics, academics, character, and service. Crissy Cannon of the gymnastics team was named Miss Wildcat, while football’s Jacob Tamme and Wesley Woodyard were co-winners of Mr. Wildcat.

The K-Association Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Jennifer Pason, who helped shoot the rifle team to fifth place in the NCAA championships. For the second-consecutive year, quarterback André Woodson won the K-Association Male Athlete of the Year in recognition of his numerous accomplishments and leadership of the football team.

The Male Performance of the Year Award went to rifle’s Thomas Csenge (pronounced same as “singe”) for posting identical scores of 1,181 points (of a possible 1,200) in consecutive meets – an amazing feat. The Female Performance of the Year Award was received by diver Kari Retrum for her All-America showing on the one-meter board, finishing sixth in the nation at the NCAA championships.

The Academic Teams of the Year were men’s soccer and women’s soccer. The Scholar-Athletes of the Year were Beth Felts (women’s golf), Chelsea Chowning (women’s basketball), Collin Cowgill (baseball), and Jacob Tamme (football).

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to John Cropp, UK Associate Director of Athletics, for his decades of service as a coach and administrator, including the last 17 years at Kentucky.

A new award was instituted this year, the Bill Keightley “Assist Award,” for a non-athlete who exemplifies the selflessness, kindheartedness, and work ethic represented by its namesake. The inaugural winners were men’s basketball managers Zach Murphy and Will Herschelman.

A complete list of awards is below:

Female Rookie of the Year: Megan Broderick, Tennis
Male Rookie of the Year: Patrick Patterson, Basketball; Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Beth Felts, Golf; Chelsea Chowning, Basketball
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Collin Cowgill, Baseball; Jacob Tamme, Football
Supporting Role: Ashley Dimkich, Softball
Female Performance of the Year: Kari Retrum, Diving
Male Performance of the Year: Thomas Csenge, Rifle
Female Community Service Award: Crissy Cannon, Gymnastics
Male Community Service Award: John Richardson, Track
Female Play of the Year: Volleyball vs. LSU; Gymnastics vs. Arizona
Male Play of the Year: Football vs. LSU; Bruno Agostinelli, Tennis
Character Award: Andrew Albers, Baseball
Lifetime Achievement Award: John Cropp, Associate Director of Athletics
Blue Heart Award: Rafael Little, Football
Female Team Coach of the Year: Gary Conelly, Swimming
Male Team Coach of the Year: Rich Brooks, Football
Bill Keightley “Assist Award”: Zach Murphy, Men’s Basketball Manager; Will Herschelman, Men’s Basketball Manager Scratch Award (non-scholarship athlete: Mark Coury, Men’s Basketball
K-Association Female Athlete of the Year: Jennifer Pason, Rifle
K-Association Male Athlete of the Year: André Woodson, Football
Female Academic Team of the Year: Soccer
Male Academic Team of the Year: Soccer
Miss Wildcat: Crissy Cannon, Gymnastics
Mr. Wildcat: Wesley Woodyard, Football; Jacob Tamme, Football Female Team of the Year: Tennis
Male Team of the Year: Football