2023-24 Athletic Department Award Winners Announced
8/5/2024 11:20:00 AM | Field Hockey, Football, General, Softball, Swimming and Diving, Synchronized Skating
OXFORD, Ohio-- The Miami University Athletic Department announced the winners of its annual awards for the 2023-24 academic year today. The honorees will be recognized on the field during the home football game against Cincinnati on Saturday, Sept. 14.
Karli Spaid (softball) was chosen as the Female Athlete of the Year, with Matt Salopek (football) earning Male Athlete of the Year honors.
Swimmers Nicole Maier and Henju Duvenhage were named the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year and Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Isabelle Perese (field hockey) and Owen Blazer (swimming) received the Dr. Phillip Shriver Graduating Champions Medal of Honor. The Shriver medals recognize outstanding graduating male and female student-athletes who have been members of a championship team during their careers, along with being leaders and epitomizing Love and Honor.
Natalie Mispagel (synchronized skating) won the Leann Grimes Davidge Award and Austin Ertl (football) earned the Darrell Hedric Award. The Leann Grimes Davidge Award (awarded in memory of former women's tennis coach Leann Grimes Davidge) and the Darrell Hedric Award (awarded in honor of Miami alumnus, former men's basketball coach and associate athletic director emeritus Darrell Hedric) are presented to a female and male student-athlete who exemplify outstanding qualities of leadership, scholarship, community service, sportsmanship, and athletic achievement.
The Dr. David G. Shrider and Darcy Shriver Academic Impact Awards (honoring influential administrators, instructors, faculty or staff members who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the student-athlete experience in pursuit of Graduating Champions) were given to Dr. Adam Beissel and Emily Bruns, respectively. Beissel is an Associate Professor of Sport Leadership and Management at Miami University, while Bruns serves as Miami Athletics' Sr. Individualized Learning Specialist/Academic Coordinator.
Spaid led the nation in home runs with 36 this year, becoming just the second player in Division I softball history to hit 100 career homers. She was a top-10 finalist for USA Softball's National Player of the Year, won MAC Player of the Year and was named a First-Team All-American by Softball America and D1Softball. Spaid produced a .407 batting average and led the nation with a 1.102 slugging percentage this season, driving in 78 runs. She was named an Academic All-American and was selected seventh overall in the Athletes Unlimited Draft. Spaid helped the RedHawks claim MAC regular-season and tournament titles, advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row and earn the first national Top-25 ranking in program history.
Salopek collected the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and MAC Championship Defensive Player of the Game awards as he led Miami Football to the 2023 conference championship. The First-Team All-MAC selection finished the year with 143 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception. He started all 14 games and recorded double-digit tackles in half of them, including a career-high 18 stops in an overtime win at Cincinnati. Salopek had nine tackles and a tackle for loss as Miami took down No. 23 Toledo in the conference title game last December for the Red and White's first win over an AP-ranked team since 2012.
Maier was named an Honorable Mention All-American for the second consecutive year, taking 11th in the 400 IM at the NCAA Women's Championships. The CSCAA Second-Team All-American also competed at the national meet in the 500 freestyle prelims and the 100 freestyle. Maier was recognized as MAC Outstanding Senior of the Year and received First-Team All-MAC honors, winning individual titles at the MAC Championships in the 500 freestyle, 400 IM and 100 freestyle. She was also part of the RedHawks' first-place 800 freestyle relay finish at the MAC meet and helped the Miami women to their first team runner-up finish in a decade. Maier was recognized as a CSCSAA Scholar All-American, Academic All-District and Academic All-MAC, and was named to the German Olympic team this summer. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing, producing a GPA of 3.63.
Duvenhage also earned MAC Outstanding Senior of the Year, winning the 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly and 200 IM titles at the MAC Championships. He produced NCAA B cut times in all three events at the MAC meet, including setting a pair of pool records. Duvenhage was recognized as First-Team All-MAC and Academic All-MAC and helped lead the RedHawk men to a fourth consecutive MAC championship. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a cumulative GPA of 3.42.
Perese started all 23 games at goalkeeper as Miami Field Hockey won the MAC regular-season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh year in a row. Perese was named to the West All-Region Second Team and the MAC All-Tournament Team, while also earning Second-Team All-MAC and Academic All-MAC recognition. She finished her five-year career as the RedHawks' all-time leader in career shutouts (25) and minutes played (6,200:29) while ranking third in goals-against average (1.29) and sixth in save percentage (.752). The four-time National Academic Honor Roll honoree graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Inclusive Special Education, while also making time to tutor a number of local elementary and middle school students and help coach the next generation of field hockey goalkeepers.
Blazer served as team captain each of the past two seasons as the RedHawks continued their run of MAC championships in the pool. Blazer helped Miami's 200 medley relay to a program record and first-place finish at the MAC Championships in March. He also posted runner-up finishes in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke, including an NCAA B cut time in the 100 back. Blazer was named First-Team All-MAC for the fourth consecutive season. A vocal leader on the squad, he could often be found volunteering alongside his teammates to help the community. Blazer earned a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Miami this year.
Mispagel helped the Miami collegiate synchronized skating team to its third consecutive national championship in February, including a record-breaking score of 117.04. Her RedHawk team finished the season undefeated, earning triple-figure scores and first-place finishes at each event on the schedule. Mispagel, a two-time team captain, was recognized with the program's Karin Sherr Trophy this spring. She earned her undergraduate degree in Finance and Accounting from Miami before completing her Master's in Accounting this past May, and spent part of last summer interning with KPMG, a Big Four accounting firm. Mispagel volunteered with organizations such as ByKids4Kids and Meals on Wheels during her time as a RedHawk, in addition to coaching through Learn to Skate and the Miami Skating Academy synchro teams.
Ertl bookended his RedHawk career with MAC championships in the 2019 and 2023 season, making a total of 121 tackles in 56 games played for the Red and White. His leadership on and off the field was on full display in the Red and White's MAC title game victory over Toledo at Ford Field last December, as Ertl tied an NCAA single-game record by blocking two field goals in a 23-14 win. He became the first player in the country since 2017 to block multiple kicks in a game and helped Miami secure its league-leading 17th MAC championship. Ertl, a multi-year Academic All-MAC honoree, graduated from Miami with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and a Master's in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Technology.
Karli Spaid (softball) was chosen as the Female Athlete of the Year, with Matt Salopek (football) earning Male Athlete of the Year honors.
Swimmers Nicole Maier and Henju Duvenhage were named the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year and Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Isabelle Perese (field hockey) and Owen Blazer (swimming) received the Dr. Phillip Shriver Graduating Champions Medal of Honor. The Shriver medals recognize outstanding graduating male and female student-athletes who have been members of a championship team during their careers, along with being leaders and epitomizing Love and Honor.
Natalie Mispagel (synchronized skating) won the Leann Grimes Davidge Award and Austin Ertl (football) earned the Darrell Hedric Award. The Leann Grimes Davidge Award (awarded in memory of former women's tennis coach Leann Grimes Davidge) and the Darrell Hedric Award (awarded in honor of Miami alumnus, former men's basketball coach and associate athletic director emeritus Darrell Hedric) are presented to a female and male student-athlete who exemplify outstanding qualities of leadership, scholarship, community service, sportsmanship, and athletic achievement.
The Dr. David G. Shrider and Darcy Shriver Academic Impact Awards (honoring influential administrators, instructors, faculty or staff members who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the student-athlete experience in pursuit of Graduating Champions) were given to Dr. Adam Beissel and Emily Bruns, respectively. Beissel is an Associate Professor of Sport Leadership and Management at Miami University, while Bruns serves as Miami Athletics' Sr. Individualized Learning Specialist/Academic Coordinator.
Spaid led the nation in home runs with 36 this year, becoming just the second player in Division I softball history to hit 100 career homers. She was a top-10 finalist for USA Softball's National Player of the Year, won MAC Player of the Year and was named a First-Team All-American by Softball America and D1Softball. Spaid produced a .407 batting average and led the nation with a 1.102 slugging percentage this season, driving in 78 runs. She was named an Academic All-American and was selected seventh overall in the Athletes Unlimited Draft. Spaid helped the RedHawks claim MAC regular-season and tournament titles, advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth year in a row and earn the first national Top-25 ranking in program history.
Salopek collected the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and MAC Championship Defensive Player of the Game awards as he led Miami Football to the 2023 conference championship. The First-Team All-MAC selection finished the year with 143 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception. He started all 14 games and recorded double-digit tackles in half of them, including a career-high 18 stops in an overtime win at Cincinnati. Salopek had nine tackles and a tackle for loss as Miami took down No. 23 Toledo in the conference title game last December for the Red and White's first win over an AP-ranked team since 2012.
Maier was named an Honorable Mention All-American for the second consecutive year, taking 11th in the 400 IM at the NCAA Women's Championships. The CSCAA Second-Team All-American also competed at the national meet in the 500 freestyle prelims and the 100 freestyle. Maier was recognized as MAC Outstanding Senior of the Year and received First-Team All-MAC honors, winning individual titles at the MAC Championships in the 500 freestyle, 400 IM and 100 freestyle. She was also part of the RedHawks' first-place 800 freestyle relay finish at the MAC meet and helped the Miami women to their first team runner-up finish in a decade. Maier was recognized as a CSCSAA Scholar All-American, Academic All-District and Academic All-MAC, and was named to the German Olympic team this summer. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing, producing a GPA of 3.63.
Duvenhage also earned MAC Outstanding Senior of the Year, winning the 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly and 200 IM titles at the MAC Championships. He produced NCAA B cut times in all three events at the MAC meet, including setting a pair of pool records. Duvenhage was recognized as First-Team All-MAC and Academic All-MAC and helped lead the RedHawk men to a fourth consecutive MAC championship. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a cumulative GPA of 3.42.
Perese started all 23 games at goalkeeper as Miami Field Hockey won the MAC regular-season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh year in a row. Perese was named to the West All-Region Second Team and the MAC All-Tournament Team, while also earning Second-Team All-MAC and Academic All-MAC recognition. She finished her five-year career as the RedHawks' all-time leader in career shutouts (25) and minutes played (6,200:29) while ranking third in goals-against average (1.29) and sixth in save percentage (.752). The four-time National Academic Honor Roll honoree graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Inclusive Special Education, while also making time to tutor a number of local elementary and middle school students and help coach the next generation of field hockey goalkeepers.
Blazer served as team captain each of the past two seasons as the RedHawks continued their run of MAC championships in the pool. Blazer helped Miami's 200 medley relay to a program record and first-place finish at the MAC Championships in March. He also posted runner-up finishes in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke, including an NCAA B cut time in the 100 back. Blazer was named First-Team All-MAC for the fourth consecutive season. A vocal leader on the squad, he could often be found volunteering alongside his teammates to help the community. Blazer earned a Bachelor's degree in Finance from Miami this year.
Mispagel helped the Miami collegiate synchronized skating team to its third consecutive national championship in February, including a record-breaking score of 117.04. Her RedHawk team finished the season undefeated, earning triple-figure scores and first-place finishes at each event on the schedule. Mispagel, a two-time team captain, was recognized with the program's Karin Sherr Trophy this spring. She earned her undergraduate degree in Finance and Accounting from Miami before completing her Master's in Accounting this past May, and spent part of last summer interning with KPMG, a Big Four accounting firm. Mispagel volunteered with organizations such as ByKids4Kids and Meals on Wheels during her time as a RedHawk, in addition to coaching through Learn to Skate and the Miami Skating Academy synchro teams.
Ertl bookended his RedHawk career with MAC championships in the 2019 and 2023 season, making a total of 121 tackles in 56 games played for the Red and White. His leadership on and off the field was on full display in the Red and White's MAC title game victory over Toledo at Ford Field last December, as Ertl tied an NCAA single-game record by blocking two field goals in a 23-14 win. He became the first player in the country since 2017 to block multiple kicks in a game and helped Miami secure its league-leading 17th MAC championship. Ertl, a multi-year Academic All-MAC honoree, graduated from Miami with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and a Master's in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Technology.
Players Mentioned
Back/Fly/Sprint Free
/ Swimming and Diving
Fly/Back/IM
/ Swimming and Diving
Defensive Line
/ Football
Collegiate Team
/ Synchronized Skating
Goalkeeper
/ Field Hockey
Linebacker
/ Football
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