DENVER – The Metropolitan State University of Denver athletics department recognized the best of the best of the past year on Tuesday night with its annual Rowdy Awards.
 
Among the awards were the department's athletes of the year. For the women, the award is shared by basketball player Jaelynn Smith and soccer player Reigna Banks. The men's athlete of the year is baseball player Matt Malkin.
 
Smith set multiple records during her senior season, including the marks for assists in a career, a single season and in a game. Banks was the RMAC's Co-Player of the Year. Malkin is Division II's leading home run hitter and is on pace to win the RMAC Triple Crown.
 
The MSU Denver Team of the Year, based on a combination of academics, athletics, community service and student-athlete support went to the volleyball program.
 
Other awards, which were based upon fan voting, included: best offensive play, baseball's Draven Adame (hit for the cycle with a school-record eight RBIs); best defensive play, Erica Torres, women's soccer (great save); best trick shot, women's soccer; newcomer of the year, softball player Rebecca Gonzales; and the Rowdy Award (dedicated to everything it means to represent the Roadrunners on and off the field of competition), Adame.
 
Meanwhile this past fall, MSU Denver had 73 student-athletes earn a 3.5 grade-point average, including 12 with a perfect 4.0. Each year, MSU Denver recognizes its top academic male and female in the junior and senior classes. They are seniors Jonalyn Wittwer (women's basketball, 3.90 GPA) and Darren Harder (men's track & field, 3.87), and juniors Jennifer Hankins (women's golf, 3.99) and Logan Soole (baseball, 3.93).
 
Teams recognized for the best fall GPAs were: women's basketball, 3.46; and men's tennis, 3.37.
 
Earlier this month, MSU Denver hosted the Student Involvement and Leadership Awards.  At that awards celebration, Roadrunners Athletics presented the CADRE Award to two student-athletes. The award is presented to a Roadrunner student-athlete who has embodied the core values of MSU Denver – Community, Access, Diversity, Respect, Entrepreneurship (CADRE) – over the past year. The values can be shown in any number of ways including community service, student engagement, and campus participation. This year's CADRE Award winners are Smith (women's basketball) and Adame (baseball).
 
Other awards included:
 
The Dr. Liz Friot Award – Every year, MSU Denver recognizes an outstanding faculty member who goes above and beyond to serve athletics on campus. This year's winner: Dr. Clay Daughtrey. 
 
The Arcese Award – In 1999, the athletic department established an award to annually recognize an MSU Denver staff member or administrator outstanding contributions to Roadrunners athletics. This year's winner kept the Regency Athletic Complex free of snow and playable for all rescheduled games: Matt Carlson.