Iowa Wesleyan hosts first annual “Wesleys”

The Iowa Wesleyan athletic department celebrated the achievements of its student-athletes with the inaugural The Wesleys award ceremony last week.

Members of Tiger Nation gathered in University Chapel for the event. The following awards were announced during the ceremony: Female and Male Honor Athlete of the Year, Female and Male Athlete of the Year, Female and Male Newcomer of the Year, and the Tiger Service Award. Also among the awards announced were the Lori Williams Wright Award and Female and Male Academic Team of the Year and Female and Male Team of the Year.

'This event allowed us to put the focus on our student-athletes and provide them with a night to celebrate the accomplishments of their peers. We have talented student-athletes and we wanted to lift them up and give them a unique experience,” said Derek Zander, Director of Athletics at Iowa Wesleyan University.

Female Honor Athlete of the Year - Darby Massner (SR/Mediapolis, IA)

Massner not only excelled on the court this year, but in the classroom as well. Her dedication to academics led to First Team Google Cloud Academic All-American honors for the second year in a row, a feat accomplished just one other NCAA Division III woman. She carried over a 4.0 from undergrad to her graduate studies while participating as a dual sport athlete, a graduate assistant, and a job with the USDA.

Male Honor Athlete of the Year - Jake O'Farrell (SR/Bonnet Bay, NSW, Australia)

O'Farrell was a team captain on the men's soccer team and earned St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic honors this fall. He served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and provided insight to The Wesleys planning committee. O'Farrell was also active in aiding in community events throughout the year.

Female Athlete of the Year - Morgan Christner (JR/New London, IA) and Darby Massner

Christner helped the Tiger softball team to their best start since 2006 and has a SLIAC Pitcher of the Week to her name after an impressive stretch on spring break. She has a league leading 14 wins to her name, as well as leading the conference in strikeouts and sitting in the top five in two other categories.

Massner's last season with the women's basketball team was arguably her best. She picked up First Team All-Conference honors after averaging 17.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. On the year, she recorded 399 points and 250 rebounds, which moved her to seventh on the all-time scoring list and 11th on the all-time rebounding list. Her points and rebounding average was third best in the SLIAC this season.

Male Athlete of the Year - Jaime Suarez (FR/Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain)

Suarez had an impressive year for the men's golf team team. He helped the Tigers to two first place finishes as a team and earned two St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Golfer of the Week honors. Suarez was the medalist at four different events over the course of the year and finished in the top five in two others.

Female Newcomer of the Year - Sierra Howardson (FR/Danville, IA)

Howardson had a stellar debut season for the cross country team. She broke onto the scene as the top collegiate runner in her first race of the year. The SLIAC named her Runner of the Week on two occasions and named her to the First Team All-Conference. Howardson also etched her name in the IW record books by breaking the 4000 and 6000 meter records as a freshman.

Male Newcomer of the Year - Hugo Bonilla (FR/Guayaquil, Ecuador)

Bonilla was a staple for the men's soccer team. In his first year, he played in 20 games and started 17. He recorded three points with one goal and one assist. Bonilla helped the Tigers clinch a SLIAC tournament berth with a goal in the team's win over MacMurray College.

Tiger Service Award - Allegra Collette (SR/Thornton, CO)

Collette became a repeat winner of the Tiger Service Award by always being willing to serve when opportunities arose. She is a Resident Adviser, President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and a member of The Wesleys Planning Committee. As a member of the SAAC, she volunteered at the Hope Lodge in St. Louis, Missouri with the SLIAC SAAC group. She was also an integral part of hosting the Southeast Iowa Special Olympic Spring Games.

Academic Teams of the Year - Men's Cross Country and Volleyball

These teams had the highest average grade point average among the male and female teams on campus.

Female Team of the Year- Softball

The Tiger Softball team had quite the turn around from a year ago. They matched and passed their win total from last year while on spring break to start the season and had their best start since 2006. The Tigers nearly tripled last years wins with an overall record of 23-8 on the year thus far. They were the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, finishing in fourth place.

Male Team of the Year - Men's Soccer

The men's soccer team had an impressive year on the pitch. They became the first team to compete in NCAA postseason competition with an improbable run in the SLIAC conference tournament. After earning the four seed with a fourth place finish in the standings, the Tigers knocked off the #1 Gold Eagles of Spalding and nearly completed the Cinderella story. They took the #2 Panthers of Greenville into the final minute before falling on a penalty kick with less than a minute to play. They had three players receive All-Conference Honors.

Lori WIlliams Wright Award - Darby Massner

Darby Massner earned the award after a fantastic year for the Tigers. As mentioned earlier, she excelled both in the classroom and on the court. She also demonstrated strong leadership skills as a team captain and truly leading by example. She is the epitome of a Division III student athlete, showing you can be both an exceptional student and athlete.