WEBSTER GROVES – For the past five days, Webster Athletics has been unveiling the winners of its third-annual Gorlok Awards for the 2020-21 school year and today we will close things out on the 2020-21 school year by announcing the winners of Webster's annual department awards.
 
The five department awards are – Chancellor's Award, Inspiration Award, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year.
 
All of the nominees for the department awards were nominated by their head coach and voted on by all of Webster's head coaches and staff members, but the head coaches couldn't vote for their own athletes.
 
Our first award is the Chancellor's Award. The Chancellor's Award is presented to a Webster student-athlete that is an excellent person, student and athlete. The winner must set an example of leadership, dedication, values and a concern for others.
 
"The recipients of the award is the perfect example of the type of student-athletes who make us proud at Webster. I am happy to congratulate and celebrate all of the Webster Gorloks for their excellence in academics and athletics during the 2020-21 academic year," Webster University Chancellor Dr. Beth Stroble said. "The recipients of the Chancellor's Award for this year embody the qualities we value as a university community and merits this recognition."

This year's recipients of the Chancellor's Award are juniors Hannah Cottrell (Steelville, Mo./Steelville), who is a member of the Webster women's basketball team and Justin Kohler (Waterloo, Ill./Waterloo), who is a member of both Webster's men's soccer and tennis teams. It marks the first time since 2016 that Webster Athletics has had two winners of the Chancellor's Award as in 2016, women's tennis player Kaylen Kress and women's cross country runner Valerie Martin were honored.

Cottrell, who is a three-year letterwinner for the women's basketball team, carries a 3.88 cumulative grade point average as a Pre-Med/Biology major at Webster. In her time at Webster, Cottrell has kept a busy schedule as along with playing basketball, she has also been able to balance her school work, serving a mentor to her teammates and also working at a hospital year round.

As a basketball player, Cottrell has been a two-time member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Women's Basketball All-Sportsmanship Team and a two-time member of the SLIAC All-Academic Team and earned Third-Team All-SLIAC selection and was named to the SLIAC All-Defensive Team during the 2020-21 season. In 2020-21, Cottrell averaged 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and a team-best 5.1 assists per game and led the team in steals with 39 and shot 44 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line and 75 percent from the free throw line. She led the SLIAC in assist/turnover ratio at 2.2 and scored in double figures in nine games and had five or more assists in seven games, including a career-high nine assists at Blackburn College and had five or more rebounds in a game three times. In SLIAC play, Cottrell averaged 10.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 3.2 steals per game and shot 47 percent from the field, 40 percent from the 3-point line and 71 percent from the free throw line.

"Hannah is the true example of a student-athlete. We call her Dr. Hannah as we refer to her as the smartest kid on campus," Webster head women's basketball coach Jordan Olufson said in his nomination for Cottrell. "She always takes time out of her busy schedule to help her teammates out in their classes. She is a member of our leadership council, leads by example and is there for her teammates whenever and whatever they need. She is built on her family, ethics and values and lives them each day."
 
Kohler, who is a two-sport athlete with the Gorloks as he has lettered the past three years in both men's soccer and men's tennis, carries a 3.80 cumulative grade point average in Business Management with an emphasis in Sports and Entertainment at Webster.

On the soccer field, Kohler is a two-time All-SLIAC selection as he earned Second-Team All-SLIAC honors in 2019 and was named a First-Team All-SLIAC selection and the SLIAC Defensive Player of the Year during the 2020-21 spring season. Kohler, who was recently named a CoSIDA Division III Academic All-District 5 selection in soccer, was a key cog in Webster's defensive unit that allowed just five goals in 14 matches during the most recently completed season and also recorded a SLIAC-leading nine shutouts. He was third in minutes played with 1,135 and played in and started all 14 matches on the year. Along with his defensive prowess, Kohler was tied for third in goals scored with five and tallied 10 points, which were fifth-most on the team and took 19 shots. In addition, he was 2-for-2 on penalty kicks and put nine of his 19 shots on goal.

Meanwhile, on the tennis court, Kohler recorded a 4-8 overall record in singles as he played 10 of his 12 matches at both No. 5 and No. 6 singles as he was 2-3 at both spots in the line-up and was 0-2 at No. 4 singles. In doubles, he posted a 2-6 record as he was 2-4 at the No. 3 spot and 0-2 at the No. 2 spot. Through his first three years in tennis, Kohler has posted a 9-11 record in singles and is 3-10 in doubles.

"Justin really stepped up this season and became one of our captains and is one of the hardest working and most vocal players on our team. I can't say enough about his overall work ethic and leadership helped our team get over the hump and win both the regular season and conference tournament title in the same year," Webster head men's soccer coach Mike Siener said in his nomination for Kohler. "Justin's leadership and dedication sets apart from all his teammates and student-athletes here at Webster."

The other finalist for the 2020-21 Chancellor's Award was senior men's track and field athlete Joe Souvannarath (Imperial, Mo./St. John's Vianney).

Our next award is the Scholar-Athlete Award. The Scholar-Athlete is presented to a student-athlete who excels both in and out of the classroom. The recipient must have a high grade point average (3.5 or above) and possesses outstanding athletic ability.
 
This year's recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award is junior Kylie Burke (Belleville, Ill./Belleville East), who is a middle hitter on Webster's volleyball team.
 
Burke, who graduated in May and will not return for her senior year in 2021, earns this year's Scholar-Athlete Award after graduating with Summa Cum Laude honors as carrying a 4.00 cumulative grade point average in Biology in three years. She was a three-year letterwinner in volleyball and earned Second-Team All-SLIAC honors during the 2020-21 spring volleyball season and was also recently named a CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 selection in volleyball.
 
"Kylie is an impressive young woman. She completed her Bachelors of Biological Sciences degree in three years while competing as a starter on the volleyball team, was a SAAC representative all three years and an officer for two of those," Webster head volleyball coach and assistant athletic director Merry Graf said. "She was involved in numerous organizations on campus and volunteered in several community service activities during this time. Her many contributions will leave a lasting mark on the volleyball program, the athletic department and campus wide."
 
During the 2020-21 season, Burke led the Gorloks in blocks with 47 and also recorded 68 kills, 17 aces, 48 digs and hit .241. On the year, she had five matches with five or more blocks, including a career high eight blocks in Webster's three-set home sweep over then 10th-ranked Westminster on April 7. In her career, she is 13th on the school's all-time block assist chart (148) and has had 167 career blocks to go along with her 243 career kills, 26 career access and 113 career digs Along with earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, she was also named to the SLIAC All-Academic Team for the second time in her three seasons as a Gorlok.
 
Burke was a two-time SLIAC Defensive Player of the Week during the 2020-21 season and was also a co-captain for the Gorlok and served as the President of Webster's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) during the 2020-21 school year and was a Presidential Scholarship Award winner.
 
Our next award is the Inspiration Award. The Inspiration Award is presented to the individual or individuals who display a positive attitude, high personal motivation, will and drive, which impacts the Webster University Athletics Department.
 
This year's winner of the Inspiration Award is fourth-year junior All-American baseball third baseman Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport). Swords earns this year's Inspiration Award after having to endure his fair share of adversity during his five years as a Gorlok baseball player.
 
During his sophomore year in 2019, Swords was diagnosed with a tumor that was discovered to be cancerous and following that diagnosis, he underwent treatment for six weeks and was diagnosed cancer free on his first checkup upon completing the treatment. Following the completion of his cancer treatments, Swords would attend follow-up appointments every three months and while that was going on, he elevated himself into one of the nation's top third baseman as he was named a Third-Team ABCA/Rawlings All-American in 2019.
 
As a baseball player, Swords has become on the top offensive players in the history of Webster baseball as he led the Gorloks in hits (56), doubles (15), triples (3) and RBI (35) and was second in runs scored (42) and was tied for fourth in walks with 18 during the 2021 season. In addition, he hit .346 with a .512 slugging percentage and a .426 on-base percentage and was 8-for-9 on stolen bases this past season. He is one of just five players in school history to record 200 career hits as he has rapped out 203 career hits, which is fourth-most in school history and he is second in school history in both doubles (56) and RBI (141) and is fourth in career runs scored with 145.
 
In his time at Webster, Swords has been three-time All-SLIAC selection, including earning first team honors in both 2019 and 2021. Along with being a three-time All-SLIAC selection, Swords has been a two-time All-Central Region selection by both D3Baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings and was a Third-Team ABCA/Rawlings Division III All-American in 2019. He is also a two-time member of the SLIAC Baseball All-Tournament Team, was named to the NCAA Whitewater Regional All-Tournament Team in 2019 and was also a member of the Webster Athletics 2010's All-Decade Baseball Team.
 
"Ben continues to be a prolific player on the baseball team as a team captain, middle of the order bat, and a solid defensive player," Webster head baseball coach Bill Kurich said in his nomination for Swords. "He motivates his teammates to continue to fight and persevere through the toughest of situations and maintains a positive attitude despite the troubling circumstances that may surround him. He has been an inspiration to his teammates, coaches and friends."
 
The other finalists for the Inspiration Award were senior women's track and field athlete Vanessa Jones (Orlando, Fla./Lake Minneola) and senior women's basketball forward Darieana Hunter (Norman, Okla./Norman).
 
Our final departmental award is the Female and Male Student-Athletes of the Year. The Student-Athlete of the Year is presented to both a male and female student-athlete or student-athletes who displays excellence in one or more sports, is in good academic standing, and has an attitude and character that represents the ideals of Webster's intercollegiate athletics program.
 
This year's Female Student-Athlete is fifth-year senior softball center fielder Abby Burroughs (Edwardsville, Ill./Triad), while the Male Student-Athlete of the Year honor is shared by senior All-American men's golfer Will Hocker (Grapevine, Texas/University of Oklahoma) and fifth-year senior and two-time All-American baseball pitcher Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic). Hocker is a repeat winner of the award as he shared the 2019-20 Male Student-Athlete of the Year honor with former men's basketball player Josh Johnson.
 
Burroughs earns the Female Student-Athlete of the Year after being named the SLIAC Softball Player of the Year and a First-Team NFCA Division III All-Midwest Region selection in her fifth and final season as a Gorlok. Along with being the SLIAC Player of the Year and a First-Team All-Region selection, she was also a four-time All-SLIAC selection, including earning first team honors this season and was also a two-time SLIAC Softball Hitter of the Week, including earning the honor once this past season and was a two-time selection to the SLIAC All-Tournament Team.
 
With her four All-SLIAC selections, she becomes just the sixth Gorlok softball player in school history to earn All-SLIAC honors four times and is also the seventh Gorlok in the program's history to earn SLIAC Softball Player of the Year. Along with her honors on the field, Burroughs was also a four-time member of the SLIAC All-Academic Team, a 3-time NFCA/Easton All-America Scholar Athlete and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 selection in softball in 2020 and has been nominated for that honor again this season.

During the 2021 season, Burroughs hit .423 in 33 games and in those 33 games, she led the Gorloks in hits (44), runs scored (25), at-bats (104), doubles (9), triples (2), home runs (6), RBI (33), slugging percentage (.721) and is second in stolen bases with four as she was 4-for-4 on steals. In addition, she struck out just 12 times in 104 at-bats. On the year, Burroughs recorded a team-best 14 multi-hit games and 10 multiple RBI games, including one of the team's 4 RBI games on the year.
 
In her five seasons as a Gorlok, Burroughs, who earned both her bachelor's degree and master's degree at Webster, closed her career ranked second in school history in career RBI (122), career walks (61), fourth in career games played (159), career starts (158), career at-bats (481), career home runs (23), career total bases (283) and career doubles (35) and is fifth in career runs scored (122) and career hits (169) and ninth in career slugging percentage (.588). In addition, she struck out just 58 times in 481 career at-bats or just 12.1 percent of the time.
 
Burroughs earned her bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences and her master's degree in Biomedical Studies from Webster and carried a 3.71 cumulative GPA as an undergraduate and 3.79 cumulative GPA as a graduate student.
 
"Abby has been a leader of this team since she arrived on campus, playing positions from catcher to shortstop to outfield," Webster head softball coach Katie Griffith said in her nomination for Burroughs. "She had a tremendous career as a Gorlok and will go down as one of the top softball players in the school history and her presence both on and off the field will be missed moving forward."
 
The other finalists for the Female Student-Athlete of the Year were junior women's basketball forward Addison Beussink (Jackson, Mo./Saxony Lutheran), sophomore women's cross country and track runner Danielle Schultz (Swansea, Ill./Belleville East) and sophomore volleyball outside hitter Lauren Borik (Belleville, Ill./Althoff).
 
Hocker earns a share of the Male Student-Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season after making history in becoming the first Gorlok student-athlete to win an individual NCAA Division III National Championship after he took home individual medalist honors at this year's NCAA Division III Men's Golf National Championships at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, W.Va., on May 14.
 
With his national championship, Hocker is just the third student-athlete in the history of the SLIAC to win an individual national title as he joins Principia's Corey Carter, who won the 200-meter dash in outdoor track in 2019 and Greenville's Andrew Sharp, who won the 800-meter dash in outdoor track in 2018.
 
At the NCAA Division III National Championships, Hocker, who named a finalist for the Division III Jack Nicklaus Award, shot a 2-over par 285 for 72 holes to win the national title by two shots over Christopher Newport's Robb Kinder and Methodist's Cooper Hrabak, who each shot 4-over par scores of 287 for 72 holes. Along with shooting an even-par 71 in the final round, Hocker carded rounds of 1-under 69 in the first round, a 1-over 72 in the second round and a 2-over 73 in the third round.
 
Through the first 10 holes in the final round, Hocker, who began the final round on the 10th hole of the Spiedel Jones course, was sitting in sixth place on the leaderboard after scoring a bogey on the No. 4 hole. That bogey, though, seemed to ignite Hocker as he carded an eagle on the par-5 No. 5 hole to push his score to 4-over and put him in a tie for fourth place. He would record back-to-back birdies on the sixth and seventh holes to push him back into first place. The senior would then conclude the round by scoring pars on the eighth and ninth holes to cap his championship win and secure his third win of the 2021 season.
 
During the 2021 spring season, Hocker won three tournaments and recorded a scoring average of 72.11 in 19 rounds and that average was ranked third in Division III on the season and also third-best in single season in school history. He finished outside the Top 3 in two times in seven events and was the top finisher for the Gorloks in six of their seven events on the season. On the year, he was a five-time SLIAC Men's Golfer of the Week and tallied 12 rounds of par or better golf and recorded five Top 5 finishes. In addition, he closed out the 2020-21 campaign with a 611-24 record and shot a team season low round of 68 (4-under par) in the third round of the Rhodes College Spring Classic.
 
Along with winning medalist honors at the NCAA D-III National Championships, Hocker, who is a three-time First-Team All-SLIAC selection and was named a PING Division III All-American in 2020, also won medalist honors this season at the Big Blue Spring Opener hosted by Millikin University and the Rhodes College Spring Classic. He has now won seven events in his four years as a Gorlok and has had 14 career Top 5 finishes and owns the school's career scoring average mark of 72.69.
 
"I am just so happy for Will. He's been rock solid all season and has put in so much work to finish the way he did. This is something that he will remember and cherish forever," Webster interim head coach Matt Gordon after Hocker's national championship win. "He has cemented his place as the best golfer in the history of the Webster University men's golf program."
 
Mulhearn earns a share of the Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award after his record setting fifth season with the Gorloks baseball program. On the year, Mulhearn was named the D3Baseball.com National Pitcher of the Year, the ABCA/Rawlings and D3Baseball.com Central Region Pitcher of the Year, a unanimous First-Team All-American and the SLIAC Pitcher of the Year and a repeat First-Team All-SLIAC selection. In addition, he also has a chance to be named the Division III Pitcher of the Year by the ABCA when that organization hands out their National Player of the Year honors on June 30 during the NCAA Division I College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb. The last Webster pitcher to earn the D3Baseball.com Pitcher of the Year honor is current Tampa Bay Ray pitcher Josh Fleming, who won the honor in 2017.
 
During the 2021 season, Mulhearn, who was a three-time All-SLIAC selection, including earning first team honors in both 2019 and 2021 and a two-time All-American, posted a 12-1 record and an 0.90 ERA in 13 starts. He tossed six complete games, threw two shutouts and in 100 innings of work, allowed 62 hits, 14 runs, 10 earned runs, stuck out a school and SLIAC single-season record 137 and walked just 10. The 137 strikeouts and 12 wins were tops in Division III baseball, while his 0.72 WHIP was fifth-best in Division III and his 0.90 ERA is sixth-best in Division III.
 
On the year, Mulhearn recorded double-digit strikeouts in eight of his 13 starts, including a school record 17 strikeouts in his first and only career no-hitter at Eureka on April 2 and ended the season winning six consecutive starts and pitched at least eight innings in nine of his 13 starts. In his final start of the season against Transylvania in the first round of the NCAA Decatur, Illinois Regional on May 27, Mulhearn tossed a complete game as he allowed four hits and one unearned run, while striking out 11 and walking one in his 129 pitch effort.
 
In his five year career as a Gorlok, Mulhearn holds school career marks for innings pitched (346), wins (34), appearances (67), strikeouts (364) and holds school single season records for innings pitched (105.2 in 2019), strikeouts (137 in 2021), wins (12 in both 2019 and 2021), while his 0.90 ERA this season in second on the school's single season chart. His 34 career wins are not only a school record, but also a SLIAC record, while his 364 career strikeouts are second most in SLIAC history, second most among active Division III pitchers and 10th all-time in Division III baseball history.
 
Along with being a standout on the diamond, Mulhearn was also a strong student in the classroom as he earned his bachelor's degree in Finance from Webster in three years and picked up his MBA from Webster this past May as he carried a 3.83 cumulative grade point average. In addition, Mulhearn was a CoSIDA NCAA Division III Baseball Academic All-American last year, along with being a CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 selection in both 2019 and 2020 and is expected to earn that honor again this season in late June. He was also a four-time member of the SLIAC All-Academic Team and served as President of Webster's SAAC and was also President of the SLIAC SAAC during the 2018-19 school year.
 
"Matt put together one of the most impressive years by a starting pitcher, not only in the history of Webster's program, but on a national stage this year," Kurich said in his nomination for Mulhearn. "He exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete day in and day out and is more than deserving of winning the Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award."
 
The other finalists for the Male Student-Athlete of the Year was junior men's soccer midfielder/forward Aamahn Murvin (Sahuarita, Ariz./Walden Grove) and senior men's basketball forward Rodson Etienne (West Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach).
 
Here are the winners from the 2020-21 Second Annual Gorlok Awards that were released throughout this week.
 
Best Action Shot – Winner: Lexi Young and Raven Ritrovato (Competitive Cheerleading)
Other finalists: Aamahn Murvin (Men's Soccer) and Landon Vahle (Baseball)
Funniest Action Shot – Winner: Ben Aziz (Men's Soccer)
Other finalists: Alyssa McWilliams (Softball) and Kiara Rhines (Women's Basketball)
Record Setting Performance – Winner: Will Hocker and Men's Golf Team
Other finalists: Matt Mulhearn (Baseball) and Addison Beussink (Women's Basketball)
Sixth Man – Winner: Mark Moore (Men's Soccer)
Other finalists: Kiara Rhines (Women's Basketball), Micah Barnes (Women's Track & Field) and Cody Surma (Men's Golf)
Breakthrough Athlete – Winner: Jordan Smevoll (Baseball)
Other finalists: Reese Waggoner (Softball), Hannah Cottrell (Women's Basketball) and Aamahn Murvin (Men's Soccer)
Best Teammate – Winner: Darieana Hunter (Women's Basketball)
Other finalists: Rodson Etienne (Men's Basketball) and Chloe Johnson (Softball)
Best Play – Winner: Jacob Ridenhour's school record 60-meter dash time at the 2021 SLIAC Indoor Track Championships
Other finalists: Mark Moore (Men's Soccer), Matt Staker (Baseball) and Rodson Etienne (Men's Basketball)
Best Win – Winner: Women's Tennis comeback win over Greenville in the SLIAC Tournament championship match
Other finalists: Softball team's win over WashU and the men's soccer team's 2-1 win over Westminster in the finals of the 2020-21 SLIAC Tournament
Golden Gorlok – Winner: Breelyn Craig (Softball)
Other finalists: Justin Kohler (Men's Soccer) and Jacob Ridenhour (Men's Track & Field)
Most Well-Rounded Team – Winner: Softball
Other finalists: Baseball and Men's Soccer
 
In addition to naming the winners of the 2020-21 Webster Athletics Department Awards, Webster is also recognizing its 67 seniors. The seniors received a special graduation sash that shows they are student-athletes.
 
Listed below is a list of this year's 2020-21 Webster senior student-athletes (the ones that are listed in bold/italics are not expected to return in 2021-22).
 
Baseball (18) – Jake Anderson, Sean Beaver, Garrett Davis, Cooper Hake, Nick Heiden, Kellen Quigley, Kyler Kent, Jake Knoebel, Ben Kowalski, Adam Lovell, Joey Marko, Bryce Meyer, Matt Mulhearn, Andrew Padilla, A.J. Smith, Matt Staker, Bobby Strandt, Ben Swords
Competitive Cheerleading (3) – Cat Boren, Anna Powers and Raven Ritrovato
Men's Basketball (3) – Rodson Etienne, Lance Hatten and Ethan Hughes
Men's Cross Country (1) – Nathan Freyling
Men's Golf (6) – Zac Ciesla, Christian Deters, Mike Guthrie, Will Hocker, Cole Pickett and Mitchell Vetter
Men's Soccer (6) – Ben Aziz, Matt Amick, Matt Ceriotti, Dylan Jannin, Cameron Killian and Logan Takizawa
Men's Tennis (1) – Courtland Butler
Men's Track and Field (5) – Joey Elking, Carson Gross, Jacob Ridenhour, Joe Souvannarath and Corbin White
Softball (6) – Avery Boccella, Abby Burroughs, Breelyn Craig, Alyssa McWilliams, Anna Muecke and Morgan Parrish
Women's Basketball (3) – Darieana Hunter, Naomi Johnson and Kiara Rhines
Women's Cross Country (2) – Kalleigh Linthicum and Lindsay Poitras
Women's Soccer (3) – Kaleigh Finney, Lexey Grapentine and Payton Williams
Women's Tennis (3) – Maggie Federhofer, Liz Gerger and Alyssa Tourville
Women's Track and Field (4) – Elena Hutson, Vanessa Jones, Kalleigh Linthicum and Lindsay Poitras
Volleyball (3) – Kylie Burke, Emma Larson and Hayley Taylor