FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood athletics handed out some hardware on Thursday night at its annual Student-Athlete Awards Banquet.
 
The event focused on the achievements of Longwood's student-athletes, both on the playing surface and in the classroom. It featured highlights from the past year and awards handed out by the athletics staff and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
 
Jesper Granlund (men's basketball) and Lauren Fox (softball) received the prestigious Henry I. Willett Scholar-Athlete for their work both in the classroom and on the field.
 
Granlund, a Big South All-Academic selection and an Academic All-District honoree by the College Sports Communicators, has been on the Dean's List or President's List in every semester at Longwood. He also helped the Lancer men's basketball team win the Big South Championship for the second time in three years.
 
Fox, meanwhile, has been on the Dean's List four times and the President's List twice. She also is second in the Big South in hits, and she leads the Lancers in batting average. She has helped the Lancers win back-to-back shares of the regular season conference title in each of the last two years, and the Lancers are poised for another run in the Big South tournament in the coming weeks.
 
Walyn Napper (men's basketball) and Riley McDonald (women's lacrosse) took home Longwood Athlete of the Year honors.
 
McDonald is 30^th in the nation in goals and leads Longwood women's lacrosse in both goals and points. She has scored at least four goals in a game eight times this season, and she is on pace to finish in the top five in goals in a single season in program history. She has led Longwood to a spot in the Big South tournament for the first time since 2019, and she guided the team to its best start in Big South play in a decade.
 
Napper was the Big South Tournament MVP and an All-Big South selection. The senior point guard powered Longwood to the Big South Championship, the program's second in three years. In the process, Napper set the Big South Championship game record with 11 assists, and he was the leading scorer on the season for the Lancer men. He surpassed 1,000 career points in his final regular season home game as well.
 
Kevin Fillman (men's golf) was named the SAAC Coach of the Year after leading Longwood to the 2023 Big South Championship for the first time in team history. This season, he again guided the Lancers to their lowest team average score in program history, and the team's top golfer, Justin LaRue, finished in the top seven of every regular season tournament.
 
The Jimmy M. Yarbrough Award, which is presented to the student-athlete who embodies the enthusiasm and leadership of the late Longwood basketball great and exhibits exemplary performance academically, in intercollegiate competition and in service to the community, went to women's lacrosse player Lauren Cerretani.
 
Blagen Pado (baseball) and Peyton Curney (women's soccer) were each named Longwood Freshman of the Year.
 
Pado is hitting .286 for the Lancer baseball team, and he is tied for second on the team with 30 runs scored. He patrols centerfield, and he has five doubles, two triples and two home runs in his debut season in Farmville.
 
Curney was an All-Big South First Team selection who set the conference record by being named the Big South Freshman of the Week five times. She led Longwood in goals and tied for fourth in the Big South in points with 13. In addition, she delivered in big stages, as three of her five goals were game winners.
 
Brooke Bonner (women's soccer) and Alec Daniel (men's cross country and outdoor track) were named the Academic PRIDE Award recipients, which is handed to the student-athletes who demonstrate tremendous work ethic toward their academic pursuits. The award does not take into account grade point average or any other numerical measure of success, but rather the student-athlete's effort, attitude and perseverance.
 
Daniel helped the Lancer men's cross country team garner its best finish at the Big South Championship in team history, and he has helped build a strong debut season on the track this spring.
 
Bonner was an integral part of the Longwood women's soccer defense, helping the Lancers finish third in the Big South in goals against average. She was a First Team All-Big South selection that helped Longwood post five shutouts this year.
 
The softball and men's tennis teams boasted the highest team GPAs for the spring of 2023 to earn the Cormier Award for Team Academic Excellence. The men's soccer and women's soccer teams won the award for the fall of 2023.
 
Receiving the Roy Nunnally Special Recognition Award from the Longwood athletics staff was Dr. Chris Kukk, a professor at Longwood.
 
Longwood also recognized its All-Academic Team selections from each of its varsity programs, as well as cheerleading. Individuals were selected for their high grade point average from their respective programs during the spring and fall semesters of 2023.
 
#GoWood #HorsePower