Coker College Holds Athletic Awards Ceremony

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Coker College junior James Sweeney was named the C.G. Timberlake Athlete of the Year award to highlight the 2012 Athletic Awards Ceremony held Wednesday night in the Watson Theater. Fernando Bedoya and Kelley Godbout took home the Male and Female Freshmen of the Year honors, respectively.

Sweeney is a junior mathematics major from Huntingtown, Md., who excelled on and off the field this season as the Cobras’ goalie. Sporting a 4.0 GPA, Sweeney started all 21 games, allowing just 13 goals while posting 58 saves. Sweeney led Coker to an 18-3 record and a berth to its first-ever NCAA Division II regional tournament. The team reached as high as No. 5 nationally and finished at No. 18. Sweeney posted a .61 goals-against average that included 10 shutouts and a .817 save percentage.

Sweeney was named to the Capital One Academic All-American First Team as well as the Capital One Academic All-District Team. He was also the Conference Carolinas Scholar-Athlete of the Year, first team all-conference and a Daktronics All-Southeast region selection.

Bedoya, a freshman from Miami, Fla., started all 21 games for the Cobras. He tallied four assists and one goal on the season. Bedoya was named NSCAA Third Team All-American, an NSCAA First Team All-Southeast Region player, a Daktronics First Team All-Southeast Region player and a first team all-conference selection. He is a physical education major with a sport management concentration.

Godbout is a freshman from Mathews, N.C. She played in all 27 games, starting 18 of them, and averaged 10.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Godbout is a biology major with a pre-medical concentration.

In addition to the athlete of the year and freshmen of the year, Coker handed out awards for team MVP and coaches’ pick. They are as follows: Men’s soccer: Carlos Recinos, MVP; Atticus Lum, coaches’ pick. Women’s soccer: Sarah Rountree, MVP; Millie Rogers, coaches’ pick. Men’s cross country: Brandon Cain, MVP; Dylan Bates, coaches’ pick. Women’s cross country: Stephanie Shaw, MVP; Angela Williams, coaches’ pick. Women’s volleyball: Samantha Celek, MVP; Brittany Bass, coaches’ pick. Men’s basketball: Julian Nelson, MVP; Brenden Marcell, coaches’ pick. Women’s basketball: Amber Lau, MVP; Jasmine Alston, coaches’ pick. Men’s golf: Jake Murphy, MVP; Josh Clay, coaches’ pick. Women’s golf: Sara Allen, MVP; Mallory Thompkins, coaches’ pick. Softball: Stacy Burr, MVP; Jaclin Poole, coaches’ pick. Baseball: Dan Meyer, MVP; Kyle Gallman, coaches’ pick. Men’s tennis: Manel Estruga, MVP; Jeremy Curtis, coaches’ pick. Women’s tennis: Alyssa Blanchard, MVP; Cora Berna, coaches’ pick. Men’s lacrosse: Keith LaClair, MVP; Christian Stevens, coaches’ pick.

2012 Athletic Awards Ceremony Photo Gallery

For more information, contact Chris Dougherty, manager of athletics media relations, at 843-383-8018 or cdougherty@coker.edu.

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Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the “Best Colleges” in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.