BALTIMORE, Md. – Morgan State University volleyball star Ivanti Bush and senior linebacker Darius Leak were recognized as the female and male student-athletes of the year at the 21st Annual Athletics Awards Banquet at The Calvin and Tina Tyler Ballroom on MSU's campus Wednesday night.
Bush made an immediate impact in just her first season with the Lady Bears. A native of Spokane, Wash., Bush became the fourth Lady Bear to garner MEAC Rookie of the Year honors. She was also named to the All-MEAC second team and the MEAC All-Tournament Team, after totaling 34 kills, 21 digs and 4 aces in three matches. Bush led the team in kills (43) and was third in aces (39) and digs (293), while helping the team to its fourth most wins with a 23-9 overall record, 9-1 MEAC. It was the program’s 10th 20-win season and the first since 2004. Bush collected 14 double-doubles, including a career-high 31 kills and 14 digs to help Morgan to its first win ever over rival UMBC. She notched a career-high 25 digs against St. Francis (Pa.) and was earned four MEAC Rookie of the Week and a MEAC Player of the Week selections .
Leak was simply the most consistent defensive weapon for the Bears football team. The Chesapeake, Virginia native was selected to the All-Conference First Team and completed his collegiate career at Morgan State as one of the school’s top linebackers. A heat-seeking missile, Leak finished ’06 as the MEAC’s leading tackler with 93 tackles (43 solo). Leak was selected to the Black College Sports Network (BASN's) 2006 Black College Preseason All-American Team and the CDS Division
I-AA Preseason All-American Team.
Head coach Donald Beasley earned the Coach of the Year honors. In just his second season at the helm, Beasley transformed the women’s basketball program from one that was traditionally finishing 10th and 11th in the conference, to a championship contender. Beasley garnered MEAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Lady Bears to a school record for wins, finishing 18-13 overall, fourth-place in the MEAC at 11-7 and the program’s third appearance in the MEAC title game, after being predicted to finish 10th in the league standings. They earned their first MEAC Tournament win in seven years after defeating Hampton in the first round, then ended a 14-game losing skid to two-time defending tournament champion Coppin in the semifinals, which also ended the Lady Eagles’ 49-game winning streak against MEAC opponents.
The team most valuable players and rookie awards were as follows:
SOFTBALL
TBA - MVP
TBA - Rookie
VOLLEYBALL
Ivanti Bush - MVP
Jeniqua Moran - Rookie
WOMEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Janice Smythe - MVP
Vivian McCollum - Rookie
WOMEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Brittany Robinson - MVP
Ashley Hines - Rookie
MEN’S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Herb Nichols / Tyron Benjamin - MVP
Reginald Carter – Rookie
MEN’S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Herbert Nicholls - MVP
Cashmere O’Neal - Rookie
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Ronald Timus - MVP
Reggie Holmes - Rookie
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Corin Adams - MVP
Corin Adams - Rookie
CHEERLEADING
Kolet Bailey - MVP
Danielle Baker - Rookie
BOWLING
Ashley Kilgore - MVP
Amanda Fogarty - Rookie
FOOTBALL
Chad Simpson – Offensive MVP
Darius Leak - Defensive MVP
Mario Melton – Rookie
Dakari Taylor-Watson – Special Teams
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Walaa Elsir - MVP
Imani Willis - Rookie
MEN’S TENNIS
Disa Mhembere - MVP
Maurico Ortiz - Rookie
WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Janet Chepkonga - MVP
Sekayi Khalid - Rookie
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Daneilio Absalom - MVP
Reginald Carter - Rookie
SPORTS INFORMATION INTERN OF THE YEAR
Anthony Hudgins II
STUDENT TRAINER OF THE YEAR
Aminat Ajbulu
STUDENT EQUIPMENT MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Simon Gelan
The major awards were as follows:
EDDIE P. HURT MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD – Darius Leak
EARL C. BANKS FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD – Ivanti Bush
COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD– Donald Beasley, Women’s Basketball
VARSITY M CLUB AWARD – Disa Mhembere, Men’s Tennis
ELIJAH ROWE AWARD – Ashley Preston, Volleyball
THERESA COLEMAN GIBSON AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE – Llesenia Santiago, Cheerleading
EFFIE T. PAYNE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Herbert Nicholls, Men’s Track & Field
EFFIE T. PAYNE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Whitney Johnson, Women’s Basketball
SPORTS INFORMATION UNSUNG HERO AWARD – William Carson
