Bear Shots
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Morgan State University women's basketball standout Brittany Dodson and senior placekicker Kemar Scarlett were recognized as the female and male student-athletes of the year at the 25th Annual Athletics Awards Banquet held at The Theatre of MSU Student Center on Tuesday night. Theresa Gibson, MSU's head cheerleading coach, was honored as the Coach of the Year.
Dodson concluded her career with her best overall season as a Lady Bear, while helping the team make school history…Helped to lead the Lady Bears to their first-ever postseason appearance on the Division I level, as Morgan State advanced to the First Round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) against the University of Virginia. She finished with a game-high 18 points against Virginia (3/17) and guided Morgan State to their second consecutive MEAC regular season runner-up finish and a No. 2 seed in the MEAC Tournament – the program's highest seed ever. Dodson earned All-MEAC second team honors and led Morgan State in scoring (327 points), free throws made (99), and finished second in steals (43) and assists and third in three-pointers made (26) and rebounds (120) all of which were season bests. She ranks eighth on the school charts in steals and led Morgan State in scoring in 11 games, including a career-high 26 points in a first round victory over George Washington (12/29) in the Miami Holiday Classic where she was also named to the Miami Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. Dodson will graduate this May in four years.
Kemar Scarlett was one of the most kickers in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Scarlett had a fantastic career and was recently featured in ESPN The Magazine's NFL Draft Edition. The Jamaican native was a two-time All-MEAC selection and was on the watch list for the Fred Mitchell Award that is provided to the nation's top collegiate place-kicker among more than 600 FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA football teams. He led the Bears and ranked 3rd in the MEAC in scoring (67 points) and ranked 2nd in the MEAC (3rd in the nation) by converting 18-of-24 field goals. He connected on field goals from 45 and 46 yards against Howard in the New York Urban League Football Classic at New Meadowlands Stadium (9/25) and was selected MEAC Special Teams Player of the Week. Scarlett booted in three field goals at North Dakota State (9/18) and was selected College Football Performance Award Honorable Mention Placekicker of the Week. He broke the school's single game record for the most FGs made in one game with 4 and holds the MEAC record by kicking a 55-yarder at Delaware State (Oct. 24, 2009).
Under the direction of Coach Gibson, the MEAC cheerleading trophy returned to Baltimore, Md. and the Morgan State campus, as the Cheer Bears kicked off the MEAC basketball tournament capturing three of the four championship trophies. Morgan State claimed the overall grand championship title, the all girl division title and Ashley Cottrell took home first-place in the all-star division. The awards and accolades kept coming for the Cheer Bears, who this season became one of 21 teams and the only HBCU team to participate in the new sport STUNT. In their first season competing in STUNT, the Cheer Bears placed second in their two Mid-Atlantic Region competitions to North Carolina State both times and finished as Mid-Atlantic Region Runner-up to N.C. State. Morgan State earned an at-large bid to the inaugural College Stunt National Championship which was held in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The team most valuable players and rookie awards were as follows:
SOFTBALL
TBD - MVP
TBD - Rookie
VOLLEYBALL
Dominique Bozier – MVP
Ngebui (Natalie) Chafeh - Rookie
WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
TBD – Co-MVP
TBD - Rookie
WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Tanisha Kendrick – MVP
Candace Shirley – Most Improved
MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
TBD – MVP
TBD – Rookie
MEN'S INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Emmanuel Stewart - MVP
Trey Charles – Most Improved
MEN'S BASKETBALL
DeWayne Jackson - MVP
Larry Bastfield - Rookie
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Brittany Dodson - MVP
Mahala Thomas – Most Improved
CHEERLEADING
Ashley Cottrell - MVP
Amanda Ross - Rookie
BOWLING
Sagirah Wheeler - MVP
Atoya Leatherbury - Rookie
FOOTBALL
David Brown – Offensive MVP
Reshaude Miller- Defensive MVP
Dominick Bryant – Rookie
Kemar Scarlett – Special Teams
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Alexis McCoy - MVP
Tiffany Hughes – Most Improved
MEN'S TENNIS
Kevon Charles - MVP
Jannick Tash – Most Improved
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Danielle Calhoun - MVP
Naomi Tucker – Most Improved
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Christian Smooth - MVP
Tyree Smith – Most Improved
MEDIA RELATION'S OFFICE - Jeanette Wooten
SPORTS MEDICINE INTERN AWARD – Christina Lewis
BEAR STRENGTH AWARD – Jephte Cherenfant, Football and Cheryl Savoy, Volleyball
ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATIVE INTERN AWARD - Tommy King
The major awards were as follows:
VARSITY M CLUB AWARD – Kevon Charles, Men's Tennis
ELIJAH ROWE AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE – Sagirah Wheeler, Bowling
THERESA COLEMAN GIBSON AWARD – Danielle Gibson, Cheerleading
COACH OF THE YEAR – Theresa Gibson, Cheerleading
EFFIE T. PAYNE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Tyshia Oliver and Isaac Richardson Track & Field
EARL C. BANKS FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD – Brittany Dodson, Women's Basketball
EDWARD P. HURT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD – Kemar Scarlett
STUDENT ATHLETE CHOICE AWARD – Kemar Scarlett, Football; Brionne Johnson, Cheerleaders
UNSUNG HERO AWARD – Bobby Parker
