2015-2016 WKU Athletics Superlatives and Awards

Since the school year has come to a close, I thought it would be fun to create some superlatives and awards to recap the 2015-2016 year of WKU Athletics. Think of this like a high school yearbook…except way more detailed. Enjoy!

While Leon Allen was out for the season after a nasty knee injury and with Ace Wales out until the Rice game, D’Andre Ferby had some big shoes to fill. Fans speculated how well the 6’1”, 240 lb. running back would perform. Undoubtedly, Ferby exceeded expectations. After 650 yards, 11 touchdowns, 37 first downs, and 33 receiving yards, Ferby became a fan favorite.

One of the most memorable moments of Ferby’s inaugural season (he redshirted in 2014) occurred during the CUSA Championship game against Southern Mississippi. With less than 3 minutes to play in the 4th quarter, Ferby got the handoff from Doughty, ran for 14 yards to the Southern Miss. 26 for a 1st down and absolutely Hulk-smashed one of Southern Miss. linebackers. For your viewing pleasure:

Hence, “Most Likely to Move a Mountain.”

Yes, I changed the award from – what would have been – “Mr. Senior” to “Mr. Graduate Student” so I could give Doughty an award. Can you blame me?

We all know his story. We all know his numbers. Yes, his statistics make him one in a million, but I would rather take this time to thank Doughty.

Doughty,

Thank you for sticking with the team. Thank you for pulling through a gruesome injury. Thank you for being humble and keeping a level head. Thank you for giving back to the community. Thank you for being a role model. Thank you for making people excited for WKU Football. Thank you for bringing national attention to the team and university.

Doughty may have broken many records, earned numerous awards, and led the nation in yards, percentage, and touchdowns, however, it was his character, maturity, and passion for the game that truly shone through.

Women’s soccer defender, Chandler Clark was the epitome of a model student-athlete. She graduated this May with a major in mechanical engineering and minor in systems engineering. Clark received multiple academic awards for success off of the field, as well. In March, WKU Soccer celebrated their 2015 season with an annual awards banquet where Clark was named the team Most Valuable Player (MVP) and was the recipient of the ROTC Leadership award for the second time. Clark started every single game during her junior and senior seasons. Basically, Chandler Clark is awesome and you should check out all of her accolades here...because there are way too many to list.

Excuse me while I reevaluate my life accomplishments.

Micah Jones’ season was cut short due to injury. Jones’ entered her senior season with impressive statistics: 10th in WKU history in career 3-point field goals made, 8th in school history in 3-point field goals attempted, and 8th in career minutes played per game. According to her bio, during her junior season, she was ranked 23rd in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio and 45th in the nation in free throw percentage (83.3%).

Returning, we expect Jones to do great things with partner-in-crime Kendall Noble. I smell a Top 25 in the air.

Alyssa Cavanaugh and Jessica Lucas have become the Steph Curry/Klay Thompson of volleyball: a dynamic duo…two peas in a pod…Goose and Maverick (Top Gun reference). Lucas finished the season as CUSA Setter of the Year, CUSA Tournament MVP, and ranked 25th nationally with 11.8 assists per set. Both Lucas and Cavanaugh were named Honorable Mention AVCA All-America for back-to-back seasons. On February 19-21, Lucas and Cavanaugh tried out for the U.S. National Team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Let’s all breathe a collective sigh of relief as WKU still has the duo for two more seasons.

Track and field junior Emmanuel Dasor, junior Ventavius Sears, and sophomore Julius Morris have set the track ablaze with their abundant records and accolades. Morris posted eight Top 5 finishes during the 2014-2015 season. In January, Dasor captured the 60-meter dash with a program best time and put him at No. 13 in the NCAA to that point in the season. Sears finished 14th in the triple jump final at the Indoor NCAA Championships. This weekend, the trio will be representing WKU at the NCAA East Preliminaries in Jacksonville. For a more detailed list of their accomplishments, visit here to see their accomplishments.

I am not sure about you, but listening to Rick Stansbury after he was announced as the new WKU Basketball head coach gave me chills. Never mind what he said, it was how he said it and the passion behind his message that made me shout “YEAH!” I wanted to get up and go change the world. Stansbury could go into the motivational poster making business as a side-job.

Here is to hoping the 2016-2017 basketball team feels as motivated as I did after listening to Coach Stansbury!

Recently named the 8th best volleyball coach in the nation, Travis Hudson has quietly and humbly built a dynasty. Over the past five years, WKU Volleyball has four 30+ win seasons: making them the only volleyball team in the nation to do so. A Top 25 WKU Volleyball program has become the norm. Players stay, players go, but Coach Hudson has remained. The countless academic and athletic awards the team and individual players receive are a testament to Hudson’s coaching on and off of the court.

[In a Ron Burgundy voice]: Kendall Nobile is kind of a big deal.

On January 23, 2016, Noble posted her first triple-double and a first in Lady Topper history. Oh, but that was just the beginning. On March 10, 2016, Noble recorded her SECOND triple double. Noble was the first women’s basketball player, during the 2016 season, to post a triple double. This year, alone, Noble was awarded team co-MVP (with Ivy Brown and Tashia Brown), First Team All-Conference USA honors, CUSA Player of the Year, and CUSA Defensive Player of the Year.

Correct me if I am wrong, but including men and women’s basketball, Noble is the second Hilltopper to achieve a triple double: only behind Orlando Mendez-Valdez (January 1, 2009).

When you transition from college basketball to college football to the NFL, you rightfully earn this title.

During his senior season, Fant put together twelve double-doubles, earned the 2015 All-CUSA Second Team, 2015 NABC All-District First team, led the team with 8.4 rebounds per game, averaged 13.8 points per game, and the list goes on and on. He ranks 13th in career scoring and eighth in career rebounding for WKU. However, his time on the Hill was not over. During WKU Football’s 2015 campaign, Fant joined the team; the last he played football was during his eighth grade year. Fant’s hard work, determination, and focus during and after the football season paid-off as he was picked up by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent and has since signed with the team. On his pro day, Fant ran a 4.83 40-yard dash, posted a 37-inch vertical jump, and had a 9 foot 11 inch broad jump: third most “athletic” offensive lineman in the 2016 draft class according to SPARQ Rankings.

Oh wait, that actually happened!

Lest we forget that the long-snapper’s trick shot video was featured on Barstool Sports, Bleacher Report, SB Nation, Fan Duel, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, NFL.com, Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, and many other websites. The impressive talent earned him a SportsCenter Top 10 on August 12, 2015.

You cannot talk about Doughty without talking about Forrest Lamp: a 2015 team captain, 2015 Second Team All American (Pro Football Focus), 2015 First Team All-Conference USA, 2015 First Team All-Conference USA (Phil Steele), and 2015 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List athlete. Considered the country’s best tackle from the Group of Five, Lamp was part of WKU Football’s high-powered offense and was key to protecting Doughty. It is without a Doughty (see what I did there), that Lamp aided Doughty in achieving many of his impressive feats. The 6’4”, 300 lb. offensive lineman did not allow a sack and only 11 quarterback pressures during his redshirt junior year.

You have to admire those people who face adversity and disappointment with maturity and determination. Jontavius Morris (defensive lineman) and T.J. McCollum (linebacker) were a part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) football team that suffered a sudden end to the program. Fortunately for WKU, Morris and McCollum chose to continue their playing careers at this fine institution.

Morris and McCollum played in all 14 games. Morris racked up 16 solo tackles, 18 assists, 2 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery, and 3 passes defended. McCollum racked up 69 solo tackles, 37 assists, 3 sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 3 passes defended, and 1 interception. These young men were a huge asset to the defense. Although Morris’ college playing career is over, WKU still has McCollum for two more years.

To all WKU athletes and coaches:

It goes without saying that I believe each and every one of you deserves recognition. There are simply not enough hours in the day to list your accomplishments.

You know who you are, and you are appreciated!

GO TOPS!