Thiel’s Tommys Awards: 4th Annual Show Highlights
Thiel College Celebrates Athletic, Academic Excellence at Tommys
Greenville — April 29, 2025 —
At the annual Tommys Awards Show, Thiel College spotlighted its top student‑athletes, celebrating their achievements throughout the 2024‑25 academic year. The event, hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), recognized excellence in both athletics and academics through various awards. Winners included Joey King and Ashlyn Wightman as MVPs,and the Men’s Volleyball team. For these and other student‑athletes, this event was a chance to highlight their hard work, along with the importance of the Tommys awards.
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Thiel College Celebrates Athletic and Academic Excellence at the Tommys awards
Greenville,Pa. – Thiel College honored its top student-athletes at the annual Tommys Awards Show, recognizing achievements from the 2024-25 academic year.
Top Honors awarded
The Thiel College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted the annual Tommys Awards Show on Tuesday evening in the Passavant Center. The event celebrated the accomplishments of Thiel’s student-athletes in both athletics and academics.
- Male MVP: joey King, Wrestling
- Female MVP: Ashlyn Wightman, women’s Lacrosse
- Male Newcomer of the Year: Ezra Oesterling, Men’s Volleyball
- Female Newcomer of the Year: Issy Green, Women’s Basketball
- Coach of the Year: Randy burnett, Cheerleading
- Male Dual-Sport Athlete of the Year: Logan Smith, Men’s Soccer and Men’s Track and Field
- Female Dual-Sport Athlete of the Year: Kayley Risser, Women’s Basketball and Softball
- Adversity Award: Jonah Lentz, Men’s Soccer
- Moment of the Year: Men’s Volleyball’s PAC Championship Tournament win
- Team of the Year: Men’s Volleyball
- SAAC Special Recognition award: Chris and Heather Mook
MVP Performances Highlighted
joey King secured the Male MVP award after a dominant performance at the 197-pound PAC Championship, where he won with three first-period pins. Ashlyn Wightman, named Female MVP, set numerous programme records and led the conference in goals, ranking second nationally [[2]].
Did You Know?
Ashlyn Wightman’s performance this year places her among the top athletes in the nation. Her dedication and skill have substantially contributed to her team’s success.
Newcomers and Coaching Excellence Recognized
Ezra Oesterling, the PAC Men’s Volleyball Player of the Year, received the Male newcomer of the Year award, while Issy Green of Women’s Basketball was named Female Newcomer of the Year.
Randy Burnett was honored as Coach of the Year after leading the Cheerleading team to a third-place national finish in the Competitive Spirit Rally Division, achieving a program-best score of 94.99.The Tomcats’ score was the fifth highest across all DI, DII, DIII, and NAIA Spirit Rally divisions.
Dual-Sport Athletes and Overcoming Adversity
Logan Smith, a standout in both Men’s Soccer and Men’s Track and Field, was named Male dual-Sport Athlete of the Year. Kayley Risser earned the Female Dual-Sport Athlete of the Year title for her contributions to Women’s Basketball and Softball.
The Adversity Award was presented to Jonah Lentz of Men’s Soccer, who demonstrated remarkable resilience after suffering a severe injury early in the season. Despite the setback, Lentz returned to lead his team to thier best record in 15 years.
17 minutes into the first match of the season, there was a brutal challenge that left Lentz scarred. in spite of this traumatic head injury,Lentz battled back to lead his team to their best record in 15 years.
Pro Tip
Resilience is a key attribute for any athlete. jonah Lentz’s story exemplifies how overcoming adversity can lead to significant achievements.
Volleyball Dominance and Special Recognition
Men’s Volleyball’s PAC Championship Tournament victory over Grove city, which secured their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, was named the Moment of the year. The team was also recognized as Team of the Year following a program-record 22-win season.
Chris and Heather Mook received the SAAC special Recognition Award for their extensive volunteer work in photographing Thiel student-athletes. Their contributions have been vital in enhancing Thiel’s social media presence and digital footprint.
Team Awards
In addition to the major awards, each team recognized their respective Tomcat Award winners and MVPs:
- Baseball
- Tomcat Award: Chase Morrison
- Men’s Basketball
- Tomcat Award: Gabriel Gonzalez
- Women’s Basketball
- Tomcat Award: Giana Arnese
- Cheerleading
- MVP: Karigan Hager
- Tomcat Award: Kaitlyn Schmidt
- Football
- Tomcat Award: Luke Faber
- Men’s Golf
- Tomcat Award: Marc Knox
- Women’s Golf
- Tomcat Award: Alaina Harpst
- Men’s Lacrosse
- Tomcat Award: Thadd Bell
- Women’s Lacrosse
- Tomcat Award: Ashlyn Wightman
- Men’s Soccer
- MVP: mitchell Strauss
- Tomcat Award: Grant Becker
- Women’s Soccer
- Tomcat Award: Katlyn Phillips
- Softball
- Tomcat Award: Becca Landis
- Men’s Tennis
- Tomcat Award: Nate Udell
- Women’s Tennis
- Tomcat Award: Toby Atwood
- Men’s Track and Field
- MVP: Nick Kobielus
- Tomcat Award: griffin Fraterrigo
- Women’s Track and Field
- MVP: Alexis McFadden
- Tomcat Award: Lillianna Briscoe
- Men’s Volleyball
- Tomcat Award: Kaleb Proudfoot
- Women’s Volleyball
- MVP: Danielle Aulet
- Tomcat Award: Kailee Matter
- Wrestling
- MVP: Joey King
- Tomcat Award: Seth Phillips
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Tommys Awards Show?
- The Tommys Awards Show is an annual event hosted by the Thiel College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to honor the top student-athletes and their achievements.
- Who won Male MVP?
- Joey King from the Wrestling team won the Male MVP award.
- Who was named Coach of the Year?
- Randy burnett, the coach of the Cheerleading team, was named Coach of the Year.
