Photo Gallery

SMU Athletics held its annual Pony Awards on Sunday night at McFarlin Auditorium, bringing student-athletes together for their end-of-the-year award ceremony. Select Mustangs earned recognition for their contributions to their teams through academics, leadership, service, and standout athletics throughout the 2023-2024 seasons.

The most prestigious honor, the Athletic Director's S.P.I.R.I.T. Award, was presented to Tyler Lavine from Football and Alex Glover from Volleyball for representing the Mustangs' values of Service, Passion, Integrity, Respect, Innovation and Teamwork in their sport, school and community.

The full list of nominees and award winners below:

Highest Team GPA: Presented to a male and female sport in recognition of the highest team GPA for the spring and fall semesters of 2023.

Men's Tennis
Cross Country

Catalyst: Bryce McMorris - Football

Student-Athlete Choice Award: Presented to the student-athlete whose peers believe they serve as an outstanding role model for the community.
Raelyn Roberson - Track & Field


Presidential Award of Excellence: Presented to a graduating senior with a GPA of 3.5 or higher who has demonstrated outstanding ability in their sport and in the classroom.
Winner
Adam Neff - Men's Tennis

Individual and Team Community Impact: This award is presented to the student-athlete and team whose community involvement has made outstanding contributions in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion in the Dallas and SMU communities.
 
Winners
Individual: Mya VanderHagen - Women's Swimming & Diving
Team: Women's Soccer

Perseverance Award: Presented to the male and female student-athletes who have demonstrated an exceptional degree of determination in overcoming personal, medical and/or academic obstacles while maintaining good academic standing.
 
Female Nominees

Amirah Abdur-Rahim - Basketball
Tess Davenport - Golf
Hadley Doyle - Tennis
Anne Ensley - Rowing
Jaclynn Fowler - Swimming & Diving
Sammy Nieves - Soccer
Lauren Priest - Swimming & Diving
Taylor Johnson - Tennis

 
Male Nominees

Huntley Allen - Tennis
Chris Mykkanen - Swimming & Diving
Justin Osborne - Football
Alex Salvo – Soccer

Sportsmanship Award: Presented to the male and female student-athletes who have demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship in the competitive arena.

Female Nominees

Macey Adley - Rowing
Celia Cullen – Volleyball
Tess Davenport - Golf
Chantae Embry – Basketball
Kaitlyn Gearin - Cross Country/Track & Field
Alex Glover - Volleyball
Chalyce Head – Equestrian
Mayu Inokawa – Soccer
Augusta Iwasaki – Equestrian
Hailey Johns - Equestrian
Drew Morris - Tennis
Claire Murphy - Rowing
Lucrezia Napoletano - Swimming & Diving
Raelyn Roberson - Track & Field
Mackenzie Rudden – Soccer
Macie Soderquist – Equestrian
June Song - Golf
Indra Vandenbussche - Swimming & Diving
Nicole Vivier – Golf
Whitney Williams - Track & Field

Male Nominees

Jerry Barton - Tennis
Harvey Castro - Soccer
John Dymond - Swimming & Diving
Jack Easton - Men's Swim & Dive
Knobel Hunt – Soccer
Adam Neff – Tennis
Mo Njie - Basketball
Isaiah Nwokobia - Football
Maks Silagy – Tennis
Preston Stone - Football
Trey Utter - Basketball
Kobe Wilson - Football

Red & Blue Award: Presented to the male and female student-athletes who exhibit the greatest passion and spirit to SMU Athletics. These individuals bleed red and blue and represent SMU in all they do. (Intended for a student-athlete who has gone above and beyond in supporting other student-athletes and the department.)

Female Nominees

Tess Davenport - Golf
Isabella Dickinson - Swimming & Diving
Anne Ensley - Rowing
Alex Glover – Volleyball
Mayu Inokawa – Soccer 
Maykayla Jackson - Track & Field
Hailey Johns - Equestrian
Nya Kearns – Equestrian
Raelyn Roberson - Track & Field
Jenna Watson - Swimming & Diving

Male Nominees

Callaway Clark - Tennis
Brandon Crossley - Football
Branson Hickman - Football
J. Holland Humphries - Golf
Kevin Jennings - Football
Bryce McMorris - Football
Preston Stone - Football
Eli Susser – Tennis
Trevor Svajda – Tennis

Newcomer of the Year Award: Presented to the first-year transfer male and female student-athletes whose presence at SMU has made an immediate impact in their sport.

Female Nominees

Gabriella Ayiteyfio - Track & Field
Shelby Clausen - Equestrian
Emily Odwin – Golf
Sina Uluave – Volleyball
Tiara Young – Basketball

Male Nominees

Chaz Aurilia - Golf
Jelldrik Dallmann – Soccer
Chuck Harris - Basketball
Danny Kovac - Swimming & Diving
Elijah Roberts - Football

Freshman of the Year Award: Presented to the freshman male and female student-athletes whose presence at SMU has made an immediate impact in their sport.

Female Nominees

Ava Andersen - Swimming & Diving
Isabella Bedoya - Swimming & Diving
Faustine Chaboche - Track & Field
Caroline McGinley - Tennis
Claudia Kerry-Roger – Rowing
Nyah Rose – Soccer

Male Nominees

Niv Berkovitz – Soccer
Matthew Foster - Golf
Kevin Jennings - Football
Kristaps Mikelsons - Swimming & Diving
Trevor Svajda – Tennis

Student-Athlete of the Year Award: Presented to the male and female student-athletes who have achieved a high level of success in the competitive arena while maintaining good academic standing. This award recognizes a team leader whose performance impacts the collective ability of their teammates and brings a positive image to SMU.

Female Nominees

Wayny Balata - Soccer
Lauren Bilafer – Rowing
Reagan Bradley – Basketball
Emma Clothier – Volleyball
Johanna Gudmundsdottir - Swimming & Diving
Taylor Johnson - Tennis
Nya Kearns – Equestrian
Mackenzie Lee - Golf
Funminiyi Olajide - Track & Field

Male Nominees

Jack Hoagland - Swimming & Diving
Adam Neff – Tennis
Zhuric Phelps - Basketball
Bailey Sparks - Soccer
Preston Stone – Football

Athletic Director's S.P.I.R.I.T. Award: The most prestigious honor bestowed upon student-athletes. This award honors a male and female student-athlete who are an inspiration to others, giving unselfishly of their time and talents for the betterment of the team. They epitomize the values of Service, Passion, Integrity, Respect, Innovation, and Teamwork.

Female Nominees

Lily Anderson - Equestrian
Reagan Bradley – Basketball
Alex Glover - Volleyball
Grace Knudson – Rowing
Taylor Madden - Equestrian
Lana Mavor – Tennis
Maxine Parkinson - Swimming & Diving
Raelyn Roberson - Track & Field
Mackenzie Rudden – Soccer
Nicole Vivier - Golf

Male Nominees

Keon Ambrose-Hylton - Basketball
Callaway Clark - Tennis
Colin Feehery - Swimming & Diving
Cole Johnson - Soccer
Tyler Lavine - Football
Alex Valenzuela - Golf