Nighthawk Athletics Hosts Awards Banquet
National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk Athletics honored its student athletes at the
2022-23 Nighthawk Athletics Awards Banquet Tuesday in the Student Commons at National
Park College.
NPC Athletic Director Rich Thompson opened the evening with a message of inspiration
and gratitude toward NPC’s student-athletes.
“We’re excited to have you choose National Park College,” Thompson said. “It’s a true
honor to be part of your journey as young adults and college athletes. Each and every
one of you have made this a special place on a daily basis. We’re here to help you
in your journey here and beyond.”
The first awards of the evening went to Nighthawk Cross Country. After a comedic introduction
from coaches Jason Armitage and Julie LaRue, freshman runner Miguel Mendez (Benton)
took home Runner of the Year honors for the Nighthawk men.
“Miguel ran three minutes faster on his personal record from when he began the season
to the end of the season,” Armitage said.
Sophomore runner Elizabeth Dearyan (Hot Springs) earned Runner of the Year honors
for the Nighthawk women.
“Elizabeth was definitely our most improved and most dedicated runner this season,”
LaRue said. “With a personal record time of 26:02 for a 5K, she’ll attend the University
of Arkansas-Fort Smith.”
Next up was women’s basketball where interim coaches Drake Henderson and Taylor Carbonel
applauded the efforts of the 9-15 Nighthawks this season.
Freshman forward Corneisha Griffin (Emerson) took home Academic MVP honors, while
sophomore Taylor Humphreys earned Teammate of the Year.
“Corneisha worked really hard this year,” Henderson said. “Taylor had an injury that
kept her out the whole year. She never failed to show up to anything. She was always
on time. She was helpful. She kept the book on the bench and did everything we asked
her to do. We’re proud of her for sticking with it and finishing with us.”
For men’s basketball, coach Dillon Hargrove praised his 19-9 Nighthawks for their
ability to step up and make history, earning a share of the program’s first-ever NJCAA
Region II regular-season championship and reaching the Region II Championship game
for the first time, despite reloading the entire roster in the offseason.
“It’s really hard to bring a team together, get them on the same page and mesh,” Hargrove
said. “This team did that. I’m really proud of them. Multiple awards were won. Multiple
records were broken. They became brothers.”
Freshman Brody Tucker (Kirby) was named the team’s Academic MVP, while redshirt freshman
Mondo Watkins (Hot Springs) was selected as Teammate of the Year.
“Brody was with us for a semester last season and had a 4.0 GPA,” Hargrove said. “In
his first semester with us this year, he had a 3.8 GPA. He’s a pretty smart guy.”
“Mondo is a selfless guy that comes in and does the right thing,” Hargrove added.
“He did whatever we asked him to do. He was on time, had a 3.0 GPA and has been really
good for us this year.”
Men and women’s soccer coach Diego Figueroa stepped to the podium next and offered
excitement for the upcoming seasons for his teams. For the women’s soccer team, sophomore
forward Andreya Reyna (Mexia, Texas) earned Player of the Year.
“Andreya is brutal on the field,” Figueroa said. “She will take some heads off. She
constantly goes into every single tackle with 100-percent effort. I have been bruised
by her multiple times. She’s a spark of energy on the field.”
Sophomore forward Yessenia Vargas (Fresno, Texas) took home Teammate of the Year.
“This award was voted upon by the team, and I couldn’t agree more with the result,”
Figueroa said. “Yessi has been extremely committed to her team, her studies, herself
and her community. Anytime the coaches need extra help, she’s always there to help.”
Figueroa highlighted the Nighthawk men’s soccer team’s accomplishments this season.
In the same season that NPC won its first-ever NJCAA Region II match, the Nighthawks
went on to become NJCAA Region II champions and became the first Nighthawk Athletic
team, regardless of sport, to represent National Park College in an NJCAA District
tournament.
Taking home Player of the Year was freshman Felix Rocca (Leipzig, Germany).
“Felix had a great season last season,” Figueroa said. “He is someone who excels on
the field, gives 100-percent and scored a lot of goals for us—the most in any season
in Nighthawk history.”
Freshman Daniel David (London, England) was named Teammate of the Year.
“I’ve enjoyed coaching Daniel,” Figueroa said. “He’s always putting the team first.
He’s the kind of player that does all the dirty work that every coach and every player
needs on the field.”
For Nighthawk softball, head coach Autumn Wyatt applauded the hard work that her team
and her coaching staff put in this season.
“I challenged these girls right off the bat in the fall,” Wyatt said. “I knew big
things were ahead this year. We swept a Division I opponent and beat nationally-ranked
LSU-Eunice to start the season and finished runners-up in NJCAA Region II play. I’m
super proud of our ladies.”
Sophomore center fielder-turned-shortstop Emma Hayes (Munford, Alabama) led the softball
awards with Player of the Year.
“You know you have a good season when this award is not an easy one to give out,”
Wyatt said. “Emma led the team in hits, led the region in steals, had a .402 batting
average and broke a laundry list of records.”
Freshman second baseman Regan White (Carrollton, Texas) was named the team’s Newcomer
of the Year.
“Reagan led the team in on-base percentage, batting average, runs and was second in
steals and hits,” Wyatt said. “She made a huge transition from outfield to infield
before the season and has been instrumental in the box, on the field and in the dugout.”
Sophomore pitcher Makenna Keeton (Morrilton) earned Teammate of the Year honors.
“This was an award voted on by the team,” Wyatt said. “Based on the number of votes
Makenna got, it’s evident that her impact has been huge. She led our team in innings
pitched, strikeouts, ERA, wins, complete games, had two huge pinch-hit home runs and
recently picked up her second NJCAA Region II Pitcher of the Week honor of the season.
Thompson stepped in next and recognized the baseball team for their hard work this
season.
“NPC baseball has been an amazing ride this year,” Thompson said. “We’ve played one
of the toughest schedules in the nation. Our guys’ resilience has been exceptional.
They’ve given us the highest fall GPA we’ve ever had and we’re playing the best baseball
we’ve played all year.
Sophomore infielder Cam Tyson was named the team’s Player of the Year.
“Cam has risen to another level for us,” Thompson said. “This year, he tried to break
in, achieve more and take a lead. He worked extremely hard on his offensive game and
it shows. He led our team in numerous categories, sits at the heart of our lineup
and is a dangerous force when he gets going.”
Thompson selected freshman shortstop Bryson Sellier as Newcomer of the Year.
“Bryson had one of the best falls we’ve ever seen,” Thompson said. “He’s grown as
a person and as a ballplayer from where he started to where he is now. His passion
for the game and will to win makes him the way he is.”
For Teammate of the Year, Thompson described freshman pitcher Jacob Claborn (Muldrow,
Oklahoma) as the ultimate teammate.
“Jacob is the epitome of a team player,” Thompson said. “He only missed one practice
ever and it was to take his teammate on a visit to a four-year institution. He’s all-in.
He’s the last guy to leave the dugout, he always cleans the bus and he has never questioned
anything we’ve needed from him.”
NPC Health and Safety Program Manager Jessica Ellis was selected by the coaches and
student athletes to receive the Student Athlete Faculty Award.
“We received multiple nominations for Jessie from our students and our staff,” Thompson
said. “If there was ever a student struggling in a class, she’d reach out to a coach
and give them a second chance to get it right.”
For the 2022-23 Faculty Choice Awards, Thompson shared heartfelt nomination letters
from NPC faculty Aprile Garner and Carol Gray for recipients Will Beckham (Mountain
Home) and Vargas, respectively, and championed their leadership in the classroom and
campus community.
For Overall Newcomer of the Year, Keeton nabbed her second award of the evening for
Nighthawk softball, while freshman guard Nakavieon White (Odessa, Texas) took home
the award for Nighthawk men’s basketball.
Men’s soccer freshman Tobias Minkus (Leipzig, Germany) and softball sophomore outfielder
Shelbee LeJeune (Maurice, Louisiana) were recognized as Scholar Athletes of the Year.
“I love these choices,” Thompson said. “Tobias is a career 4.0 GPA student at NPC—it’s
exceptional. Shelbee’s not just tough on the softball field, she’s tough in the classroom,
too. She has a 3.91 GPA, is a biology major, is an NJCAA Academic All-American and
an NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete.”
After distributing cords to each graduating student-athlete, Thompson closed the banquet
with the final two awards of the evening—the Nighthawk Spirit Awards—which were awarded
to sophomore pitcher Zach Murphy (Sydney, Australia) and Vargas.
“This is my favorite award to give,” Thompson said. “These individuals exemplify what
a Nighthawk is meant to be. They’re great in the classroom, they’re great on the sporting
field, they’re supportive of every single student-athlete, faculty, staff and program
we have here at National Park College. These two individuals have set the bar for
the next generation of Nighthawks.”
Award Recipients:
Men’s Cross Country MVP: Miguel Mendez
Women’s Cross Country MVP: Elizabeth Dearyan
Women’s Basketball Academic MVP: Corneisha Griffin
Women’s Basketball Teammate of the Year: Taylor Humphreys
Men’s Basketball Academic MVP: Brody Tucker
Men’s Basketball Teammate of the Year: Mondo Watkins
Women’s Soccer Player of the Year: Andreya Reyna
Women’s Soccer Teammate of the Year: Yessenia Vargas
Men’s Soccer Player of the Year: Felix Rocca
Men’s Soccer Teammate of the Year: Daniel David
Softball Player of the Year: Emma Hayes
Softball Newcomer of the Year: Reagan White
Softball Teammate of the Year: Makenna Keeton
Baseball Player of the Year: Cam Tyson
Baseball Newcomer of the Year: Bryson Sellier
Baseball Teammate of the Year: Jacob Claborn
Student Athlete Faculty Award: Jessica Ellis
Faculty Choice Male: Will Beckham
Faculty Choice Female: Yessenia Vargas
Overall Newcomer of the Year (Male): Nakavieon White
Overall Newcomer of the Year (Female): Makenna Keaton
Scholar Athlete of the Year (Male): Tobias Minkus
Scholar Athlete of the Year (Female): Shelbee LeJeune
Nighthawk Spirit Award (Male): Zach Murphy
Nighthawk Spirit Award (Female): Yessenia Vargas
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit Nighthawk Athletics online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Twitter: @NPC_Nighthawks
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
Snapchat: npnighthawks
