National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk Athletics honored its student athletes at the
2023-24 Nighthawk Athletics Awards Banquet Monday 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.
“Tonight we gather to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our student-athletes
on and off the field,” Thompson said. “Their dedication, perseverance and sportsmanship
have not only brought honor to National Park College, but have inspired us with all
of their achievements. 2023-24 has been a monumental year for all of our athletics
programs, exceeding any other year on this athletics journey that we have embarked
on.”
The first awards of the evening went to women’s soccer. After a comedic exchange between
Thompson and head coach Corey Irvine, sophomore forward Andreya Reyna (Mexia, Texas)
was named Player of the Year.
“Andreya is not only a talented soccer player, but a great person to be around,” Irvine
said. “This award is well-deserved and I’m sad to see her move on.”
Women’s soccer Teammate of the Year honors were awarded to freshman winger Amoy Gayle
(Hot Springs).
“All of Amoy’s teammates speak highly of her,” Irvine said. “Since I’ve come in, she
has shown great character with the entire group.”
For men’s soccer, sophomore center back Tobias Minkus (Leipzig, Germany) took home
Player of the Year honors.
“In my conversations with the previous coach staff, Tobias’ name popped up a lot,”
Irvine said. “Not only as a top player but as the standard of a leader on the field.
He’s well respected by his teammates and getting to know him off the field has been
an absolute pleasure. He’ll have a very successful career wherever he goes next.”
Sophomore right back Luis Soto (Hamburg) was named the Men’s Soccer Teammate of the
Year.
“Luis is one of the guys that everyone wants as part of the team,” Irvine said. “His
teammates hold him in high regard. He’s fun to be around and brings energy to the
team. I know that whatever he chooses to do with his future, he is going to excel.”
Next up was softball, where head coach Autumn Wyatt praised her squad for its strength
through adversity this season.
“I’m really thankful for our girls for stepping up this season,” Wyatt said. “My goal
was to challenge these student-athletes. I made sure we played the toughest schedule
we could play and we didn’t back down from anyone. That’s why we have been as successful
as we have been at breaking records. Going into the NJCAA Region 2 tournament, we’re
in a good spot.”
Sophomore shortstop Logan Nies (Rockwall, Texas) was named Softball Player of the
Year.
“Logan is rewriting the record books week after week,” Wyatt said. “She’s a very fun
player to watch. She leads the team in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, slugging
and second in stolen bases. She’s doing it all.”
For the Newcomer of the Year award, Wyatt recognized freshman pitcher Bailee Cowell
(Clarksville).
“Bailee is first on the team in innings pitched, wins, strikeouts,” Wyatt said. “Her
2.29 ERA leads the entire region and she also has an in-conference ERA of 2.0.”
Voted upon by her teammates, sophomore infielder Sophia Meadows (Benton) received
the Softball Team Choice Award.
“This is one of my favorite awards to give out because it shows the impact you have
on those around you,” Wyatt said. “Sophia never fails to make those around her feel
great about themselves. She’s always positive and cracking jokes.”
Nighthawk Cross Country was honored next, with head coaches Jason Armitage and Julie
LaRue delivering laughter-inducing introduction featuring a stopwatch as a prop.
Sophomore runner Kaylie Goad (Wharton, Texas) took home Women’s Cross Country Runner
of the Year honors.
“At the University of the Ozarks Invitational, Kaylie set a personal record in the
5K,” Armitage said. “At the NJCAA Region 2 Championships, she ran a 22:51, earning
a sixth-place finish.”
Freshman runner Cooper Johnson (Jessieville) was named Men’s Cross Country Runner
of the Year.
“Work is what it takes to be good at any sport,” Armitage said. “Cooper ran a 32:25
in the 8K, a 19:57 in the 5K and a 25:53 in the four-mile run.”
Armitage and LaRue, who also coach Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field, announced
freshman runner Braiden Capel (Cabot) as the Men’s Track and Field Athlete of the
Year.
“Braiden set a personal record in every event he ran for us this season,” Armitage
said.
Freshman runner Yanisel Martinez (Dallas, Texas) was named the Women’s Track and Field
Athlete of the Year.
“Yanisel is a very versatile athlete that ran three different events for us,” Armitage
said. “She achieved a personal record of 33.50 seconds in the 200m, a 01:17 400m run
and a 3:27 800m run this season.”
Next up was baseball where Thompson applauded the efforts of his Nighthawks this season.
“We’ve played hard all year,” Thompson said. “We’re right there in the thick of it
and hope to be victorious in the end.”
Sophomore pitcher Eli Hutcherson (Cabot) was named Pitcher of the Year.
“Eli is a young man who went from being a two-way shortstop to being ‘Pitcher of the
World,’” Thompson said. “He has won many awards this year and has been an exceptional
workhorse for us. He has given us everything he has and will be a Mulerider at Southern
Arkansas University next year. He’s the all-time strikeout leader at National Park
College and it will take some serious beating to catch him.”
Sophomore outfielder Jimbo Batchelor (Senoia, Georgia) was awarded the team’s Offensive
Player of the Year.
“Jimbo has been a leader on the field,” Thompson said. “He leads the team in runs,
doubles, RBI and total bases. He knew what we needed from him this year and he is
a great young man.”
Freshman outfielder Ben Land (Hudson, Wisconsin) was selected as Teammate of the Year.
“Ben is a special individual,” Thompson said. “He’s someone who can come in every
day and change the team off the field. He will give the shirt off his back to help
his team. He’s the loudest, most energetic guy in our dugout. He shows up every day
ready to work with maximum effort.”
For men’s basketball, coach Dillon Hargrove praised his national champion Nighthawks
for their ability to step up and make history. After thanking everyone who had a hand
in helping his team cross the finish line, Hargrove recognized sophomore guard Keryn
Collins (Dallas, Texas) as his team’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“Coming in, Keryn trusted us,” Hargrove said. “In the national championship game,
he had the assignment of guarding the leading scorer in the NJCAA. He has a ton of
heart and played with it all year long.”
Sophomore forward Anthony Swift (Las Vegas, Nevada) received the team’s Nighthawk
Grit Award.
“Anthony came in and played his guts out every single possession all year long,” Hargrove
said. “He sacrificed a lot to be part of this team and he was a huge part of our run
at the end.”
Next, Hargrove recognized sophomore guard Siddiq Canty (Dallas, Texas) as his Newcomer
of the Year.
“Siddiq was a big team guy for us,” Hargrove said. “He hit some adversity late in
conference play. Coming into the national tournament, he was huge for us winning the
title.”
Sophomore guard Brody Tucker (Glenwood) was named the team’s Academic MVP.
“Brody has been a part of some really good teams and is one of the hardest workers
I’ve ever seen,” Hargrove said.
Freshman right back Tim Heck (Frankfurt, Germany) of men’s soccer and sophomore left
fielder Reagan White (Carrollton, Texas) of Nighthawk softball were named the 2024
Scholar Athletes of the Year.
“Despite having English as his second language, Tim has a 4.0 GPA at National Park
College and has excelled in all of his classes,” Thompson said. “On and off the field,
Reagan has been exceptional. As a business marketing major, she has a career 4.0 GPA
while being NPC’s single-game leader in triples, career leader in batting average
and stolen bases and has been named All-Region by the NJCAA and NFCA.”
Nighthawk softball sophomore outfielder Aubree Goodnight (Benton) received the Nighthawk
Spirit Award.
“This award epitomizes everything we believe here—community service and excelling
in the classroom and on the field,” Thompson said. “Aubree does it all. As a computer
science major with a 4.0 GPA, she drives to away games to support our other student-athletes.
While battling injuries this season, she worked the gate and did whatever she could
do to help her team and our department.”
Business Division Chair Jennifer Lyons was selected by the coaches and student athletes
to receive the Student’s Faculty Choice Award.
“Jennifer is everything our student-athletes appreciate in the classroom,” Thompson
said. “She’s a good instructor who gives her time and effort to give our athletes
the best ability to succeed and move on.”
Next, Thompson surprised Chartwells Kitchen Manager Charity Delamar with the Student’s
Staff Choice Award.
“Charity is the most deserving person on campus,” Thompson said. “She takes care of
our student-athletes every single day with a smile on her face. She has touched all
of our lives and we thank her very much.”
For the final award of the evening, Thompson read multiple nominations for the Academic
Faculty Choice Award before presenting the award to Soto.
“Luis had multiple faculty members vote for him and we can all learn from his example,”
Thompson said.
After distributing cords to each graduating student-athlete, Thompson closed the banquet
with words of wisdom for each student-athlete.
“It is hard to be a student-athlete,” Thompson said. “We ask a lot of you and appreciate
everything you do. Your time here will set you up for life. Thank you for your efforts.
You are amazing.”
Award Recipients:
Women’s Soccer Player of the Year: Andreya Reyna
Women’s Soccer Teammate of the Year: Amoy Gayle
Men’s Soccer Player of the Year: Tobias Minkus
Men’s Soccer Teammate of the Year: Luis Soto
Softball Player of the Year: Logan Nies
Softball Newcomer of the Year: Bailee Cowell
Softball Team Choice Award: Sophia Meadows
Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Year: Kaylie Goad
Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year: Cooper Johnson
Women’s Track and Field Runner of the Year: Yanisel Martinez
Men’s Track and Field Runner of the Year: Braiden Capel
Baseball Pitcher of the Year: Eli Hutcherson
Baseball Offensive Player of the Year: Jimbo Batchelor
Baseball Teammate of the Year: Ben Land
Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year: Keryn Collins
Men’s Basketball Nighthawk Grid Award: Anthony Swift
Men’s Basketball Newcomer of the Year: Siddiq Canty
Men’s Basketball Academic MVP: Brody Tucker
Student Athlete Faculty Award: Jennifer Lyons
Scholar Athlete of the Year (Male): Tim Heck
Scholar Athlete of the Year (Female): Reagan White
Nighthawk Spirit Award: Aubree Goodnight
Faculty Choice Award: Luis Soto
For more information on schedules, rosters and more, visit [np.edu/athletics]Nighthawk
Athletics online. Fans can also follow the Nighthawks all season on social media.
Facebook: Nighthawk Athletics
Twitter: @NPC_Nighthawks
Instagram: nighthawkathletics
