East Carolina Celebrates 2016-17 Athletic Year at Fourth Annual Goldspys

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) held the annual Goldspys end of the year awards show on Tuesday night. The Goldspys, now in its fourth year, is styled after ESPN's ESPY awards, honoring and highlighting the success of ECU student-athletes both in and outside the arenas of competition.

With the 2016-17 school year coming to a close, the Goldspys honored several student-athletes with 14 awards voted on by the East Carolina administration, coaching staff and SAAC representatives.

The Goldspys began with a social hour held in the Smith-Williams Center where appetizers were served and two photo booths were set up for student-athletes to take pictures. SAAC President Jake Pierce began the ceremony with a welcoming statement before dinner was served.

Following dinner, student-athletes who earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher were recognized for their academic accomplishments during the year. Individual awards began with the naming of the Rookies of the Year followed by Breakthrough Athlete of the Year.

Charlie Yorgen (baseball) and Vendela Norrman (women's swimming & diving) were honored as Mr. and Ms. Pirate. The Mr./Ms. Pirate awards are presented to the male and female student-athlete who excel both in the classroom and in athletics, while also contributing to the community. They are voted on by the ECU administration and coaching staffs.

Men's Swimming & Diving was named Team of the Year, while head coach Rick Kobe was named Coach of the Year in his final season at the helm of the program. The Pirates clinched their third consecutive American Conference Championship this season, outscoring the second-place finisher by 266.6 points. Kobe was honored as the AAC Coach of the Year for the third time.

Marion Albert (women's swimming & diving) was honored as the Female Athlete of the Year while Zay Jones (football) was the Male Athlete of the Year.

In one season with the Pirates, Abert set program records in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1000 freestyle and 1650 freestyle. She was a part of two ECU record-setting relay teams as well in the 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle. At the AAC Conference Championships, she was named All-AAC in the 800 freestyle relay, 500 freestyle and the 1,650 freestyle.

Jones had a stellar senior season for the Pirates while setting the NCAA FBS career (399) and single-season (158) reception records. He was named a finalist for three major national awards – William V. Campbell Trophy, Biletnikoff and the Senior CLASS. A 2016 All-American Athletic Conference First-Team honoree, Jones set ECU and AAC single-season standards in catches and receiving yards (1,746) while leading the FBS in four categories.

Andre Washington (men's basketball) was named Breakthrough Athlete of the Year after setting the school record in single-season blocks (95). He led the American Athletic Conference in blocked shots per game (2.9) and finished in the top-5 nationally with total blocks. Additionally, he was sixth in the NCAA in blocked shots per game.

In addition to student-athlete awards, the Pirate Club Donor of the Year was given to Carl Rogers and Parker Overton was awarded the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rogers and his family have been Pirate Club members and season ticket holders for 25 years. They continue to support ECU Athletics through significant gifts to various capital campaigns, most recently to name the Pirate Club Level as part of the Dowdy-Ficklin Stadium Southside Renovation Campaign.

Overton is a longtime supporter of East Carolina and the Pirates' athletics programs. In addition to providing one of ECU's postgraduate scholarships and funding several capital campaigns, his family's Lake Kristi property serves as the home course for the Pirate men's and women's cross country teams.

2016-17 Goldspys Award Winners
Female Rookie of the Year – Jayda Hylton-Pelaia (soccer)
Male Rookie of the Year – Spencer Brickhouse (baseball)
Pirate Club Donor of the Year – Carl Rogers
Lifetime Achievement Award – Parker Overton
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year – Andre Washington (men's basketball)
Pirate Points – Women's Tennis
Moment of the Year – Men's Swimming & Diving third consecutive AAC Championship
Mighty Pirate Cheer – Ryan Smith
Mighty Pirate Dance – Mallory Strange
Coach of the Year – Rick Kobe (swimming & diving)
Female Athlete of the Year – Marion Abert (women's swimming & diving)
Male Athlete of the Year – Zay Jones (football)
Ms. Pirate – Vendela Norrman (women's swimming & diving)
Mr. Pirate – Charlie Yorgen (baseball)

East Carolina Celebrates 2016-17 Athletic Year at Fourth Annual Goldspys

Related News

Related Videos

Footer