The 2019 RUBY’s were held on Monday, April 29 at the Dedmon Center. The theme this year was “THIS IS US”, displaying what it means to be a Highlander. The annual event honors Radford University’s student-athletes for their achievements in the classroom, in competition and in the community.
2018-2019 has been a historic campaign so far in Radford Athletics. The women’s soccer and women’s basketball teams captured both the regular season and Big South Conference tournament titles and men’s tennis claimed the conference tournament title, all earning trips to the NCAA tournament. In addition, the men’s basketball team took the regular season title and women’s tennis and volleyball earned runner-up nods. The Highlander baseball team is currently in second-place in the league standings and the women’s track and field squad has set numerous school marks.
Co-Female Athletes of the Year were selected as Jasmine Casarez (women’s soccer) and Lydia Rivers (women’s basketball) shared the honor. Casarez claimed one of the conference’s top postseason awards, Big South Attacking Player of the Year, and was also named Big South Championship Most Valuable Player. She ranked inside the top three in seven different Big South offensive categories. In addition, she also ranked third in the NCAA in shots per game, 30th in game-winning goals and 28th in shots on goal per game. The Moreno Valley, California native tallied 13 goals, seven game winners, and registered a team-leading 30 points.
Rivers, a redshirt-junior, helped lead Radford to their first Big South championship and NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996. The Kinston, North Carolina native was selected the Most Valuable Player of the 2019 Big South Tournament after averaging 19 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. She was named to the First Team All-Big South Conference Team after leading the league with 10.3 boards per game and 15 double-doubles. She also ranked eleventh in the league in scoring, seventh in blocked shots, and was seventh in field goal percentage. The forward finished 33rd in the NCAA in rebounds per game and now stands fifth on the all-time Highlander list with 859 career rebounds.
Ed Polite (men’s basketball) took home the Male Athlete of the Year Award. Polite had a special senior campaign with the men’s basketball team this year, earning First Team All-Big South honors and becoming the second player in program history to be named Big South Defensive Player of the Year. With 1,119 career rebounds, he is now the program’s all-time leader and ranks second in Big South Conference history. The Lanham, Maryland native was also recognized as a NABC All-District First Team member and was selected to play in the 3x3U National Championship.
Jessica Wollmann (women’s soccer) was named the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. A scholar off the field and a gamer on it, Wollmann tallied a career-high eight goals for Radford and was named First Team All-Conference. She was also named to the Big South All-Academic Team and won Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year, carrying a perfect 4.0 for her career. Adding to her list of accomplishments, the Blacksburg, Virginia native was a Senior CLASS Award Top 10 Finalist and a CoSIDA Academic All-American. She is the only player to earn Academic All-District honors twice. To top it all off, Wollmann won one of the Commonwealth’s most prestigious awards, the Virginia Collegiate Honors Council Scholar of the Year, which is presented to a student from a member institution that successfully embodies the scholarship, character, and ambition associated with honor students and VCHC.
Jacob Wilkinson (men’s soccer) was tabbed as this year’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Wilkinson also carries a perfect 4.0 GPA as a double major in Accounting and Finance. The Frederick, Maryland native is the treasurer of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is a peer tutor in the learning enhancement center. He is an active member of the business honors society, Beta Gamma Sigma, IMA- the institute of managerial accounts and works closely with SMIPO.
Beatriz Mosquera-Quintas(women’s golf)was named the Female Freshman of the Year. The native of La Coruna, Spain enjoyed one of the finest campaigns in Radford women’s golf history this past year, becoming the first Highlander since 2015 to earn Big South All-Conference honors. In addition, she earned All-Freshman Team accolades and was selected to the All-Big South Championship Team after tying for third-place overall at the Patriot Golf Club in Ninety Six, South Carolina. She also recorded a school-record six Top-10 finishes, including five Top-3 results and maintained a school record 74.47 stroke average for the year. The sweet-swinging right-hander won the Benbow Invitational and was the runner-up at the French Broad Collegiate Invitational.
Macky Diop (men’s soccer) was selected as the Male Freshman of the Year. The Dekar, Senegal native took the Big South by storm in his debut season as a Highlander, scoring nine goals and providing five assists for 23 points in only 14 games. He became the fifth player in program history to be named Big South Freshman of the Year and the third to be tabbed as the Virginia Sports Information Directors’ Freshman of the Year. He earned First Team All-Big South and United Soccer Coaches All-South Region honors as well.
A new award was introduced at the RUBY’s this year, the Jennifer Norton Courage Award is given to an individual who has possessed strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of trial and the willingness to display positivity following a hardship. This year, the award was presented to Alex Caldwell from the men’s tennis team. Like Norton, a Highlander strength and conditioning coach, Caldwell has fought through much adversity over the course of the past year. At the end of last season, he had to have wrist surgery, which limited much of the fall playing season of his senior year. In addition, over the summer, he lost all of his belongings and home due to massive wildfires in his hometown of Athens, Greece. However, Alex has accomplished great triumph in the face of adversity since. He bounced back from his wrist surgery and led his team to its first Big South Conference Tournament title since 2012.
The men’s tennis squad captured the RUBY Cup. Team support is vital to the success of any athletics program. Radford Student-Athletes consistently support each other’s programs by displaying spirit during competition and are very giving of their time and service to the community. The men’s tennis team volunteered in a number of community service projects, earned well-over a 3.0 GPA, displayed team spirit at competitions and is active in the community throughout the year.
Other awards were given for: Senior Leadership (Amaya Rousseau, women’s volleyball)/Alex Caldwell, men’s tennis), Unsung Hero (Michaela Petersen, women’s lacrosse), Strength & Conditioning (Jessica Wollmann, women’s soccer/Caleb Tanner, men’s basketball),
In addition, Claire Dundon (women’s soccer) and Kyle Butler (baseball) were recognized as NSCA Strength and Conditioning All-Americans.
–RU Athetlics