Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina Athletics gathered Wednesday night to celebrate the incredible accomplishments of the Catamount student-athletes during the 2024-25 season-to-date with the department's annual A-CAT-EMY Awards ceremony, presented by Prospect Cullowhee and held at the Bardo Arts Center.
 
Student-athletes from each of Western Carolina's sports were honored for their performances this year, as 26 awards were distributed for standout performances on the court, in the weight room, and in the classroom. In addition, members of this year's senior class across all sports received their special student-athlete stoles for graduation as they complete their collegiate careers.    
 
On Wednesday, Western Carolina's football team was the most well-represented of the award winners as redshirt freshman quarterback Taron Dickens (Male Newcomer of the Year), Steven Hamby (Male Scholar Athlete of the Year), Micah Nelson (Male Comeback Athlete of the Year), and AJ Colombo (A-CAT-EMY Awards Male Athlete of the Year) after pacing the WCU offense in receptions and receiving yards.
 
The Catamount SoCon champion women's soccer, women's tennis, volleyball, and men's cross country/track & field teams all tied with three awards each. Junior Jade Groen and women's tennis head coach Bret Beaver were named the A-CAT-EMY Female Student-Athlete and the Female Team Head Coach of the Year, while Chloe Schwarz collected the Female Comeback Athlete of the Year recognition as the tennis team posted its best performance in program history.  
 
Head coach Jesse Norman was named the Men's Team Coach of The Year after pushing the Catamount cross country team, which earned the award for Men's Team of The Year, to their first second-place finish at the conference championship event since 1993 and claimed second for the men's team during the SoCon Indoor Track and Field Championships. Senior distance runner Drew Zink claimed Mr. WCU honors to round out the cross country / track & field awards.  
 
The Catamount women's soccer team was honored as the 2024-25 Women's Team of The Year thanks in large part to securing their second consecutive Southern Conference regular season title, solidifying the top seed with a 2-0 shutout win over the Furman Paladins. The title-clinching victory was dubbed the Biggest Victory by a women's team this year, with captain Becca Campbell being named the Women's Spotlight Athlete of the Year. 
 
Volleyball senior Bailey Hartsough received the most individual awards at the year-end celebration as she was named both Miss WCU and the Female Iron Cat Award, recognizing her efforts in the weight room. The WCU volleyball team was awarded one of the biggest awards of the night as well, being named the Prospect Cullowhee "Back The Cats" award recipient thanks to their consistent support of other Catamount athletics teams throughout the year. 
 
Below are the nominating criteria for all the awards and complete lists of the award recipients and the seniors honored:
   
Male & Female A-CAT-EMY Athlete of the Year: 
This award is given to the most valuable student-athletes on their respective team, whose presence and performance make the greatest impact. The A-CAT-EMY Athlete of the Year winners have typically earned the attention and respect of their peers in the Southern Conference and beyond with all-conference nominations or higher within their respective sports.
Female: Jade Groen, women's tennis
Male: AJ Colombo, football
 
Mister and Miss WCU: 
These awards are given to the student-athletes who best exemplify the spirit of the Catamounts in all areas possible. The award is given out based on success in all facets of a student-athlete's experience, including academics, athletics, team leadership, and service to others.
Miss: Bailey Hartsough, volleyball 
Mister: Drew Zink, men's cross country
 
Male & Female Newcomer of the Year: 
The winner of this award is the student-athlete with the best season performance by a freshman or first-year athlete throughout their season. The recipients show outstanding work ethic and performance while also playing a significant role on their team, showing experience and skill beyond what is expected for their class. 
Female: Amanda Fulton, softball
Male: Taron Dickens, football 
 
Biggest Victory Award: 
The Biggest Victory award is given to the men's and women's teams that had the biggest upset, accomplished a massive goal, triumphed over a rival or fought against improbable odds to come away with the win.
Female: Women's soccer victory at Furman to clinch regular-season title
Male: Baseball's walk off to take the series vs. Big Ten foe, Maryland 
 
Men's & Women's A-CAT-EMY Coach of the Year Award: 
This award is given to the coaches who excelled at putting their respective teams and athletes in the best position possible to succeed, time and time again.
Female: Bret Beaver, women's tennis
Male: Jesse Norman, cross country / track and field  
 
Men's & Women's A-CAT-EMY Team of the Year: 
This award is given to the team that displays the best overall performance in their season, standing out amongst the competition and earning the respect of their peers and competitors alike.   
Female: Women's Soccer
Male: Cross Country  
 
Spotlight Athlete of the Year:
This award goes to the student-athletes who leave a great impact on their team, being a key component to the group's success despite not necessarily filling the stat sheet.   
Female: Becca Campbell, women's soccer
Male: Bernard Pelote, men's basketball 
 
Community Service Award: 
Is presented to the team that leaves the greatest impact on their Western North Carolina and Jackson County community, proportionate to their roster size.
2024-25 Community Service Award: Catamount Cheerleading
 
WCU Staff and Faculty Member of the Year Award: 
Two respective awards are given out to the WCU staff and faculty members who went above and beyond in helping our student-athletes become the best they can be.
Staff Member: Brian Boyer
Faculty Member: Mindy Weathers, Communication
 
Comeback Athlete of the Year:
Awarded to the male/female student-athletes who have overcome injury in the previous year to return to play this season, enduring rehabilitation and working their way back into playing form. This award is voted on by the sports medicine staff.
Female: Chloe Schwarz, women's tennis
Male: Micah Nelson, football  
 
Iron Cat Award: 
Awarded by WCU's sports performance staff, this honor goes to both the male and female student-athletes who demonstrate the ultimate strength in the weight room.
Female: Bailey Hartsough, volleyball
Male: Cannon Pickell, baseball  
 
The Tik-Tok Award: 
As the name suggests, this relatively new award goes to the team that produced the best Tik-Tok content and is voted on by the student-athletes in the crowd at the A-CAT-EMY Awards.
Winner: Cheerleading
 
The Academic Team of the Year Award is given to the team with the best cumulative GPA.
Academic Team of the Year: Women's Golf - (Team GPA: 3.777)  
 
The Back the Cats Award, presented by Prospect Cullowhee, is given to the WCU team that receives the highest number of points for the year by supporting their fellow student-athletes and rooting for the overall success of Catamount Athletics.
Back the Cats: Volleyball 
 

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