April 9, 2015 MALIBU, Calif. - The women's soccer team was the big winner at Pepperdine's annual student-athlete awards ceremony on Wednesday night, as the squad took home a total of seven different honors.
A variety of student-athletes presented awards in the newly expanded program, dubbed the "Pep Espys". Matt West of the men's volleyball team and Stasia Demick of the women's cross country/track teams were the hosts for the evening and kept the crowd entertained with their various costume changes and acts between presentations.
The five traditional awards went to Kevin DeHuff of men's golf (Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year), Kristine Hilliard of women's soccer (Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year), Lorraine Guillermo of women's tennis (Maurice Hilliard Award), Lisa Santroch of women's cross country/track (Female Wave of the Year) and David Pelekoudas of men's golf (Male Wave of the Year).
The Maurice Hilliard Award, given in honor and memory of Pepperdine's late athletic chaplain, goes to a student-athlete that exemplifies the attributes of Christian faith, character and leadership. The Wave of the Year, presented by Pepperdine's SAAC, honors student-athletes for outstanding contributions in spirit and service to the athletics program and the university community.
Student-athletes voted on the remainder of the awards, all of which were handed out for the first time. Here were the winners:
Female Athlete in a Starring Role: Lynn Williams, women's soccer
Male Athlete in a Starring Role: Stacy Davis, men's basketball
Female Athlete in a Supporting Role: Kristine Hilliard, women's soccer
Male Athlete in a Supporting Role: Amadi Udenyi, men's basketball
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year: Meagan Harbison, women's soccer
Rookie of the Year: Hailey Harbison, women's soccer
Best Moment of the Year: Pepperdine women's soccer beating USC in penalty kicks in the NCAA Tournament.
Best Upset of the Year: Pepperdine women's soccer beating North Carolina.
The women's soccer team went 16-3-4 this past fall, reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and finishing with a #10 national ranking.
