2020 aCATemy Awards -Breakthrough Performance
Breakthrough Performance Award Nominees
Bryce Anthony, Men's Track & Field
-Made the entire conference take notice with an amazing A-10 Championship Weekend, finishing second in the 60m hurdles, 2nd in the heptathlon, and 7th in the ple vault as just a freshman.
-Broke the school record in the heptathlon, scoring 4,817 points over the grueling contest in which the athletes are tested in 7 different events over two days.
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom, Men's Basketball
-Increased minutes played from 1.5 as a freshman to 12.7 as a sophomore
-Was a defensive force with 20 blocks and 14 steals after only having 1 of each as a freshman.
-Stepped up when needed due to player absence and injuries.
Mary Grace Bunch, Women's Soccer
-Earned the starting goalkeeper spot for a record-breaking team and #2 defense in the A-10.
-Finished the season with a Save Percentage ranking #2 in the A-10 and #13 nationally, a Goals Against Average ranking #2 in the A-10 and #23 nationally
-Named to the A-10 All-Second Team (first Davidson player named to an A-10 postseason team), and was a Two-Time A-10 Defender of the Week
-Allowed just 6 goals in over 950 minutes of play, including helping the team set a new school record with eight straight shutouts during an 8-game unbeaten streak.
-Career high in saves (42) and shutouts (4.5)
Quinn Dudek, Men's Soccer
-Converted from forward to a defender
-Helped solidify a back line that endured a number of injuries throughout the season
Alex Fedje-Johnson, Baseball
-Played 3B and was one of four players to start all 16 games after starting just 20 last season
-Was third on the team with a .298 batting average after hitting .119 last season
-Tied for team lead in walks (12), and was second in HBPs (6) and OBP (.492)
Mira Gladstone, Women's Tennis
-As a freshman, she was in and out of the lineup at the end of last year.
-This year as a sophomore, she played at the #3/4 position in the fall and finished 8-3, and played at #4/5 in the spring and had a 5-4 record.
-Going from not playing to playing in the middle of our lineup was a huge accomplishment and shows how hard she continued to work the previous year, throughout the summer, fall and into the spring. Her growth had a huge impact on the program!
Kyle Gorant, Wrestling
-Finished in 3rd place at the SoCon Championships
-He defeated the #3 seed from Chattanooga, who had defeated Kyle in November 5-3, in the consolation final 14-8 to make the podium
Tommy Mason, Men's Tennis
-After an injury-plagued junior season while going 4-3, Tommy rebounded in his senior year by starting the season 10-4 while garnering his first A-10 Player of the Week nod.
-He led the team in wins and was one win shy from matching his career best of 11, with 8 regular season matches to play.
Hattie Rodriguez, Volleyball
-The sophomore turned in one of the best single-season performances in recent history from an outside hitter.
-Improved her season kills by 117, digs by 59, and aces by 13 from her freshman season.
-Finished 5th in the A-10 in kills per set and 7th in points per set, leading the team in both categories.
-Named 2nd team All A-10 and earned Davidson Invitational Tournament MVP recognition.
Siena Senn, Women's Swimming
-In 2019, as a freshman, Siena tallied one individual event victory. Her performances at the 2019 A-10 Championship earned on finals appearance - a 16th place finish in the 500 freestyle after squeaking into the B-final as the 18th and final swimmer to advance to finals.
-Her sophomore season was a revelation. Through the dual meet season, she was a leader, accumulating 12 individual event victories. She entered the A-10 Championship as the top seed in the 500 and 200 freestyle events.
-In the 500 free, she won her first A-10 Championship, breaking Elise Lankiewicz's sophomore class record. In the 200 free, she took the A-10's bronze medal, and as a member of two Davidson relays, she took silver and bronze, breaking the Davidson record as a member of the Wildcats' 800 Free team.
Jalen Staples, Football
-Having not seen the field as a freshman, he worked hard to improve. As a sophomore, he averaged 22.2 yards per catch, which was 5th across all college football.
-He was named honorable mention All-PFL as a sophomore.
Chloe Welch, Women's Basketball
-Made a big jump from freshman to sophomore season, going from rarely used bench player to consistent starter.
-Improved her scoring from 1.3 points per game to 8.6 PPG overall and from 0.7 PPG to 10.5 in conference play.
-Took on the role of featured lock-down defender for the team.
Bryce Anthony, Men's Track & Field
-Made the entire conference take notice with an amazing A-10 Championship Weekend, finishing second in the 60m hurdles, 2nd in the heptathlon, and 7th in the ple vault as just a freshman.
-Broke the school record in the heptathlon, scoring 4,817 points over the grueling contest in which the athletes are tested in 7 different events over two days.
Nelson Boachie-Yiadom, Men's Basketball
-Increased minutes played from 1.5 as a freshman to 12.7 as a sophomore
-Was a defensive force with 20 blocks and 14 steals after only having 1 of each as a freshman.
-Stepped up when needed due to player absence and injuries.
Mary Grace Bunch, Women's Soccer
-Earned the starting goalkeeper spot for a record-breaking team and #2 defense in the A-10.
-Finished the season with a Save Percentage ranking #2 in the A-10 and #13 nationally, a Goals Against Average ranking #2 in the A-10 and #23 nationally
-Named to the A-10 All-Second Team (first Davidson player named to an A-10 postseason team), and was a Two-Time A-10 Defender of the Week
-Allowed just 6 goals in over 950 minutes of play, including helping the team set a new school record with eight straight shutouts during an 8-game unbeaten streak.
-Career high in saves (42) and shutouts (4.5)
Quinn Dudek, Men's Soccer
-Converted from forward to a defender
-Helped solidify a back line that endured a number of injuries throughout the season
Alex Fedje-Johnson, Baseball
-Played 3B and was one of four players to start all 16 games after starting just 20 last season
-Was third on the team with a .298 batting average after hitting .119 last season
-Tied for team lead in walks (12), and was second in HBPs (6) and OBP (.492)
Mira Gladstone, Women's Tennis
-As a freshman, she was in and out of the lineup at the end of last year.
-This year as a sophomore, she played at the #3/4 position in the fall and finished 8-3, and played at #4/5 in the spring and had a 5-4 record.
-Going from not playing to playing in the middle of our lineup was a huge accomplishment and shows how hard she continued to work the previous year, throughout the summer, fall and into the spring. Her growth had a huge impact on the program!
Kyle Gorant, Wrestling
-Finished in 3rd place at the SoCon Championships
-He defeated the #3 seed from Chattanooga, who had defeated Kyle in November 5-3, in the consolation final 14-8 to make the podium
Tommy Mason, Men's Tennis
-After an injury-plagued junior season while going 4-3, Tommy rebounded in his senior year by starting the season 10-4 while garnering his first A-10 Player of the Week nod.
-He led the team in wins and was one win shy from matching his career best of 11, with 8 regular season matches to play.
Hattie Rodriguez, Volleyball
-The sophomore turned in one of the best single-season performances in recent history from an outside hitter.
-Improved her season kills by 117, digs by 59, and aces by 13 from her freshman season.
-Finished 5th in the A-10 in kills per set and 7th in points per set, leading the team in both categories.
-Named 2nd team All A-10 and earned Davidson Invitational Tournament MVP recognition.
Siena Senn, Women's Swimming
-In 2019, as a freshman, Siena tallied one individual event victory. Her performances at the 2019 A-10 Championship earned on finals appearance - a 16th place finish in the 500 freestyle after squeaking into the B-final as the 18th and final swimmer to advance to finals.
-Her sophomore season was a revelation. Through the dual meet season, she was a leader, accumulating 12 individual event victories. She entered the A-10 Championship as the top seed in the 500 and 200 freestyle events.
-In the 500 free, she won her first A-10 Championship, breaking Elise Lankiewicz's sophomore class record. In the 200 free, she took the A-10's bronze medal, and as a member of two Davidson relays, she took silver and bronze, breaking the Davidson record as a member of the Wildcats' 800 Free team.
Jalen Staples, Football
-Having not seen the field as a freshman, he worked hard to improve. As a sophomore, he averaged 22.2 yards per catch, which was 5th across all college football.
-He was named honorable mention All-PFL as a sophomore.
Chloe Welch, Women's Basketball
-Made a big jump from freshman to sophomore season, going from rarely used bench player to consistent starter.
-Improved her scoring from 1.3 points per game to 8.6 PPG overall and from 0.7 PPG to 10.5 in conference play.
-Took on the role of featured lock-down defender for the team.
