TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati Department of Athletics celebrated its 2021 One Team Honors on Monday, May 17, 2021.
One Team Honors is an annual end-of-year event which celebrates the best of Bearcats Athletics. Led by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Bearcats student-athletes and staff presented awards in a number of categories.
Monday's awards marked the second time the honors took place virtually. Bearcats fans can watch a replay of the event on the platform of their choice.
• Watch on YouTube HERE.
• Watch on Facebook HERE.
2021 AWARD WINNERS
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Awarded to a male and female student-athlete in their first year as Bearcats who have made the biggest impact on their respective teams.
Alec Sandusky – Men's Track & Field
Matea Sumajstorcic – Women's Swimming & Diving
NANCY HAMANT SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Awarded to the male and female senior student-athlete with the highest student-athlete cumulative GPA.
Lily Bunse – Women's Track & Field
• Undergrad degree in Health sciences and graduated this May with a Master's in Public Health
• Bearcats Strong 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
• Legion of Excellence 2019 Inductee
• Conference All-Academic Team 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
• 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award Winner 2020
Zach Baecker – Men's Swimming & Diving
• Graduated with a degree in Finance
• Bearcats Strong 2018, 2019, 2020
• Legion of Excellence 2020 Inductee
• Conference All-Academic Team 2018, 2019, 2020
DR. SIMON ANDERSON FACULTY AWARD
This award honors Dr. Simon Anderson, who worked as a professor in UC's College-Conservatory of Music for 41 years. This accolade is presented to a faculty member who demonstrates continued support of the educational advancement of UC student-athletes.
Dr. Steven Fuller
• Professor of Communications at UC.
• He was nominated by Jessica Davis (Women's Swimming and Diving).
COMMUNITY CATS AWARD
This award makes its debut in 2021 and recognizes a Bearcats student-athlete that goes above and beyond when it comes to serving the University and Cincinnati community.
Arthur Greenlee IV – Men's Track & Field
Shannon Williams – Volleyball
ONE TEAM STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD
This award combined the Tobler Time Award and the ONE TEAM Student-Athlete Award
This individual might be seen as the unsung hero of the team. Someone who may not always receive recognition, but is still always looking out for the best interest of the team, is supportive and always maintains a positive attitude. A student-athlete who lives the one team culture every day and best represents the CPAW.
Dondrae Bremner – Baseball
Camryn Streid – Women's Swimming & Diving
BEN FLICK MEMORIAL AWARD
Former UC football players Grant Coleman and Mark Wilson created this award to honor the memory of teammate Ben Flick, who passed away in 2013. This award is granted to a freshman who has made an impact on the Bearcats Community and embodies the same characteristics of charisma, passion, and dedication that Ben displayed.
Carlos Kouassi – Men's Track & Field
Leonie Traeger – Women's Track & Field
HELEN NORMAN SMITH & JIMMY NIPPERT AWARDS
The Helen Norman Smith and Jimmy Nippert Awards are given to the female and male senior student-athletes who have demonstrated over the course of their career academic achievement, outstanding contributions and/or excellence in athletic performance in their sport and documented community service.
HELEN NORMAN SMITH AWARD
Helen Norman Smith came to UC in 1922 as an instructor in health and physical education and rose to the rank of assistant professor in 1923 and associate professor in 1926. For much of her tenure, she served essentially as the athletics director for women's sports, which operated on a philosophy of broad-based participation. She organized the first certified health education course of studies at UC and was elected to UC's James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979.
Hannah Markel – Women's Track & Field
Athletic Accolades:
• Currently ranks 2nd all time for the Bearcats in outdoor 10,000M and 7th all-time in the outdoor 5,000M
• Indoor she ranks #1 all-time in the 3,000M and #3 all time in the indoor mile
• Voted teammate of the year on several occasions and captain for her team
Academic Accolades:
• University of Cincinnati C-Ring Award Winner
• 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee
• 2018 Legion of Excellence Inductee
• Conference All-Academic Team- all 4 years (2016-2020)
• Dean's List 7 times and Bearcats Honor Roll every semester
• Bearcats STRONG- every season (2016-2020)
• Jean Stephens Memorial Award Nominee- 2020, 2021
• Actively involved in student-athlete social justice movement and women in sports movement
• Started Inspire, Equip, Connect program for women's leadership in the department in Fall 2019
• Graduated last Spring with a degree in Marketing and currently pursuing her MBA
JIMMY NIPPERT AWARD
Jimmy Nippert was a center on the 1922 and 1923 UC football team that became the namesake of UC's historic home facility. During the season-ending clash with rival Miami (Ohio) in 1923, Nippert sustained a spike-wound injury and died a month later from blood poisoning. His grandfather, James N. Gamble of Procter and Gamble, provided the funds needed to complete the horseshoe-shaped structure, and the James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium was dedicated on Nov. 8, 1924.
Arthur Greenlee IV – Men's Track & Field
Athletic Accolades:
• American Athletic Conference Champion in the 60M hurdles in 2020 and his time of 7.77 seconds ranks him #3 on the UC all-time list
• He ranks #9 on the UC all-time list in the 110M hurdles and he finished top 3 in every track meet during the 2020 indoor season
• Earned American Athletic All-Conference honors both indoor and outdoor seasons in 2019
Academic Accolades:
• USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors -2019, 2020
• 2020 Jean Stephens Memorial Award Winner
• Conference All-Academic Team- 2018-2019, 2019-2020
• Dean's List- Spring 2019, Spring 2020
• Bearcats Honor Roll – All 4 Semesters (Fall 2018 to Spring 2020)
• Bearcats STRONG – 2019, 2020
• Co-founder of the Black Student-Athlete Association during 2020-21 year
• Envisioned and organized our Social Justice March held on campus in the Fall of 2020
• Outspoken leader of our team and all student-athletes in athletics
• He graduated this May with a degree in Organizational Leadership
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
IImar'I Thomas – Women's Basketball
• AAC Player of the year for the 2020-21 season
• Only Conference player to earn unanimous 1st team all AAC honors for the 2nd consecutive season
• Earned National Player of the week honors from the USBWBA
• Named a WBCA All America Regional Finalist
• She was named a finalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year and finalist for the Senior Class Award
• Finished the 2020-2021 season averaging 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 blocks for the bearcats
• She tallied 30 or more points in a game 6 times and 20 or more points on 19 occasions
• Set UC WBB and AAC record for most points in a game after pouring in 51 points at ECU joining Oscar Robertson as only the 2nd player in UC history 50 or more points in a game
• Ended her UC career as only player in school history to achieve more than 1800 career points and 800 career rebounds
Desmond Ridder - Football
• Earned AAC Offense Player of the Year and First-Team All AAC accolades for the 2020 Football season
• Helped lead the Bearcats to their first ever AAC Football Championship Title and their first outright league title since 2009
• Most outstanding player of AAC Football Championship after completing 19 out of 29 passes totaling 269 yards and 1 passing touchdown, while rushing 83 yards with a touchdown himself
• Finished the 2020 season with 592 rushing yards and 2,296 passing yards, currently ranked 4th in Cincinnati career passing yards with 6,666 total yards
• Semi-finalist for the Davey O'Brian Trophy and Maxwell award and finalist for the Manning award
• Completed the most rushing yards by a quarterback in school history after rushing 179 yards at SMU which also included the longest rushing touchdown in school history with a 91-yard run into the end zone
• Returns for his senior season with an 88.2% winning percentage making him the winningest quarterback in school history
Enters the 2021 season with the highest winning percentage amongst NCAA active quarterbacks
TEAM OF THE YEAR
All Student-Athletes
All the sacrifices and hard work all our student-athletes put in on and off the field to ensure we had a successful Bearcats season even in the midst of a pandemic.
ONE TEAM STAFF AWARD
Each year, a male and female member of the athletics staff who fits UC's One Team mantra is honored. Staff members are nominated by their peers for going above and beyond their duties and being great representatives of the guiding principles of respect, integrity, determination, excellence, and togetherness.
Student-Athlete Support Services & Academic Learning Services Staff
Dr. Luckey and his SASS staff and their work virtually supporting our student-athletes this past year academically and assisting with their academic success
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
One Team Honors is an annual end-of-year event which celebrates the best of Bearcats Athletics. Led by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Bearcats student-athletes and staff presented awards in a number of categories.
Monday's awards marked the second time the honors took place virtually. Bearcats fans can watch a replay of the event on the platform of their choice.
• Watch on YouTube HERE.
• Watch on Facebook HERE.
2021 AWARD WINNERS
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Awarded to a male and female student-athlete in their first year as Bearcats who have made the biggest impact on their respective teams.
Alec Sandusky – Men's Track & Field
Matea Sumajstorcic – Women's Swimming & Diving
NANCY HAMANT SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Awarded to the male and female senior student-athlete with the highest student-athlete cumulative GPA.
Lily Bunse – Women's Track & Field
• Undergrad degree in Health sciences and graduated this May with a Master's in Public Health
• Bearcats Strong 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
• Legion of Excellence 2019 Inductee
• Conference All-Academic Team 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
• 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award Winner 2020
Zach Baecker – Men's Swimming & Diving
• Graduated with a degree in Finance
• Bearcats Strong 2018, 2019, 2020
• Legion of Excellence 2020 Inductee
• Conference All-Academic Team 2018, 2019, 2020
DR. SIMON ANDERSON FACULTY AWARD
This award honors Dr. Simon Anderson, who worked as a professor in UC's College-Conservatory of Music for 41 years. This accolade is presented to a faculty member who demonstrates continued support of the educational advancement of UC student-athletes.
Dr. Steven Fuller
• Professor of Communications at UC.
• He was nominated by Jessica Davis (Women's Swimming and Diving).
COMMUNITY CATS AWARD
This award makes its debut in 2021 and recognizes a Bearcats student-athlete that goes above and beyond when it comes to serving the University and Cincinnati community.
Arthur Greenlee IV – Men's Track & Field
Shannon Williams – Volleyball
ONE TEAM STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD
This award combined the Tobler Time Award and the ONE TEAM Student-Athlete Award
This individual might be seen as the unsung hero of the team. Someone who may not always receive recognition, but is still always looking out for the best interest of the team, is supportive and always maintains a positive attitude. A student-athlete who lives the one team culture every day and best represents the CPAW.
Dondrae Bremner – Baseball
Camryn Streid – Women's Swimming & Diving
BEN FLICK MEMORIAL AWARD
Former UC football players Grant Coleman and Mark Wilson created this award to honor the memory of teammate Ben Flick, who passed away in 2013. This award is granted to a freshman who has made an impact on the Bearcats Community and embodies the same characteristics of charisma, passion, and dedication that Ben displayed.
Carlos Kouassi – Men's Track & Field
Leonie Traeger – Women's Track & Field
HELEN NORMAN SMITH & JIMMY NIPPERT AWARDS
The Helen Norman Smith and Jimmy Nippert Awards are given to the female and male senior student-athletes who have demonstrated over the course of their career academic achievement, outstanding contributions and/or excellence in athletic performance in their sport and documented community service.
HELEN NORMAN SMITH AWARD
Helen Norman Smith came to UC in 1922 as an instructor in health and physical education and rose to the rank of assistant professor in 1923 and associate professor in 1926. For much of her tenure, she served essentially as the athletics director for women's sports, which operated on a philosophy of broad-based participation. She organized the first certified health education course of studies at UC and was elected to UC's James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979.
Hannah Markel – Women's Track & Field
Athletic Accolades:
• Currently ranks 2nd all time for the Bearcats in outdoor 10,000M and 7th all-time in the outdoor 5,000M
• Indoor she ranks #1 all-time in the 3,000M and #3 all time in the indoor mile
• Voted teammate of the year on several occasions and captain for her team
Academic Accolades:
• University of Cincinnati C-Ring Award Winner
• 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee
• 2018 Legion of Excellence Inductee
• Conference All-Academic Team- all 4 years (2016-2020)
• Dean's List 7 times and Bearcats Honor Roll every semester
• Bearcats STRONG- every season (2016-2020)
• Jean Stephens Memorial Award Nominee- 2020, 2021
• Actively involved in student-athlete social justice movement and women in sports movement
• Started Inspire, Equip, Connect program for women's leadership in the department in Fall 2019
• Graduated last Spring with a degree in Marketing and currently pursuing her MBA
JIMMY NIPPERT AWARD
Jimmy Nippert was a center on the 1922 and 1923 UC football team that became the namesake of UC's historic home facility. During the season-ending clash with rival Miami (Ohio) in 1923, Nippert sustained a spike-wound injury and died a month later from blood poisoning. His grandfather, James N. Gamble of Procter and Gamble, provided the funds needed to complete the horseshoe-shaped structure, and the James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium was dedicated on Nov. 8, 1924.
Arthur Greenlee IV – Men's Track & Field
Athletic Accolades:
• American Athletic Conference Champion in the 60M hurdles in 2020 and his time of 7.77 seconds ranks him #3 on the UC all-time list
• He ranks #9 on the UC all-time list in the 110M hurdles and he finished top 3 in every track meet during the 2020 indoor season
• Earned American Athletic All-Conference honors both indoor and outdoor seasons in 2019
Academic Accolades:
• USTFCCCA All-Academic Honors -2019, 2020
• 2020 Jean Stephens Memorial Award Winner
• Conference All-Academic Team- 2018-2019, 2019-2020
• Dean's List- Spring 2019, Spring 2020
• Bearcats Honor Roll – All 4 Semesters (Fall 2018 to Spring 2020)
• Bearcats STRONG – 2019, 2020
• Co-founder of the Black Student-Athlete Association during 2020-21 year
• Envisioned and organized our Social Justice March held on campus in the Fall of 2020
• Outspoken leader of our team and all student-athletes in athletics
• He graduated this May with a degree in Organizational Leadership
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
IImar'I Thomas – Women's Basketball
• AAC Player of the year for the 2020-21 season
• Only Conference player to earn unanimous 1st team all AAC honors for the 2nd consecutive season
• Earned National Player of the week honors from the USBWBA
• Named a WBCA All America Regional Finalist
• She was named a finalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year and finalist for the Senior Class Award
• Finished the 2020-2021 season averaging 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.2 blocks for the bearcats
• She tallied 30 or more points in a game 6 times and 20 or more points on 19 occasions
• Set UC WBB and AAC record for most points in a game after pouring in 51 points at ECU joining Oscar Robertson as only the 2nd player in UC history 50 or more points in a game
• Ended her UC career as only player in school history to achieve more than 1800 career points and 800 career rebounds
Desmond Ridder - Football
• Earned AAC Offense Player of the Year and First-Team All AAC accolades for the 2020 Football season
• Helped lead the Bearcats to their first ever AAC Football Championship Title and their first outright league title since 2009
• Most outstanding player of AAC Football Championship after completing 19 out of 29 passes totaling 269 yards and 1 passing touchdown, while rushing 83 yards with a touchdown himself
• Finished the 2020 season with 592 rushing yards and 2,296 passing yards, currently ranked 4th in Cincinnati career passing yards with 6,666 total yards
• Semi-finalist for the Davey O'Brian Trophy and Maxwell award and finalist for the Manning award
• Completed the most rushing yards by a quarterback in school history after rushing 179 yards at SMU which also included the longest rushing touchdown in school history with a 91-yard run into the end zone
• Returns for his senior season with an 88.2% winning percentage making him the winningest quarterback in school history
Enters the 2021 season with the highest winning percentage amongst NCAA active quarterbacks
TEAM OF THE YEAR
All Student-Athletes
All the sacrifices and hard work all our student-athletes put in on and off the field to ensure we had a successful Bearcats season even in the midst of a pandemic.
ONE TEAM STAFF AWARD
Each year, a male and female member of the athletics staff who fits UC's One Team mantra is honored. Staff members are nominated by their peers for going above and beyond their duties and being great representatives of the guiding principles of respect, integrity, determination, excellence, and togetherness.
Student-Athlete Support Services & Academic Learning Services Staff
Dr. Luckey and his SASS staff and their work virtually supporting our student-athletes this past year academically and assisting with their academic success
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.