The Golden Bruiser Awards Show is an annual event that celebrates individual and team Academic Achievement, Athletic Success, Character Formation, and Spiritual Growth! Organized and executed by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Golden Bruisers Administrative Committee, the ESPY’s style award show is an evening of entertainment, honors, food and fun!
Finalists for the awards are nominated by their peers and coaches based on performances during the nomination period. Then, student-athletes, coaches, and administrators vote to determine the winners!
This year, due to COVID 19, we will use social media to host a Virtual Golden Bruisers week highlighting individual and team accomplishments. Follow the official Baylor Athletics social media account and #GoldenBruisersWeek.
This award recognizes the male and female student-athlete who graduates with the highest overall GPA.
FEMALE ACADEMIC CHAMPION OF THE YEAR: Isabella Lackner, Women's Cross Country ( Announcement)
Isabella Lackner will graduate this May with a cumulative 4.0 GPA. She will receive both a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Baylor Business Fellows, Accounting, Finance and Mathematics and a master’s degree in taxation.
MALE ACADEMIC CHAMPION OF THE YEAR: Ryan Croson, Men's Track & Field ( Announcement)
Ryan Croson boasts a 3.8 GPA and will be graduating in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in degree in Health, Kinesiology, and Leisure Studies.
This award recognizes the male and female team with the combined highest percentage of personal best GPAs and cumulative GPAs during the voting period.
FEMALE ACADEMIC TEAM CHAMPION OF THE YEAR: Soccer ( Announcement)
Women’s Soccer earned an average team GPA of a 3.67 in the spring and fall 2019 semester. The team also had a combined 46% of their student-athletes achieve Personal Best.
MALE ACADEMIC TEAM CHAMPION OF THE YEAR: Men's Cross Country ( Announcement)
Men’s Cross Country had 56% of their team achieve their personal best GPAs this year. They also earned an average team GPA of a 3.32 in the spring and fall 2019 semester.
This award recognizes a student-athlete who demonstrates outstanding leadership, while positively influencing their teammates in and out of competition.
SPARK AWARD: Nicole Thomas, Volleyball ( Announcement)
Nicole makes the people around her better and puts others' needs above her own. She brought competitiveness to the volleyball court, represented the team well, and is the best example of what it looks like to do sports God’s way – never take a rep off, give all you have, and do it for the joy of the Lord!
This award recognizes a standout rookie who demonstrated outstanding athletic performance, academic achievement and positively represented the 4 pillars of preparing champions for life. A rookie is defined as any freshman student-athlete in their first year of competition at Baylor University.
FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Kara McGhee, Volleyball ( Announcement)
Two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, Kara McGhee was selected for the 2019 All-Big 12 second team and the All-Big 12 Rookie Team. She led the team in blocks/set and total blocks and was selected by the USA to the collegiate National team.
MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Johnny Keefer, Men's Golf ( Announcement)
Johnny is the #1 freshman in the Big 12 and has started in every tournament for Baylor this season with 3 top-5 finishes. He had a 4.0 GPA in the fall, is ranked #32 nationally and is the leading candidate for Big 12 freshman of the year.
This award recognizes a student-athlete who is considered the heart of the team, constantly displaying a passion for Baylor Athletics.
THE SIC 'EM AWARD: Camryn Bryant, Acrobatics & Tumbling ( Announcement)
Cam goes to any and every sporting event at Baylor that she can. She loved to go to football games and was the loudest one in the stands. She was the same way for both basketball and volleyball as well. She was also our biggest supporter on our team. Everyone around campus knew her for her contagious spirit and energy. Although Cam has had several injuries that have kept her from competing at meets, she has never let that stop her. She continually cheers on every one of her teammates at practice, she does whatever the team needs, she leads by example and she represents our sport and program strongly. Cam displays true outstanding sportsmanship.
The finalists for the outstanding spirit award are chosen based on attitude, skill, grades and total appearances throughout the school year. These individuals went above and beyond the yearly required football, basketball, volleyball games and post season events.
OUTSTANDING SPIRIT SQUAD MEMBER AWARD: Hannah Meissen ( Announcement)
Hannah is going into her second year as a member of our mascot Sic ‘Urity Team. She was also chosen to serve as captain for the 20-21 season. She is the first to volunteer for any appearance and we know she will represent Baylor Spirit with maturity and dignity.
This award recognizes a noteworthy game or performance where the team or individual experienced a comeback, which significantly impacted the outcome of competition and resulted in a victory.
COMEBACK OF THE YEAR: Football at TCU ( Announcement)
Baylor football over-came a 9-0 halftime deficit, to win a triple overtime game versus rival TCU. John Mayers made a career long 51-yard FG with 36 seconds left to push the game to overtime.
This award recognizes a male or female student-athlete who has exemplified a commitment to mission work locally or abroad.
MISSIONS AWARD: Braya Hunt ( Announcement)
Braya always says that the Lord guides and moves her more when she is on a mission trip and she loves it! In the past years she has been to Kenya for 10 days, Mexico for 5 and England for 10 days twice. While in Mexico she helped build a house with the volleyball team and in Kenya she showed the children how to represent the Lord while playing volleyball.
This award recognizes an impressive and memorable big play or moment from a male or female team, or individual, during competition.
PLAY OF THE YEAR: John Mayers at TCU ( Announcement)
The Bears fought back from a 9-0 halftime deficit to win a triple OT game versus rival TCU and needed a late 4th quarter, career long field goal from John Mayers to push the game to overtime. This play was a high-pressure situation in a hostile environment where missing the kick would have essentially ended the game.
This award recognizes the most impressive performance in competition by a male or female team.
TEAM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Men's Basketball at Kansas ( Announcement)
In a battle of top-5 teams on CBS' College Basketball Game of the Week, the Bears defied history and won for the first time in 17 trips to Allen Fieldhouse. The win was truly a team effort, with four players scoring in double-figures and the Bears committing a season-low 5 turnovers. It was the first road win against a top-5 team in program history. The win spring boarded the Bears to No. 2 in the national rankings, and a week later they reached No. 1 for the second time in program history.
This award recognizes a standout male and female sophomore, junior, or senior student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding athletic achievement on the field of play, maintains a GPA of 2.5 or above, and positively represents the 4 pillars of
preparing champions for life.
FEMALE STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Lauren Cox, Women's Basketball ( Announcement)
Cox is one of only two players in NCAA history with at least 1,500 points, 982 rebounds, 300 blocks, and 300 assists. She was named the 2020 Big 12 Player of the Year and received Unanimous First-Team All-America honors: Following the season Lauren was the 3rd overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft. She was also named to the First Team Academic All Big 12 and Second Team Academic All-American.
MALE STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Freddie Gillespie, Men's Basketball ( Announcement)
Freddie Gillespie went from playing only 16 minutes his freshman season at Division III Carleton to helping the Baylor Bears achieve No. 1 national ranking for 5 consecutive weeks and finish the season top-5 ranked for the first time in program history his redshirt senior year. Gillespie ranked top-60 nationally in offensive rebounds per game, blocked shots per game, double-doubles, and total rebounds per game. Freddie was selected as Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Academic All-Big 12, First Team.
This award recognizes one male and one female student-athlete who has overcome great personal, academic or emotional challenges to achieve academic success while making positive contributions to their respective teams.
FEMALE JOHN WESTBROOK AWARD: Grace Theil, Equestrian and Kyla Walker, Softball ( Announcement)
Grace Theil, Equestrian
In the 7th grade, Grace was diagnosed with juvenile osteoporosis, meaning that her bones broke easily. Within a year period, she broke six bones during three different sport related accidents, all requiring surgical repair. She underwent multiple infusions to help her condition, but her bone density must be regularly checked. Continuation of her sport put her at a higher risk of injury, but she continued to pursue it. Grace was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team, is a two time letterwinner, and has volunteered 15+ hours in the local community.
Kyla Walker, Softball
Kyla Walker has been no stranger to injuries while a student-athlete at Baylor. Her freshman year she suffered a stress fracture in her back and sophomore year she overcame bicep tendinitis. Her junior year she tore her labrum in her hip and her senior year she played through a torn shoulder. Despite it all Kyla demonstrated amazing leadership within the softball team while being named to the Dean’s list and serving in the local community.
MALE JOHN WESTBROOK AWARD: Daniel Caruso, Baseball ( Announcement)
Daniel has had a recurring shoulder injury which has negatively affected his baseball career. Despite his injury, he has become a positive role model for all the guys on the team and has shown that with dedication and perseverance you can overcome anything. Daniel has become a strong leader on the baseball team by leading by example and has been named to the Big 12 Commissioners Honor Roll.
This award recognizes a student-athlete who has displayed outstanding academic achievement and has experienced athletic success for Baylor Athletics. This student-athlete must be a sophomore, junior, or senior who maintains a GPA of 3.5 or above and represents the 4 pillars of
preparing champions for life.
FEMALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Lexie Amrhein, Acrobatics & Tumbling and Shelly Stafford, Volleyball ( Announcement)
Lexie Amrhein, Acrobatics & Tumbling
Lexie Amrhein is a 2020 Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award recipient, the Big 12 Conference's highest academic honor. She was named to the Academic All-Big 12 At-Large First Team with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average for the spring of 2019. Lexie competed in nine meets including all three postseason contests as skilled top and tumbler. She scored a season-high 9.65 in quad tumbling pass (3/26) and individual event national champion in the quad tumbling pass. Her performance at the 2019 national championship led her to her third national title.
Shelly Stafford, Volleyball
Shelly Stafford Achieved Personal Best 4.00 GPA in the Spring of 2019. She was the first volleyball player in Big 12 history to win Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year twice in her career. Shelly became the 10th player in program history and first since 2014 to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. She was also a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection. On the court she was a program leader in career hitting efficiency, 2019 unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection and a All-American.
MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Jimmy Bendeck, Men's Tennis ( Announcement)
Jimmy Bendeck was selected as Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a recipient of the Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award, the Big 12’s highest academic Honor. Bendeck is also a NCAA Today’s Top 10 Award recipient and was selected as All-Big 12 First Team for doubles. He was part of first Baylor team to earn the No. 1 ITA national ranking in the regular season in program history.
This award recognizes one team who has shown exceptional dedication toward community engagement throughout the academic year by volunteering for the most community engagement hours, on average, per team member, in the Waco community and globally.
COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS: Women's Golf ( Announcement)
The women’s golf team averaged 10.6 hours per person for the year and were actively engaged in numerous community engagement efforts such as KWTV Food for Families, Breakfast with the Bears, Kids Korral with the Toby Keith Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Pack of Hope, and Shepherd Heart.
This award recognizes a student-athlete who has exemplified a commitment to spiritual growth. This award is named after Acts 20:24, “
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (NIV).
ACTS 20:24 Award: Ally Henderson, Soccer ( Announcement)
Ally has helped grow the soccer team spiritually in every way and has helped the team be more open about their own faith. She is a true disciple of God’s word and is there for anyone who wants to talk about it. Her growth has helped everyone on the team grow as people and in faith. That is a true testament to the work God is doing and will continue to do in her life. She regularly attends BUnfiltered, Baylor Sports Ministry’s monthly worship night and brings her teammates. She also participated in the 8-week iDisciple training in the fall semester.
This award recognizes one male and one female team who had an impressive season, displayed academic excellence, overall team success, and positively represented the 4 pillars of
preparing champions for life.
FEMALE TEAM OF THE YEAR: Volleyball ( Announcement)
The Baylor Volleyball team had a stellar season that included eight wins over ranked foes and a share of the program's first Big 12 title. The Bears advanced to the NCAA Semifinals for the first time in program history. Volleyball became just the third team in the decade to win a Big 12 championship and shared the regular season title with Texas after completing a near-perfect 15-1 record. The Bears earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and had a perfect 17-0 record at home. The team finished the year with the Big 12 and National Player of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Setter of the Year, six all big 12 selections, and 3 all American honors. 13 student-athletes earned Big 12 Commissioners Honor Roll honors and nine student-athletes earn Academic All Big 12 Honors, all while serving locally with FCA, Baylor Sports Ministry, and other local community agencies and globally through mission trips to Guatemala and England.
MALE TEAM OF THE YEAR: Men's Basketball ( Announcement)
Ranked #1 for 5 straight weeks, longest since 2015, the Bears also held the longest win streak in the Big 12 conference with 23 wins. Prior to COVID-19, Men’s Basketball was projected to be the number 1 seed for the first time in school history. The team finished the year with the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, multiple All Big 12 team selections, and one all-American honor. The Bears had a school record of 4 players selected for the Academic All Big 12 Team, three named to the Big 12 Commissioners Honor Roll and 1 out of 3 student-athletes achieve their personal best GPA during the nominating period.
