WAYNE – With a few weeks remaining in the Spring sports season for the NSIC, Wayne State College student-athletes were honored during a recent banquet.
According to a release from Wayne State Athletics, 2023-24 accomplishments for the year were highlighted on Monday at the annual Ameritas Awards Banquet held in the Frey Conference Suite at the WSC Student Center.
A total of six major awards were handed out along with recognition of All-American, All-Conference and Academic All-American and All-NSIC honors along with team Most Valuable Players announced of sports that are completed.
Football standout Nick Bohn and volleyball player Taya Beller were announced as Athletes of the Year. Freshman athletes of the year honors went to volleyball standout Channatee Robles and football player Joe Morrison while the Bob Cunningham Scholar Athletes of the Year were handed out to volleyball player Jordan McCormick and men’s basketball player Cody McCullough.
Nick Bohn, a junior quarterback from Bennington, was named Male Athlete of the Year after leading the Wildcats to an 8-3 record this season. He was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Week three times, completing 178 of 293 passes for 2,677 yards and 22 TD adding another 12 rushing TD’s that ranked third in the NSIC. Bohn ranked second in the NSIC in total offense per game (259.7), third in passing yards (243.3), third in pass efficiency and fifth in passing TD’s.
Taya Beller, a 6-2 junior middle hitter from Lindsay (Humphrey/Lindsay Holy Family HS), received Female Athlete of the Year honors. She was voted AVCA and D2CCA All-America First Team for a second straight season averaging 3.53 kills and 1.13 blocks per set while helping the ‘Cats to a second straight NSIC regular season title, an NCAA Central Region championship and trip to the Elite 8. Beller led the NSIC in blocks per set, was fifth in kills while also ranking second in the NSIC and 16th nationally with a .381 hitting percentage. She also earned All-NSIC First Team honors for a third time and was voted College Sports Communicators Academic All-American First Team.
Joe Morrison, a redshirt freshman defensive back on the Wildcat football team from Jacksonville, Fla. (Riverside HS), was voted Male Freshman Athlete of the Year after a standout freshman season. He was named All-NSIC First Team and D2CCA All-Super Region 4 Second Team after ranking second in the NSIC with 13 passes defended, tied for third with four interceptions and tied for second in pass breakups (9). Morrison recorded 33 tackles and had four interceptions for 60 return yards. He had a season-high seven tackles at Sioux Falls and had six tackles, two breakups and an interception at Missouri S&T.
Channatee Robles, a freshman volleyball player from Norfolk (Norfolk Catholic HS) was named Female Freshman Athlete of the Year. She played in all but one set this season for the NSIC regular season and NCAA Central Region champion Wildcats, averaging 2.11 kills and 0.44 blocks per set. Robles posted a career-high 20 kills vs. Cal State Los Angles in the Wildcats’ Elite 8 match on December 7th with a .340 hitting percentage and also had 11 kills against #2 Concordia-St. Paul in the Central Region final December 2nd.
Jordan McCormick, a senior libero on the Wildcat volleyball team from Elkhorn South HS, received the Cunningham Female Scholar Athlete of the Year Award recording a 4.00 grade point average majoring in K-6 special education. She was named winner of the NSIC Elite 18 and NCAA Elite 90 Award this year as the top scholar athlete at a conference and national championship event. McCormick also collected College Sports Communicators Academic All-American Second Team honors and last summer was voted the first-ever Academic All-American for beach volleyball at Wayne State. On the court this season, she averaged 4.24 digs per set to rank 10th in the NSIC.
Cody McCullough, a 6-8 junior forward from Ankeny, Iowa was named Cunningham Male Scholar Athlete of the Year maintaining a 3.742 grade point average majoring in business. He is a two-time NSC All-Academic Team of Excellence selection and voted College Sports Communicators Academic All-District the last two seasons. On the court this season, McCullough averaged 8.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, shooting a team-high 57 percent from the field. He ranked fifth in the NSIC in offensive rebounds (65) and was 11th overall in the league in rebounds per game.
