Centre soccer player Jeremy Carlson and cross country and track athlete Ashley El Rady were selected as Centre's Student Athletes of the Year, the College announced at its annual Honors Convocation on Tuesday.
The awards are given annually to a male and female senior student athlete who has shown a combination of athletic excellence, academic achievement, service and leadership during their time at Centre. Winners of Centre's Student Athlete of the Year Awards, the two will be eligible for awards at the conference and NCAA levels.
Carlson (Seattle, Wash.), received several awards over his time at Centre, including three all-region selections, four all-conference selections, four Southern Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week awards, and an SAA Defensive Player of the Year award. He started 76 of 77 career games, and was the leader of a back line that helped Centre lead the SAA in goals against average in each of the last two seasons.
Carlson has also been selected as an NSCAA Scholar All-American, a three-time member of the SAA Academic Honor Roll, and a two time team captain. Off the field, he has volunteered with youth soccer programs in Danville and Seattle, Boyle County Park Clean-Up, and with in-need children.
"I think the award speaks for itself," said men's soccer head coach Jeb Burch. "Jeremy works hard in the classroom, is a good guy on campus, and is a heck of an athlete and soccer player. His influence on our program was invaluable, and to watch his maturation over these four years has been rewarding as a coach."
El Rady (Louisville, Ky.) earned Freshman Runner of the Year honors in both the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and South/Southeast Region while qualifying for the NCAA Division III Championships in the fall of her freshman year, and continued to pick up a slew of accolades over her four-year career in cross country and track & field at Centre. In cross country, she was a three-time national NCAA qualifier, a four time all-conference and all-region performer, a three-time SAA Runner of the Week, and a member of four conference championship teams. In track, she was an All-SAA selection in 2014 and 2015, and holds school indoor records in the mile and the 3,000 meters.
El Rady was also recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on its National All-Academic Team all four years, and has been named to the SAA or SCAC Academic Honor Roll all four years. She was also a recipient of the Brown Fellows Scholarship, the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership honor, was a resident advisor for three years, and was involved in various community service activities in Danville and Louisville.
"Ashley is so deserving of being named the Centre College Women's Student Athlete of the Year," said Lisa Owens, Centre's head track & field and cross country coach. "She perfectly embodies the NCAA Division III philosophy. I am so proud of everything that Ashley has accomplished during her four years at Centre, both in the classroom and on the cross country course and track. She is a wonderful person and leader for our teams, and she will be greatly missed as she graduates in the coming weeks."