Smalley wins 1^st annual Athletics Director Aggie Pride award

GREENSBORO, April 28, 2008 – Junior Alexandria Spruiel broke four indoor track and field North Carolina A&T records, and if C.J. Beatty continues on his current pace he will have a few          baseball school records before his career is over.                                                 C.J. Beatty

Both received the North Carolina A&T athletics department’s top honor at the Aggies annual All-Sports Banquet Monday at the Alumni Event Center. Spruiel earned N.C. A&T Female Athlete of the Year honors, while Beatty took home award on the male side.

Beatty has 20 career home runs in just two seasons and he is on pace to lead the MEAC in home runs for a second straight season. Beatty ranks in the top 10 in 10 different statistical categories in the MEAC. He is batting a league-leading .434 with  two outs and is batting .440 with runners in scoring position. A year ago, Beatty was the N.C. A&T Male Freshman of the Year.
Alexandria Spruiel

Spruiel broke four school records during the indoor season in the 400 meters. She ranked in the top 10 nationally in the indoor 400. For the outdoor season, she has qualified for the East Regional in the 200 and 400 meters and she will be one-fourth of the Aggies 4x100 meter relay team. A year ago she was an outdoor NCAA National qualifier. She along with teammate Loreal Smith was the first N.C. A&T women's track and field athletes to ever qualify for NCAA Nationals in indoor.
 
Senior Athlete of the Year awards went to men's basketball player Steven Rush and swimmer Gia Wright. Rush led the Aggies in scoring for the second straight season, and he finished his career third on the Aggies all-time 3-pointers made list after playing just two seasons for N.C. A&T. Rush hit 10 3-pointers to help the Aggies upset DePaul. Wright won 29 events over her career and had five first-place finishes during the 2007-08 season despite swimming on a team with just seven swimmers.

Women's basketball player Jalessa Sams and men's basketball player Thomas Coleman took home the rookie awards. Sams started 17 games and averaged 9.3 and 5.2 rebounds. She recorded three double-doubles and was selected to the MEAC All-Rookie team. Coleman averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds and was second in the MEAC in blocks with 1.8 per game. He broke a single-game school record with nine blocks against Coppin State.
 
The Aggie Club, an Aggie fund raising organization, handed its award to softball pitcher Jennifer Luper. Luper is 19-4 on the season, and helped the Aggies win a share of the MEAC Southern Division title. She has already broken the school record for wins in a season and she is 20 strikeouts shy of breaking the single-season school record.

Running back Michael Ferguson won the annual N.C. A&T Hall of Fame award. Ferguson became just the sixth back in Aggies history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He rushed for 1,169 yards and four touchdowns to earn all-conference honors.
 
The Athletics Director's Aggie Pride Spirit award went to women's basketball player Lamona Smalley for exhibiting the best example of Aggie Pride on the court and off it. Smalley, who had superb season on the floor, nearly led the Aggies to the MEAC Tournament championship in March. Off the court, she can be found cheering on the other sports teams at N.C. A&T. Smalley also won team MVP.

“We’re always looking for athletes who exhibit what it means to go above and beyond for their love of North Carolina A&T,’’ said interim Athletics Director Wheeler Brown. “Lamona is the perfect person to win the initial awarding of this honor. Her great performance on the court and the excitement she shows at other sporting events is outstanding, and I’m proud of the Aggie she has become since arriving here from Philadelphia.”

On the academic side, baseball player James Howard took home Male Academic Athlete of the Year as he recorded 4.0 this school year. Volleyball player Kaycee Anderson won the academic honor on the female side as she too recorded a 4.0. The top academic team for N.C. A&T was women's tennis.