COLUMBIA, Mo. - "Part ESPYs, part Oscars, all Mizzou" is the tagline for Mizzou Athletics' annual student-athlete awards show, ROARS, and the 2016 edition of the event did not disappoint. Monday evening (April 18) from the Missouri Theatre adjacent to the University of Missouri campus, Mizzou's student-athletes gathered to honor and highlight their achievements on and off the court.
Notably, Mizzou's Female and Male Athletes of the Year were unveiled. The latest Female Athlete of the Year Award went to Mizzou Swimming and Diving junior Katharine Ross (Des Moines, Iowa), who became the first Tiger in program history to claim an individual swimming title in the Southeastern Conference. She broke her own school record in the women's 100 breast, turning in a time of 58.38 at the 2016 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships (Feb. 19) that were hosted at the Mizzou Aquatic Center.
Mizzou Wrestling's J'den Cox was named Male Athlete of the Year after claiming his second NCAA 197-pound National Championship at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 19. Cox became just the second two-time NCAA titlist in program history when he completed his run through the tournament with a 4-2 decision over Penn State's Morgan McIntosh.
Mizzou's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) voted on the athletic achievement awards, while the Total Person Program's staff voted on academic honors.
A full listing of the evening's honorees can be found below.
Click here for a photo gallery of the night's proceedings.
2016 ROARS Award Winners
Coach of the Year
Robin Pingeton - Women's Basketball
Male "For the Love of the Game" Award
Cole Baumgartner - Wrestling
Female "For the Love of the Game" Award
Raime Cohen - Softball
Team Community Service Award
Tennis
Male Highlight of the Year
Track & Field's Kahmari Montgomery - SEC 400-meter Championship race
Female Highlight of the Year
Women's Swimming's Katharine Ross - SEC 100 Breast Championship race
Female "Varsity M" Student-Athlete of the Year
Kelli Hine - Tennis
Male "Varsity M" Student-Athlete of the Year
Ryan Rosburg - Men's Basketball
Female Rookie of the Year
Sophie Cunningham - Women's Basketball
Male Rookie of the Year
Kahmari Montgomery - Men's Track & Field
Female Dr. Judy Wells Academic Achievement Award
Jess Meek - Women's Golf
Male Dr. Judy Wells Academic Achievement Award
Clarence Green - Football
Professor of the Year
Stephanie Logan - American Sign Language
Male Courage Award
Matt Manley - Wrestling
Female Courage Award
Tori Finucane - Softball
Mr. and Ms. "We are Mizzou"
Evan Boehm - Football
Kirsten Mack - Softball
Team Performance of the Year
Women's Basketball - First NCAA Tournament since 2006, 13-game winning streak
Coach's Academic Enhancement Award
Brian Smith - Wrestling
Director of Athletics Leadership Award
Candace Johnson - Soccer
Female Athlete of the Year
Katharine Ross - Women's Swimming & Diving
Male Athlete of the Year
J'den Cox - Wrestling