OKLAHOMA CITY – Devin Benton and
Ana Gomez are nominees for the Great American Conference's Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards while
Dalton Daniels and
Brandy Mader are up for the GAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, which will be presented next at the GAC Night of Champions, next Monday evening (June 22) at the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City.
Fans unable to attend the GAC Night of Champions, which begins at 6:30 pm, will be able to watch as the event is streamed live on the
GAC Sports Network. Extended information about each of the nominees is below.
Devin Benton (Football)Class: Senior
Hometown: Arlington, Texas
Supportive Information: The first four-time All-Great American Conference selection in league history,
Devin Benton was named a First Team All-GAC choice and the GAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2014. In addition, he added the Super Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year award from Beyond Sports Network and he was named to multiple all-region teams before earning five All-American team honors. After finishing his career as SWOSU's NCAA era leader in both sacks and tackles for loss, Benton was also a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award for Best Lineman in NCAA Division II and the Cliff Harris Small College Defensive Player of the Year.
Assistant Athletic Director Todd Helton: "It has been my pleasure to be associated with Devin Benton during his football career at SWOSU. I have known Devin for the past five years. I recruited him out of Mansfield Texas and was his position coach and Defensive Coordinator during three of his four years of eligibility. Devin was the most dominating defensive lineman I have coached in my 24-year college coaching career. He has been a standout player in the GAC since his freshman year, as the awards he has consistently received will attest. Devin has achieved great success through many hours of hard work on the field, as well as in the weight room. I have had the pleasure of seeing Devin mature as a man as well, by handling difficult situations off the field with great inner strength. He is a player who goes 100% every snap of every game and every rep in practice. In short, Devin has earned a reputation as a hard-working, trustworthy individual who strives to excel. He has always responded with courage when challenged to produce his best."
Ana Gomez (Golf)Class: Senior
Hometown: Michoacan, Mexico
Supportive Information: A three-time First Team All-Great American Conference selection, Gomez helped the Lady Bulldogs to their first NCAA Division II National Championship last season and led SWOSU back to the NCAA Regionals as a senior. She finished her senior season with a team-leading stroke average of 78.7, including three top-ten and two top-five finishes and she won three individual tournament championships in her career at SWOSU.
SWOSU Golf Coach Brad Fleetwood: "Ana has been has been such an integral part of the Lady Bulldog Golf program over the past three years. Her performance on the golf course is incredibly impressive in and of itself but to overcome the adversity of brain surgery midway through her junior season and still lead her team to a National Championship appearance is absolutely remarkable. Ana has been an inspiration to her teammates and to myself as a coach. Her hard work and perseverance both on the golf course and the classroom is truly something to be admired. Being named SWOSU Female Athlete of the Year earlier this spring speaks volumes for the amount of respect Ana has earned both as a student-athlete and as a person. Ana has represented Southwestern Oklahoma State University and the Great American Conference incredibly over her career and will leave our program as one of our most accomplished athletes."
Dalton Daniels (Baseball)Class: Senior
Hometown: Salina, Oklahoma
Supportive Information: Dalton started every game for the SWOSU Baseball team the past two seasons, earning Second Team All-GAC honors as a junior while also being named the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Central Region Gold Glove winner among shortstops. This spring, he was awarded the Everett Dobson School of Business Outstanding Industrial Technology Student award and he will graduate from SWOSU in December with his bachelor's degree.
SWOSU Baseball Coach Zack Saunders: ""Dalton is everything that you want when you think of a student-athlete. His character, work ethic, leadership skills, and integrity are second to none. He has been a model of what I wish I could get every player to strive for. He is very humble in his ability and accomplishments which only further explains why he is a great nomination. His accomplishments on the field are even more impressive when you think of how well he has done in the classroom with the degree path he has chosen. Dalton is very deserving of this award and would be a great representative for the GAC."
Brandy Mader (Volleyball)Class: Senior
Hometown: Nickerson, Kansas
Supportive Information: Brandy graduated from SWOSU in May 2015 with a perfect 4.0 grade point average and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Spanish. She has been named to the GAC All-Academic team and earned the Everett Dobson School of Business Outstanding Management Student Award this spring. She served as the SWOSU Volleyball team captain her senior year and she was named the Team MVP after recording 740 assists and a team-best 13 double-doubles.
SWOSU Volleyball Coach Josh Collins: "Brandy Mader represented our volleyball team and university with the highest of integrity, both on and off of the court. Her work ethic and leadership qualities made her a clear-cut captain on the team, and helped her finish in the top of her academic program."
