University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Matthew Smith
Tigers Athletics Holds A Night At The PAWScars
Apr 26, 2017 | General
Annual event celebrates the year in Memphis athletics.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The 2017 A Night at the PAWScars ceremony was held Wednesday on the University of Memphis campus, and the Tigers' celebration of the 2016-17 year culminated with the announcement of the athletics department's two highest student-athlete honors: the Elma Roane and Zach Curlin awards.
Senior Taylor Williams, a guard on the women's basketball squad, received the Elma Roane Award, and senior Jake Elliott, Tigers football all-time leading scorer, was honored with the Zach Curlin Award. Williams and Elliott were recognized for their honors at A Night at the PAWScars event.
Both awards are presented annually to student-athletes that have competed at the highest level athletically, while exhibiting leadership characteristics and demonstrating the high ideals of sportsmanship and athleticism held by the University. Each recipient must excel in the classroom, give of his or her time and efforts for the betterment of his/her team, the University and community.
Created in 1978, the Elma Roane Award was named after the former women's athletics director at the University of Memphis. Roane was affiliated with the University as a student-athlete, coach and professor for 45 years. During her career, Roane shaped generations of young women's lives, and countless young leaders were influenced by her depth of character, determination against great odds and abiding belief in the power of education to change lives.
Williams holds a 3.09 grade-point average and graduates May 6 with a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering. A Dean's List and Tiger 3.0 Club student, she chose her major because of a desire to create an artificial heart in hopes of helping those with heart defects like her younger sister, Dorian. Williams also interned with Smith & Nephew, the leader in Global Medical Technology dedicated to improving healthcare systems for patients worldwide. In her time in the Bluff City, Williams was heavily involved in the community, visiting cancer patients at West Cancer Center and delivering teddy bears to kids at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.
On the court, Williams finished her career as one of the top three-point shooters in Tigers women's basketball history. The Kansas City, Kan., native wrapped up her four seasons with 100 treys made and is one of only 10 players in program history with 100 or more three-pointers made in a career. Two of the 6-foot guard's 50 treys this season were clutch, with both coming in the final seconds versus Tulane. In the Tigers' 55-52 win in New Orleans Feb. 9, Williams' deep three-pointer with :25 left sealed the victory. Then, a little over two weeks later (Feb. 27), she swished home a top-of-the-key trey with :22 on the clock to give Memphis a thrilling 57-56 win over the Green Wave on Senior Night.
A four-year letterwinner, Williams was the team's only senior to start all 30 games in 2016-17. She saved her best for her final campaign, posting career-high averages in scoring (11.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.3 rpg). Williams also shot career-bests from the field (35.1 percent) and arc (31.4 percent) and had career-highs for assists (55) and steals (32) as a senior this past season. For her career, Williams scored over 700 points and grabbed nearly 400 rebounds.
The Zach Curlin Award, created in 2011, is presented annually to the male student-athlete that possesses Curlin's drive, enthusiasm and determination to academics and athletics while maintaining a concern for others. Curlin joined the Memphis coaching staff in 1924 and, during his career, served in several capacities: head football coach, head basketball coach, head baseball coach, athletics director and head of the physical education and intramurals departments.
Elliott has a 3.85 grade-point average and receives his bachelor's degree in marketing management May 6. In his career, Elliott earned academic recognition from the University, as he was named to the Dean's List and Tiger 3.0 Club numerous times. He earned CoSIDA Academic All-America first team honors for the 2016 campaign, becoming the program's first CoSIDA Academic All-America first teamer since 1992.
In late February of 2017, the American Athletic Conference selected Elliott as the league's Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and he received a $2000 scholarship for graduate or professional studies. He also was named The American's Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winner for football and a Senior CLASS Award finalist. Elliott, a member of Memphis' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), volunteered for a number of community service initiatives, including Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, American Red Cross and Make-A -Wish Foundation.
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound kicker played an integral role in the Tigers football team's rise to national prominence the past three seasons. Over that span, Elliott and his teammates led Memphis to a 27-12 overall record, a 17-7 American Athletic Conference mark, the 2014 American Athletic Conference title and three-consecutive bowl appearances (2014 Miami Beach, 2015 Birmingham, 2016 Boca Raton). The 27 victories are the most for a three-year period in school history, and the 2014 league crown was Memphis' first since 1971.
The Western Springs, Ill., native wrapped up his four-year career last fall as one of the program's best kickers and one of the most-decorated players in Tigers football history. The two-time American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year (2014, 2015), Elliott became the first player in the history of The American to earn all-conference first team honors all four years. He was an Associated Press All-America second team and Walter Camp All-America pick in 2015 and a three-time Lou Groza Award (nation's top kicker) semifinalist, including being named a finalist for the honor in 2015.
Elliott finished his career as Memphis' career leader in scoring (445 points) and field goals (81). He was a perfect 202-of-202 in PAT and finished his career ranked sixth among all kickers in career scoring in NCAA/Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history. Elliott recorded the four-longest field goals made in school history (56, 54, 53, 53) and was a nine-time winner of The American's Special Teams Player of the Week award, which is a conference record.
The following is a complete list of the winners from Wednesday's A Night at the PAWScars:
Elma Roane Award (Female Student-Athlete of the Year)
Taylor Williams, Women's Basketball
Zach Curlin Award (Male Student-Athlete of the Year)
Jake Elliott, Football
Best Win
Cheer Team (won 2016-17 UCA National Championship/small coed-Division 1A)
Best Break-Through Student-Athlete
Tony Pollard, Football
Best True Freshman (Female)
Jessica Lisi, Women's Soccer
Best True Freshman (Male)
Alec Trela, Baseball
Citizenship Award
Sessen Stevens, Women's Soccer
Motivational Award
Antaun Andrews, Men's Track and Field
Best Record-Breaking Performance
Anthony Miller, Football
Best Individual Performance (Female)
Amy Fister, Rifle
Best Individual Performance (Male)
Ryan Peniston, Men's Tennis
Top Defensive Student-Athlete
Jake Leeker, Men's Soccer
Top Offensive Student-Athlete
Valerie Sanderson, Women's Soccer
All-Around Tiger Award (Female)
Leighann Cabush, Women's Golf
All-Around Tiger Award (Male)
Aaron Persinger, Men's Track and Field
Senior Taylor Williams, a guard on the women's basketball squad, received the Elma Roane Award, and senior Jake Elliott, Tigers football all-time leading scorer, was honored with the Zach Curlin Award. Williams and Elliott were recognized for their honors at A Night at the PAWScars event.
Both awards are presented annually to student-athletes that have competed at the highest level athletically, while exhibiting leadership characteristics and demonstrating the high ideals of sportsmanship and athleticism held by the University. Each recipient must excel in the classroom, give of his or her time and efforts for the betterment of his/her team, the University and community.
Created in 1978, the Elma Roane Award was named after the former women's athletics director at the University of Memphis. Roane was affiliated with the University as a student-athlete, coach and professor for 45 years. During her career, Roane shaped generations of young women's lives, and countless young leaders were influenced by her depth of character, determination against great odds and abiding belief in the power of education to change lives.
Williams holds a 3.09 grade-point average and graduates May 6 with a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering. A Dean's List and Tiger 3.0 Club student, she chose her major because of a desire to create an artificial heart in hopes of helping those with heart defects like her younger sister, Dorian. Williams also interned with Smith & Nephew, the leader in Global Medical Technology dedicated to improving healthcare systems for patients worldwide. In her time in the Bluff City, Williams was heavily involved in the community, visiting cancer patients at West Cancer Center and delivering teddy bears to kids at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.
On the court, Williams finished her career as one of the top three-point shooters in Tigers women's basketball history. The Kansas City, Kan., native wrapped up her four seasons with 100 treys made and is one of only 10 players in program history with 100 or more three-pointers made in a career. Two of the 6-foot guard's 50 treys this season were clutch, with both coming in the final seconds versus Tulane. In the Tigers' 55-52 win in New Orleans Feb. 9, Williams' deep three-pointer with :25 left sealed the victory. Then, a little over two weeks later (Feb. 27), she swished home a top-of-the-key trey with :22 on the clock to give Memphis a thrilling 57-56 win over the Green Wave on Senior Night.
A four-year letterwinner, Williams was the team's only senior to start all 30 games in 2016-17. She saved her best for her final campaign, posting career-high averages in scoring (11.7 ppg) and rebounding (4.3 rpg). Williams also shot career-bests from the field (35.1 percent) and arc (31.4 percent) and had career-highs for assists (55) and steals (32) as a senior this past season. For her career, Williams scored over 700 points and grabbed nearly 400 rebounds.
The Zach Curlin Award, created in 2011, is presented annually to the male student-athlete that possesses Curlin's drive, enthusiasm and determination to academics and athletics while maintaining a concern for others. Curlin joined the Memphis coaching staff in 1924 and, during his career, served in several capacities: head football coach, head basketball coach, head baseball coach, athletics director and head of the physical education and intramurals departments.
Elliott has a 3.85 grade-point average and receives his bachelor's degree in marketing management May 6. In his career, Elliott earned academic recognition from the University, as he was named to the Dean's List and Tiger 3.0 Club numerous times. He earned CoSIDA Academic All-America first team honors for the 2016 campaign, becoming the program's first CoSIDA Academic All-America first teamer since 1992.
In late February of 2017, the American Athletic Conference selected Elliott as the league's Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and he received a $2000 scholarship for graduate or professional studies. He also was named The American's Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winner for football and a Senior CLASS Award finalist. Elliott, a member of Memphis' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), volunteered for a number of community service initiatives, including Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, American Red Cross and Make-A -Wish Foundation.
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound kicker played an integral role in the Tigers football team's rise to national prominence the past three seasons. Over that span, Elliott and his teammates led Memphis to a 27-12 overall record, a 17-7 American Athletic Conference mark, the 2014 American Athletic Conference title and three-consecutive bowl appearances (2014 Miami Beach, 2015 Birmingham, 2016 Boca Raton). The 27 victories are the most for a three-year period in school history, and the 2014 league crown was Memphis' first since 1971.
The Western Springs, Ill., native wrapped up his four-year career last fall as one of the program's best kickers and one of the most-decorated players in Tigers football history. The two-time American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year (2014, 2015), Elliott became the first player in the history of The American to earn all-conference first team honors all four years. He was an Associated Press All-America second team and Walter Camp All-America pick in 2015 and a three-time Lou Groza Award (nation's top kicker) semifinalist, including being named a finalist for the honor in 2015.
Elliott finished his career as Memphis' career leader in scoring (445 points) and field goals (81). He was a perfect 202-of-202 in PAT and finished his career ranked sixth among all kickers in career scoring in NCAA/Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history. Elliott recorded the four-longest field goals made in school history (56, 54, 53, 53) and was a nine-time winner of The American's Special Teams Player of the Week award, which is a conference record.
The following is a complete list of the winners from Wednesday's A Night at the PAWScars:
Elma Roane Award (Female Student-Athlete of the Year)
Taylor Williams, Women's Basketball
Zach Curlin Award (Male Student-Athlete of the Year)
Jake Elliott, Football
Best Win
Cheer Team (won 2016-17 UCA National Championship/small coed-Division 1A)
Best Break-Through Student-Athlete
Tony Pollard, Football
Best True Freshman (Female)
Jessica Lisi, Women's Soccer
Best True Freshman (Male)
Alec Trela, Baseball
Citizenship Award
Sessen Stevens, Women's Soccer
Motivational Award
Antaun Andrews, Men's Track and Field
Best Record-Breaking Performance
Anthony Miller, Football
Best Individual Performance (Female)
Amy Fister, Rifle
Best Individual Performance (Male)
Ryan Peniston, Men's Tennis
Top Defensive Student-Athlete
Jake Leeker, Men's Soccer
Top Offensive Student-Athlete
Valerie Sanderson, Women's Soccer
All-Around Tiger Award (Female)
Leighann Cabush, Women's Golf
All-Around Tiger Award (Male)
Aaron Persinger, Men's Track and Field
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