Big South Announces 2014-15 Athletes of the Year
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Coastal Carolina football player Quinn Backus (Greenwood, S.C.) and Longwood softball player Megan Baltzell (Stafford, Va.) have been voted the Big South Conference Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year for the 2014-15 season by the league’s Athletics Directors, Senior Woman Administrators and Sports Information Directors, it was announced today by the Conference office.
Backus earned 79 points and 12 first-place votes in capturing the Howard Bagwell Male Student-Athlete of the Year award, becoming the third consecutive football player to receive the honor. Backus finished ahead of teammate Alex Ross and Charleston Southern men’s basketball All-American Saah Nimley, each of whom received 63 points in the voting. Campbell track & field All-American Lawrence Kipkoech was fourth in the voting with 44 points, followed by Winthrop All-American golfer Zach Seabolt (38 points).
Baltzell is the second Longwood student-athlete to win the Conference’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year award in three years, as she received 98 points and nine first-place votes. She finished ahead of High Point women’s basketball All-American Stacia Robertson, who was second with 77 points. Charleston Southern tennis player Marketa Placha was third with 52 points, followed by Coastal Carolina golfer Lena Schaeffner (50 points). Winthrop track & field All-American Marthaline Cooper finished fifth in the voting with 43 points.
Backus was fourth in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the FCS, was a consensus All-American and the Big South’s Defensive Player of the Year -- the league’s first-ever three-time winner. Backus was also named the Division I Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Top Collegiate Linebacker as well as being named to its 11-man, 2014 FCS ADA All-American team. He helped the Chanticleers to a 12-2 record, No. 1 national ranking for two weeks in November and a quarterfinal appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship, equaling the best football playoff finish by any Big South member.
Backus led the Big South with 127 tackles in 2014, becoming the first player to lead the league in tackles three times. He ranked fourth in FCS with six forced fumbles, which additionally set league and school records. Of his 127 tackles, 10.0 were for losses, including a career-best 5.5 sacks. He added two interceptions, seven pass breakups, six quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. Five of his caused turnovers led to Coastal Carolina touchdowns. Backus was the only player in the Big South to rank among the top 10 in tackles (first), forced fumbles (first), sacks (sixth), tackles for losses (seventh) and passes defended (seventh). He finished his career as the Big South’s all-time leader with 243 solo tackles and nine forced fumbles, and second with 441 stops. The Medal of Honor Bowl American Team MVP, Backus was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in May.
Baltzell, who repeated as Softball Player of the Year in 2015, finished the campaign as the Big South’s leader with 27 home runs, 72 RBI, 73 runs, 149 total bases, 66 walks, a .617 on-base percentage and a 1.088 slugging percentage, in addition to a .409 batting average. The senior catcher finished among the national leaders in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and walks. Baltzell was the leading hitter in conference games with a .451 batting average, as well as led in RBI (39), runs scored (36), walks drawn (37), on-base percentage (.685), slugging percentage (1.333) and tied for first in home runs (13). She also finished second in stolen bases (11), third in total bases (68) and sixth in doubles (6) in league play.
Baltzell earned Player of the Week honors four times this season in leading the Lancers to the NCAA Tournament. She was named NFCA All-Southeast Region Second-Team as well as First-Team VaSID honors. She also finished her career among the top 10 in NCAA history with 76 home runs, while setting the Big South career records for home runs, RBI and walks.
In March 2000, the Big South Conference Executive Committee voted to create an annual Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year award, and named the male award in honor of former Charleston Southern Athletic Director Howard Bagwell, who was one of the founders of the Big South Conference. The annual candidates for the award consist of the Players of the Year from each sport for the season most recently completed.
HOWARD BAGWELL MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
2014-15 -- Quinn Backus, Coastal Carolina (football)
2013-14 -- Lorenzo Taliaferro, Coastal Carolina (football)
2012-13 -- Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook (football)
2011-12 -- Ashton Bennett, Coastal Carolina (soccer)
2010-11 -- Sam Chelanga, Liberty (cross country/track & field)
2009-10 -- Sam Chelanga, Liberty (cross country/track & field)
2008-09 -- Sam Chelanga, Liberty (cross country/track & field)
2007-08 -- Josh McDougal, Liberty (cross country/track & field)
2006-07 -- Josh McDougal, Liberty (track & field)
2005-06 -- Josh McDougal, Liberty (track & field)
2004-05 -- Mike Costanzo, Coastal Carolina (baseball)
2003-04 -- Joseph Ngwenya, Coastal Carolina (soccer)
2002-03 -- Joseph Ngwenya, Coastal Carolina (soccer)
2001-02 -- Justin Owens, Coastal Carolina (baseball)
2000-01 -- Jason Colson, Winthrop (baseball)
1999-00 -- Keith Butler, Liberty (baseball)
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
2014-15 -- Megan Baltzell, Longwood (softball)
2013-14 -- Dequesha McClanahan, Winthrop (basketball)
2012-13 -- Brooke Short, Longwood (softball)
2011-12 -- Gabrielle Houston, Charleston Southern (track & field)
2010-11 -- Natalie Pearson, UNC Asheville (track & field)
2009-10 -- Kristen Shifflett, Radford (softball)
2008-09 -- Megan Frazee, Liberty (basketball)
2007-08 -- Megan Frazee, Liberty (basketball)
2006-07 -- Aruka Felgueroso, Coastal Carolina (golf)
2005-06 -- Tiffany Evans, Radford (track & field)
2004-05 -- Katie Feenstra, Liberty (basketball)
2003-04 -- Katie Feenstra, Liberty (basketball)
2002-03 -- Amber Campbell, Coastal Carolina (track & field)
2001-02 -- Heather Sagan, Liberty (track & field)
2000-01 -- Amber Campbell, Coastal Carolina (track & field)
1999-00 -- Anthonia Akpama, Liberty (volleyball)