Several Texas A&M athletes were honored for their performance on and off the field during the Aggies’ third-annual Building Champions award gala Monday evening.
Senior soccer captain Karlie Mueller received the President’s Distinguished Letterman’s award, which is the event’s highest award, given every year to student-athletes based on their contributions in the areas of athletics, scholarship, leadership and service.
Christian Kirk won male Newcomer of the Year after his 70-catch, 925-yard season earned him SEC Freshman of the Year honors. The female award was shared by softball pitcher Samantha Show and Sydney Pickrem from swimming and diving.
For the Lohman Inspiration Award, given to a student-athlete who has demonstrated perseverance, soccer player Haley Pounds won for the female side and men’s golfer Dylan Siebenaler won for the male’s.
A&M’s women’s swimming and diving team was recognized for having the highest cumulative GPA, while the recipients of the Bill Erwin Scholar-Athlete of the Year were Sarah Gibson and Antoine Marc, both members of the swimming and diving team.
The Athlete of the Year awards were given to Alex Caruso and Shamier Little. Caruso was an integral part of the Aggies’ SEC regular season championship and run to the Sweet 16, while Little won her second NCAA Championship title in 2015.