Reinhardt Athletics Hosts Initial RESPYS on Friday Night

By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletics Communications & Media

WALESKA, Ga. - In celebration of the 2016-17 Reinhardt University sports season, Eagles administration, faculty, staff, coaches and players gathered inside the Brown Athletic Center on Friday evening for the inaugural Reinhardt Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards Show (RESPYS).

The RESPYS - which had an attendance of nearly 700 - featured a formal dinner and highlighted academic and team character awards, individual sport accolades, department recognitions and a pair of Reinhardt University Athletics Hall of Fame inductees.
 
"I am so proud of how the event we put together to showcase the successes of our student-athletes and coaches turned out," Reinhardt Director of Athletics Bill Popp said. "I foresee this becoming an annual tradition that is one of the highlights each year in the athletic department, and I would be remiss if I did not express gratitude for all of the hard work contributed by the staffs of Athletics, Advancement and Marketing."
 
In total, 28 honors were awarded and two new members were welcomed into the Reinhardt Athletics Hall of Fame.

Highlighting the award recipients were the Hall-of-Famers (Josephine Reed of women's basketball and current Eagle cross country and track & field head coach Jordan Turner) and the pair of Golden Eagle honorees, Taylor Braselton of softball and LJ Stegall of both football and track & field, represented the female and male athletes of the year, respectively.

Men's lacrosse head coach John Snow - the reigning NAIA Men's Lacrosse National Coach of the Year - took home a RESPY for Reinhardt's Coach of the Year, as he helped guide the school's Team of the Year to the 2017 NAIA Men's Lacrosse National Invitational title with a 10-5 win over Keiser (Fla.).
 
The program was a hit among its attendees, as not only were they able to put on their best outfits, but also come together as an athletic department and show support for one another.
 
"I think the RESPYS was a wonderful event," Reinhardt President Kina Mallard said. "It's always good to encourage one another and this is what this event does; it honors our student-athletes who are winners on the field and off the field. I love the Eagle Scholars - for athletes that have a 3.75 or greater grade point average.
 
"I love being able to not only give praise to the student-athletes, but their coaches, the team awards. It's just a great evening of camaraderie and excitement here at Reinhardt."

Around 100 players throughout the various Eagles sports achieved Eagle Scholar status a season ago, and the number is expected to rise in 2017-18.

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