SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Various category winners, featuring student-athletes and teams, were presented Thursday night during the Wofford Athletic Department’s inaugural Bosscars award show in an Oscars fashioned Benjamin Johnson Arena.

The red carpeted event was coordinated by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, assistant athletic director for compliance Elizabeth Rabb and sport marketing assistant Lisa Cherry to recognize Wofford student-athletes who have shown outstanding achievements in various categories. The cocktail dress and three piece suit fashioned award ceremony was hosted by renowned actress, choreographer, dancer, director singer and producer Debbie Allen.

Freshman basketball player Noah Dahlman won the first award of the night as the ceremony was kicked off with the Male Breakout Performance category. A spin was added to the Comeback Player of the Year category as the decision was too tough to be given to just one student athlete. Senior Dan Tavani of the football team and senior women’s tennis player Laura Lynn Williams collected their Bosscars for their ability to bounce back from injuries and surgeries and still compete throughout their senior campaigns. Awards for the Best Shot, Biggest Hit and Best Team Comeback were accented with game footage from each event.

The show also celebrated the accomplishments of the student athletes for their in the classroom performance. Of the 48 graduating senior student athletes, 28 achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher. The William Stanley Hoole Award for the highest GPA went to Lauren Bosshardt of the women’s cross country and track & field teams for her 3.98 overall GPA through the fall 2007 semester. All 48 graduating senior student athletes were recognized in a senior tribute.

Coaches were recognized as well during the evening as head football coach Mike Ayers won the Coach of the Year award.

The awards ended with the three biggest awards of the night, Male and Female Athlete of the Year and Most Outstanding Team. Junior Liz Miller of the women’s basketball team took home the prize for Female Athlete of the Year and baseball’s Brandon Waring showed his appreciation for the Male Athlete of the Year and Biggest Hit award via a taped-video segment from the Dayton Dragons minor league club for whom he is now playing. The Most Outstanding Team award went to the 2007 Southern Conference Football Champions, highlighted with a clip of Ayers’ post-game locker room speech after clinching the SoCon title.

Aside from the awards, the show featured three timeouts, showcasing the talents of the student athletes. In the first timeout, graduating senior Corey McKenna, a center on the football team, created a Mockumentary about assistant athletic director for marketing and promotions Lenny Mathis and his t-shirt gun. During the second timeout, the crowd was entertained with the rapping lyrics and dancing styles of Tall T, Sha Money, Marc J and the Westside Connection, better known as Tim Johnson, Shane Nichols, Marcus Jackson, Norm Nixon and Drew Gibson of the Wofford men’s basketball team. The third and final timeout included a second film by McKenna, this time highlighting Rabb and her Facebook speech to the student-athletes in2007, as well as athletic director Richard Johnson as the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man from the Ghostbusters movie.

The winners from each category were:

Male Breakout Performance                 Female Breakout Performance
Noah Dahlman – Basketball                   Alex Rankin – Golf

Comeback Player of the Year
Dan Tavani – Football
Laura Lynn Williams – Tennis

Best Motivator
James Gonsoulin – Football

Best “Shot”
Shane Nichols’ SportsCenter Play to beat Purdue

Funniest Moment
Daniella Fatti’s “accident” during the women’s soccer Cooper Test

Biggest “Hit”
Brandon Waring’s 2-run homerun against The Citadel to give Wofford the 2-1 lead in the championship game of the 2007 Southern Conference Tournament

Best Team Comeback
Baseball’s 9th seed comeback to capture the 2007 Southern Conference Championship

Sportsmanship
Women’s Golf

Highest GPA
Lauren Bosshardt –Cross Country/Track & Field

Male Rookie of the Year                                Female Rookie of the Year
Michael Gilmartin – Baseball                        Mahagony Williams – Basketball

Coach of the Year
Head Coach Mike Ayers – Football

Female Student Athlete of the Year            Male Student Athlete of the Year
Liz Miller – Basketball                                    Brandon Waring – Baseball

Most Outstanding Team
Football