New Orleans, LA -- Dillard held its annual athletic awards banquet Thursday, April 23, in Kearny Hall at 7:30 pm. In addition to honoring a number of individual award winners, the event was a celebration of firsts since the program's reinstatement after Hurricane Katrina. This year marked the first year that we have a volleyball player was selected for the GCAC All-Conference team; the first year of a full comprehensive atheltic website; the first year of the Bleu Devil Classic, where over 2000 faculty, staff, students, and alumni attended; the first year that Dillard has beat Xavier since 2001; and the first time since Hurricane Katrina that both the men and women's basketball team defeated #1 seeds during conference play.

Featured speakers includedgraduates of the mighty Class of 2009 -- Virginia "Joy" Jackson (Cheer), Towanna Cage (Volleyball), Chayla Green(Basketball), Meaquell Lewis(Basketball), Joslyn Greenard (Basketball), Christopher Brock (Basketball). The seniors offered heartfelt expressions of the lessons learned at Dillard and what legacy they would leave for their fellow teammates.

Individual award winners during the event included Ariel Mitchell, Jessica Small, and Joslyn Greenard for women's basketball; Danta Cobb, Keisha Smoke, and Banikah Jackson for volleyball; and David Manning and Kenyon Harper for men's basketball.

Greenard and Small were awarded Co-Defensive Player of the Year . Greenard, a 5-10, senior was the team's second leader in stealsaveraging 1.67 per game. Small accumulated 24 steals for the year and was often looked to lead the team's full and half-court defensive pressure. Ariel Mitchell, a 5-7 freshman, received the Best Offensive Player and Most Valuable Player awards. Mitchell led the team in points(11.5 per game) and steals (2.23 per game).

Banikah Jackson was awarded Best Defensive Player of the Year. The 5-2, junior led the team in blocks and ranked 3rd in the conference (.9 per game). Danta Cobb was awarded Best Offensive Player for leading the team in assists (3.3 per game) and ranked 6th in the conference. Keisha Smoke, a 5-9, junior received the Most Valuable Player award. Smoke was also named to the GCAC All-Conference team. She led the team in kills (1.9 per game) and was ranked 10th in the conference.

Kenyon Harper was awarded Best Defensive Player of the Year. Harper, a 5-10, sophomore accumulated 37 steals for the season. David Manning was awarded the Best Offensive Player and Most Valuable Player awards. Manning, a 6-4, junior led the Blue Devils in points (18.54 per game) and rebounds (6.43 per game). He was an All-GCAC team selection and a NAIA All-American Honorable Mention selection.

Other highlights included the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award presentation and the Champions of Character Student- Athlete of the Year award presentation. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is given to a scholar-athlete who has achieved the highest cumulative grade point average and has completed one full academic year at Dillard. The three finalists for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year were Kiandra Metoyer (Basketball), Banikah Jackson(Volleyball), and Keisha Smoke(Volleyball) . The award was presented to Kiandra Metoyer, a senior, majoring in mass communications. Kiandra maintained a 3.52 cumulative grade point average.

The Champions of Character Student-Athlete of the Year award is given to the scholar-athlete who has best exemplified the five core values of the NAIA Champions of Character program during the school year. The Champions of Character Athlete of the Year was awarded to Cornice Wingate (Basketball). Cornice beat out Shaylon Odom (Basketball) and Keisha Smoke (Volleyball). This marked the second year in a row that a member of the men's basketball team was a recipient of this award. Wingate, a 5-9, junior is one of the best ambassadors for the athletics program. He participated in various community service projects, while maintaing a 3.0 grade point average and serving as a team captain for the Blue Devils. Cornice led his team in assists (3.4 per game) and steals (2.1 per game).

Coach Yolanda Brown and the women's volleyball team were awarded the Champions of Character Team award for their service to the department. The volleyball team painted and hung signs to promote all events held by the atheltics department. They were always on hand to assist in all facets of the program.

The Biggest Fan of the Year award was presented to Dr. Buckles (Biology), Dr. Mustapha(Business), and Ms. Cynthia Charles(Library). These faculty and staff members were present at every home athletic contests and even traveled to some games. Andrea Sylvas and Amanda Henderson, two student-workers for the atheltics department, were honored for their assistance to the athletics department with game day management, website management, and the Bleu Devil Classic.

Other awards presented were certificates of participation to all athletes, and the Captain's Awards and Manager's Awards.

Autrail Manning, Men's Basketball

Joslyn Greenard, Women's Basketball

Meaquell Lewis, Women's Basketball

Kiandra Metoyer, Women's Basketball

Keisha Smoke, Women's Basketball

Latoya Thompson, Cheer

Jasmine Johnson, Athletic Training

Melanee Barlow, Women's Basketball

Ebony Wooderts, Women's Basketball

Mekka Clark, Volleyball