River Forest, Ill. — After being canceled in 2020 and held to a limited capacity in 2021, the annual Charlie Awards were once again held in their entirety inside Geiseman Gymnasium on the campus of Concordia University Chicago. Student-athletes from all teams on campus gathered to celebrate the most memorable moments from the past year of CUC athletics. 

The Charlie Awards were voted on by every student-athlete on campus after nominations were submitted for each of the categories. The winners of each award are as follows:

• Best Teammate: Zach Cicero 

  • Cicero played for both the football and men's lacrosse teams and was an intrical part of helping establish the culture under two first-year head coaches. It's the second year in a row the Chicago native has now taken home the award each of the last two years. 

• Coach of the Year: Steve Kollar (Men's Basketball)

  • In his third season at the helm, Coach Kollar led the Cougars to their first conference title and most wins in a season since 1993-94. They earned the top seed in the NACC Tournament for the first time since its inception, and defeated Edgewood in the quarterfinal round at Geiseman for their first postseason win since 2012. On Jan. 29, the team went on the road and defeated No. 2 Illinois Wesleyan University. 

• GA/Assistant of the Year: Julie Jenkins (Women's Basketball)

  • A student manager turned graduate assistant, Jenkins has served under Head Coach Lauren Martin for the previous two seasons. In that time, she has developed an outstanding relationship with her players, which is reflected in how close the team is as a whole. She hopes to return to the team in the future.

• Freshman of the Year: Tegan Oas (Cross Country, Track, & Softball) 

  • Tegan began her time at Concordia in the fall by competing for the CUC cross country team. In the spring, she immediately became an instant impact player for the softball team. She's started in 30 of the teams 31 games, and has been fantastic defensively as a shortstop. 

• Senior of the Year: Izak Ruddell (Men's Basketball)

  • Ruddell was a member of the Captains Council for one of the most successful teams on campus in 2021-22. He helped lead the Cougars to unprecedented heights on and off the floor. His steady presence was incredibly important to the team, as he was the only player to appear in all 25 of CUC's games. 

• Comeback Player of the Year: Jalen Meeks (Men's Basketball) 

  • After missing all of the 2021 season and a good part of 2019-2020, Meeks returned to the Cougars for their historic season in 2021-22. He made seven starts for the team, and poured in a season-high 20 points against Concordia Wisconsin on Dec. 6. 

• Play of the Year: Simone Wilson wins a National Championship in the 400m Hurdles

  • Wilson traveled to Greensboro, N.C., to compete at the DIII National Championships last May. A late surge down the final stretch of the 400m Hurdles gave Wilson a first-place finish, and made her the first National Champion in the history of CUC. 

• Male Athlete of the Year: Jordan Matthews (Men's Basketball) 

  • Matthews was the most critical part of the conference-champion Cougars. He led the team in scoring, assists, steals and was third on the team in rebounds. The Chicago native dropped 20 points in CUC's upset win over Illinois Wesleyan and a team-high 21 in their postseason win over Edgewood. He was named First Team All-NACC for the second straight year and added to the postseason honors by being named to the D3Hoops.com All-Region Team. 

• Female Athlete of the Year: Simone Wilson (Track and Field) 

  • Wilson made quite the statement in becoming the first National Champion in school history last spring and has only continued to build on that success during the 2022 seasons. She earned All-American honors at the 2022 DIII National Championships, and will look to add to her long list of accolades during this outdoor season. 

Several other awards were given out to student-athletes who exhibited high standards of excellence across several different fields of work both inside and outside of CUC. 

• Terri Woods: The Terri Woods Award is the award presented to athletic training for all their hard work to keep our athletes healthy and on the field over the course of their season and careers. Without their work, none of the moments honored tonight would have been possible. 

  • Colleen Marks

• Jim Egan: The Jim Egan Award is presented to the student worker who made the most impactful contribution to the sports information office over the course of the year. Without the hard work and dedication of these students, the top-tier streams and social media coverage put out on the CUC Youtube channel would not be possible. 

  • Julia Beers (Women's Volleyball) 

• Northwestern Mutual: The award was created to recognize faith, leadership, service, competitiveness, mentorship, and academic success. $250 will be donated to the charity of the athlete's choice. 

  • Kate Gavin (Women's Soccer)

• Teryi-Schubert: The Terry-Schubert Award is named in honor of two former CUC Football players who tragically lost their lives within weeks of each other in the 1970s. The award is given to the student-athletes who are most involved in community service in their neighborhoods. 

  • Male: Jalen Meeks (Men's Basketball)

  • Female: Marie Baumgartner (Women's Basketball)

• AW Gross: The student-athlete who's the whole package. The A.W. Gross Distinguished Senior Scholar-Athlete Award annually honors Concordia University Chicago senior student athletes that demonstrate all-around proficiency in academics, athletics, character, conduct, leadership and co-curricular activities.

  • Male: Tyler Dudley (Football)

  • Female: Simone Wilson (Track and Field) 

• Team Academic Award

  • Women's Volleyball (3.58 GPA)

• Team Community Service Award 

  • Women's Volleyball 

• Cougar Cup 

  • 2020-21: Softball

  • 2021-22: Track & Field/Cross Country 

CUC Athletics is proud of all who received awards, and all student-athletes who helped make this night and this year so memorable.