Senior Student-Athlete Ceremony: Maryville College celebrated senior athletes

Graduation is in less than a week, but the seniors were already honored on May 8. The graduating senior athletes were celebrated for four years of service as Fighting Scots in Lambert Hall in the Clayton Center for the Arts during the senior student-athlete ceremony.

Family, friends, coaches and teammates came to celebrate their seniors one last time before they graduate and start a new life without Maryville College. Everyone turned out in their Sunday best for the athletic department’s third-annual senior celebration.

Awards and cords were waiting for the seniors on the stage, but first Athletic Director and Head Volleyball Coach Kandis Schram talked about the Scots achievements during this year, saving special praise for just how hard every team has been working to honor the orange and garnet jersey.

Schram congratulated the 57 student-athletes. She then saved special mention for the other MC Scots athletes who were not graduating this year, including the 13 athletes named to “All-Conference” teams and the USA South Conference “Rookie of the Year” recipients.

After the speech came a highlight reel, courtesy of Assistant Athletic Director of Communications Eric Etchison’s magic, presenting the 57 seniors athletes more personally with pictures and music.

The whole range of emotions that being a Scot evokes was depicted—from the joy and laughs to the sometimes serious and challenging. Reactions from the audience were heard and kept things light-hearted, with spurts of loud laughter greeting the many pictures showing our beloved seniors in some particularly weird and funny position.

The MC Baseball team’s highlights were aptly accompanied by the Harlem Shake music that themed their impressive performance of the now-famous dance on YouTube a few months ago, which, by the way, made them quite famous on campus.

After the end of this video, the more formal main event started.

Every senior walked on the stage to receive his or her cords and awards from each respective team coach. Schram reiterated how proudly each should wear their cords as a representation of the pride they should all feel for having been a part of the MC Scots family for the duration of their college careers.

Coaches also said a word to their athletes in a message read by athletic director Schram.

They insisted on how much they were privileged and honored to have met those incredible players, who are now graduating, and thanked them for having worked hard during these four years.

Coach Darrin Travillian, the Lady Scots head basketball coach, was honored specially for his hard work this year, which allowed his team to get into the NCAA finals and saw him pick up the NCAA regional coach of the year award.

The ‘2013 Carl H. Black Outstanding Student’ award was attributed to sophomore Montana Dunn, part of the athletic training staff.

The head of this department, Sharon Wood, then honored her entire staff who do so much behind the scenes that goes unnoticed, considering them “the best team doctors in the world.”

The celebration also saw the handing over of two more awards, the “2013 J.D. Davis Award.”

For the women, Lady Scot Basketball captain Janell Menard was honored for her leadership-skills and her competitive spirit that fuelled the team to do so well this past season.

As for the men, among the five nominees, Basketball Scot player and Maryville local Wes Lambert was honored for his tremendous work, particularly getting back to the top after his five surgeries and rehabilitation, and also for his implication in diverse activities on campus and for being the athletes’ spokesman at the regional level.

His coach, who happens to also be his dad, wrote a message to congratulate his player and son, saying how proud of him he was for his hard work.

Dean of students Vandy Kemp ended the ceremony with a small speech about how seniors should understand that having worn the Orange and Garnet colors was a privilege.

Being able to call themselves MC Fighting Scots was also a privilege and how this implied obligations and respect from them.

Despite the strong thunderstorm that was affecting Maryville that night, nothing was big enough to spoil the goodbye party of MC staff and students to the soon-leaving athletic seniors.