MIAMI, Fla. (July 19, 2021) – The Sun Conference announced on Monday six of its award winners for the 2020-2021 academic year. Those awards include the Dr. LeRoy Walker Student-Athlete of Character Award, the A. O. Duer Scholarship Award (male and female student-athlete), the Emil S. Liston Award (female student-athlete), the Coach of Character Award, and the Charles Morris Administrator of the Year Award.
Four student-athletes, one head coach and one administrator (along with previously announced SUN Athletic Director of the Year, SUN Sports Information Director of the Year, and SUN Athletic Trainer of the Year), have been put forward by the league for consideration for the respective NAIA National Awards that will be announced in mid-September.
2020-2021 Sun Conference Award Winners
Nicole Maribona (St. Thomas) – Dr. Le Roy Walker Student-Athlete of Character Award
Michela Tjan (Keiser) – A. O. Duer Scholarship Award (Female)
Trevor Robinson (Webber International) – A. O. Duer Scholarship Award (Male)
Gianni Domond (St. Thomas) – Emil S. Liston Award (Female)
Brandon Miller (Keiser) – Coach of Character Award
Genia Montford (USCB) – Charles Morris Administrator of the Year Award
Donnie Smith (Southeastern) – Sun Conference Sports Information Director of the Year (
previously announced)
B.J. Geasa (Southeastern) – Sun Conference Athletic Trainer of the Year (
previously announced)
Drew Watson (Southeastern) – Sun Conference Athletic Director of the Year (
previously announced)
St. Thomas women’s soccer player
Nicole Maribona has been nominated for the Dr. LeRoy Walker Champions of Character Award, recognizing a student-athlete who excels academically, athletically, and embraces the core values of Champions of Character.
Maribona earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a 3.40 GPA. The native of Miami, Florida, Maribona served as STU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President and NAIA ASA representative for the Sun Conference. She continues to serve as a volunteer coordinator with the ‘Down Syndrome Association of Miami’. As a volunteer coordinator, Maribona pivoted walkathon strategy to a virtual walkathon in 2020 and increased online marketing to ensure the same level of participants from the year before.
“No matter what situation (Nicole) was dealing with she always handled it with a smile and kept pushing and supporting her teammates,” STU Head Coach
Michelle Smith said. “Nichole went
through two ACL surgeries during her four years, ending her career early. She has faced many situations
during these past four years, still managed to graduate with a 3.4 GPA she is incredibly impressive, and
truly a model for what all students should aspire to be.”
Michela Tjan (Keiser) and
Trevor Robinson (Webber International) were nominated for the A.O. Duer Scholarship, which recognizes academic and athletic excellence by a junior student-athlete.
Tjan, a 2020-21 Sun Conference All-Academic honoree and NAIA Scholar-Athlete, carries a 4.0 GPA in interdisciplinary studies. This year’s Sun Conference Player of the Year and NAIA National Player of the Year, Tjan is a two-time all-conference and NAIA All-America selection. Tjan secured a top-10 finish in 10 of the team’s 11 tournaments played this season.
“I have coached many exceptional student-athletes during my time as a golf coach. Michela is without
question the best student-athlete I have ever coached,” KU Head Coach
Brandon Miller said. “She is extremely responsible in terms of balancing her golf responsibilities, academics, and community engagement activities. This is shown by her exceptional 4.0 cumulative GPA and the plethora of National Academic Awards that she has received while excelling to the highest possible level as an athlete.”
Robinson, a 6-foot defender for the Warriors men’s soccer team as well as a member of the school’s Esports team, has registered a 4.0 GPA in Computer Information Systems. The two-sport athlete is also a student worker in the WIU sports information office, helping out the athletic department by dedicating his time enhancing the overall Webber brand.
“There are always players that stand out for many different reasons such as their attitude, determination, leadership, and technical ability,” WIU Head Coach Neil Cockburn said. “Trevor Robinson stood out to have all these attributes and is the reason he is one of the best players on my team. His leadership on and off the field is the reason I can see him as my future captain. Trevor also has great character, and led several fundraising projects to improve facilities for our soccer program.”
Gianni Domond (St. Thomas) earned the conference’s nominee for the Emil S. Liston Scholarship Award, recognizing academic and athletic excellence by a junior women’s basketball player.
Domond holds a 3.46 GPA in criminal justice and was a First-Team All-Sun Conference member this past season. A member of the St. Thomas women’s basketball team, Domond averaged 12.2 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per contest, guided the Bobcats to a berth in this year’s Sun Conference Championship game. Named to this year’s SUN All-Tournament Team, Domond shot 44.2 percent from the floor on the year while posting 38 steals, 17 assists, and six blocked shots during the 2020-21 season.
“Gianni has made an enormous impact on our program and has grown to be a true leader in the locker room. Head Coach
Candace Walker said. “She is an exemplary representation of St. Thomas University. She is a proud Lady Bobcat, relentless worker, loyal teammate, and compassionate person. Gianni is a joy to coach, and I am proud to be a witness of her continuous growth.”
Keiser men’s and women’s golf coach
Brandon Miller has been selected as the league’s Coach of Character nominee given to a head coach of an NAIA institution who has been outstanding in embracing the five core values of the NAIA Champions of Character initiative by deliberately teaching character to his/her student-athletes through sport.
Miller, a three-time NAIA Coach of the Year, wrapped up his 11th season with the Seahawks guiding the women’s side to this year’s National Championship title while garnering a third-place finish for the men in the national tournament. Miller coached the medalist in both the men’s and women’s Sun Conference Championship. The Seahawks produced both the NAIA National Player of the Year (women’s -
Michela Tjan) and the NAIA Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman of the Year (men’s -
Javier Neira Garcia).
“Coach Miller's teams excel in the classroom, in the community, and on the course, because he sets a standard for them to follow,” KU Director of Athletics
Kris Swogger said. “Our department believes that teaching students to be successful in life is our true mission, and the habits that they learn along the way will lead to winning. Coach Miller embodies this belief and our student-athletes would attest to his dedication, support, and focus on character development.”
USCB Associate Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator
Genia Montford will represent the league as its Charles Morris Administrator of the Year nominee, which recognizes administrators in all phases of NAIA athletic programs and is awarded to the individual who exemplifies the loyalty and enthusiasm Charles Morris (past NAIA Associate Executive Director) had for the NAIA.
Montford oversees the departmental auxiliary operations to include Academics and Compliance, Sports Information, and Sports Medicine and has direct oversight of sports of Cross Country and Track and Field. On the University level, Montford serves as the Advisor to the USCB Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is on three USCB Strategic Planning Committees. She is also active on the conference level, serving as the Chair of the Champions of Character Committee, the Advisor of the Conference Association of Student-Athletes (ASA), and the Sun Conference Track & Field Athletic Director liaison.
“Notable among Genia's outstanding attributes is her eagerness to innovate and to grow in her field,” USCB Chancellor
Al M. Panu, Ph.D. said. “She recognizes that eliciting the best from our student-athletes means demanding the best of herself. She does not shrink from that challenge - rather she is motivated by it. Genia works diligently to ensure that USCB Athletics is best-in-class with regard to service to student-athletes, coaches, staff, parents, and fans as well as to our colleagues and counterparts across the Sun Conference.”
Additionally,
Drew Watson (Southeastern), the Sun Conference Athletic Director of the Year,
Donnie Smith (Southeastern), the Sun Conference Sports Information Director of the Year, and
B.J. Gaesa (Southeastern), the Sun Conference Athletic Trainer of the Year, have been nominated for the NAIA Athletic Director, Sports Information Director of the Year, and Athletic Trainer of the Year awards, respectively.
ABOUT THE SUN CONFERENCE
Now entering its 32nd year, The Sun Conference, a 501c3 organization, continues to be one of the most successful intercollegiate athletic conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Under the guidance of Commissioner Dustin Wilke, the league sponsors championships in 18 NAIA sports: Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Men’s and Women’s Golf, Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Softball, Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field and Women’s Volleyball. Corporate sponsorship of the Conference has increased ten-fold; but most importantly, every Sun Conference member institution earned the NAIA’s prestigious 5-Star Champions of Character Award in each of the last five years. Learn more @ thesunconference.com
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