HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point University Athletics hosted its annual student-athlete awards ceremony, known as the Pawscars, Monday night inside the Nido & Mariana Qubein Center.

Men's soccer redshirt sophomore Daniel Lugo was named the HPU Male Athlete of the Year, while women's cross country/track and field junior Brianna Malone was tabbed HPU Female Athlete of the Year.

In his first season at High Point after transferring from North Carolina, Lugo started in 19 of 20 games while scoring 14 goals — with a single-season program best seven game-winning scores — and assisting on five for a team and conference-leading 33 points in 1,191 minutes played. He was the second-highest draft pick when the Vancouver Whitecaps selected him in the first round with the 29th overall pick. He was named the Big South Offensive Player of the Year, Big South Newcomer of the Year, Big South Tournament MVP, Big South First Team member, MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List Finalist, TDS Player of the Year Finalist and a member of the TDS Best XI First Team as the No. 4 player in the nation. He led HPU to its first NCAA Tournament Second Round victory and appearance in the Sweet Sixteen as well as two Big South Conference championships.

Malone was named the 2025 Big South Conference Runner of the Year — after becoming a three-time individual conference champion with a 16:59.5 race in the 5k — and leading the team to its ninth straight championship. Her dominance continued into indoor track & field season as she won two of the Panthers' five gold medals behind her second-straight 800m race (2:11.50) and third consecutive mile run (4:47.83) at the indoor championships, where HPU won its fourth consecutive trophy. Malone, who was named the Big South Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, also was crowned the Indoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year as well as being named to the Big South Academic Team twice.

The Pawscars began with recognizing the 2025-26 4.0 Millis Scholar-Athlete Awards, which are awards endowed by the Millis Family to showcase HPU's outstanding student-athletes' academic achievements. Seventy student-athletes were awarded for their perfect 4.0 grade-point averages in the classroom. Molly Millis-Young was on-site to help present the awards alongside Athletic Director/Vice President Dan Hauser.

Prosper Adagani (men's soccer) earned Male Freshman of the Year and Makayla Grubb (women's golf) was garnered Female Freshman of the Year. Adagani appeared in all 20 matches for the Panthers, scoring six goals and assisting a pair as a two-time Big South Freshman of the Week honoree and Big South Freshman of the Year. Grubb has led the conference in scoring average (72.59) through the regular-season, winning nine Big South Golfer/Freshman of the Week awards while sinking a hole-in-one and helping the Panthers win a pair of tournaments. 

The HPU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee voted Kari Powell (women's soccer) as the HPU Sportswoman of the Year, while Mac Kimel (baseball) was selected as the HPU Sportsman of the Year.

Addison Freeland (women's volleyball/track & field) was named the Female Breakout Athlete of the Year, while Koven Johnson was awarded the Male Breakout of the Year.

Freeland, a dual student-athlete, won the Big South women's javelin in May with a personal best throw of 44.96m and has helped the Panthers win five combined Big South Championships — between outdoor track & field and volleyball — and was named the Big South Tournament Volleyball MVP. Johnson, who was drafted 70th overall in the MLS SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids, after appearing in all 20 games with 17 starts while playing 1,408 minutes in the midfield en route to the program's first Sweet Sixteen run.

Lugo (men's soccer) was awarded the Male Newcomer of the Year to pair with his Male Athlete of the Year honoree, while Ashlyn Giles (women's track & field) won the Female Newcomer of the Year. The thrower Giles broke the facility, program, conference and meet record in both the shot put and discus at the Bob Davidson Meet and has won over a handful of events through the indoor and outdoor seasons.

The HPU strength and conditioning staff recognized four student-athletes for their excellence in the weight room. Addison McEvers (women's lacrosse) was awarded the Female Iron Cub of the Year, while Kelan McCullough (men's track & field) earned the Male Iron Cub of the Year. Anna Venditti (women's rowing) took home the Female Iron Panther of the Year award and Scott Moore (men's lacrosse) garnered the Male Iron Panther of the Year.
For their outstanding academics, Audrey Houle (women's rowing) was awarded the Tobias Scholar-Athlete Award, while Ryan Marengo (men's lacrosse) was voted the E. Vance Davis Scholar-Athlete award winner.

Men's soccer won the historic moment of the year for the program's NCAA Tournament victory over West Virginia in the second round on home turf as the Panthers advanced to the school's first-ever Sweet Sixteen behind the highest-ranked seed (10). 

The game of the year was given to men's basketball for upsetting No. 5 Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament for the program's first-ever March Madness win, while the inaugural play of the year was awarded to men's basketball student-athlete Chase Johnston who made his first 2-pointer of the season to take the lead against the Badgers on the national stage.

The competition cup was awarded to women's lacrosse for the team's efforts in the classroom, in the community, and on the field.
 
HPU Deputy Athletic Director Drew Sanchez was the emcee, while Athletic Director/Vice President Dan Hauser opened the ceremony with an overview of the department's outstanding accomplishments. Courtesy of the Panther Club, all seniors were presented with senior rings by Hauser and PC donor Earl Foster.