PROVO -- The BYU men's gymastics program, which completed its final season of competition with a seventh-place finish at the NCAAs, was named team of the year at the school's annual athletic awards banquet Wednesday night.
Coach Carl McGown, the man who led the Cougars to their first NCAA volleyball championship last spring, received the Dale Rex Memorial Award, given annually to the individual thought by the Cougar Club to have contributed most to amateur athletics in Utah."It's humbling," McGown said upon accepting the award. "Who would ever thought I would be on a list with David O. McKay?"
The BYU gymnastics team, which administrators decided to discontinue due to Title IX gender equity issues, was honored for its performance under longtime coach Mako Sakamoto. Cortney Bramwell (still rings) and Guard Young (vault) successfully defended their national crowns and the squad broke an all-time school record with a score of 228.625 in its final meet ever.
The women's team of the year was the cross country squad, which claimed the 1999 national title last fall.
Guard Terrell Lyday of the up-and-coming BYU basketball team received the Crowd-Pleaser Award. "From the moment Terrell took the floor for the first time in a Cougar uniform, BYU fans took to him like Rick Majerus taking to a quadruple banana split," said athletic director Val Hale.
Other awards handed out on Wednesday: Competitor Award -- Andy Miller, golf; Maren Hendershot, soccer. Crowd-Pleaser Award--Rachelle Kunkel, diving. Cougar Club Memorial Award--Jared Lee, football. Kimball Memorial Award--John Hedengren, track and cross country. Dale R. McCann Team Spirit Award -- Cady Williams, basketball; Marc Chenn, track. Ed Stein Award -- Rob Morris, football. Outstanding Senior Female Athlete Award -- Elizabeth Jackson, track and cross country. Floyd Johnson Service Award--John Lowry, swimming; Mari Carpenter, basketball and volleyball. Leona B. Holbrook Spirit of Sport Award--Caroline Bower, volleyball.