Peoria, Ill. -- Bradley Athletics celebrated the achievements and successes of its student-athletes and programs on Monday night with the annual Kaboom! Awards hosted inside Renaissance Coliseum. 

Student-athletes and staff members were invited to the annual awards show where student-athletes were recognized for their athletic achievements, service recognition and inspiration they have brought to the university. 

Board of Directors Academic Excellence Award
The night led off with the recognition of the prestigious Missouri Valley Conference Board of Directors Academic Excellence Award. 

The MVC Board of Directors Academic Excellence Award is presented to student-athletes who are within 18 hours of graduation, have been a member of an athletics team at least two seasons, and who have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.80.

Nine Bradley student-athletes were selected for the award, as listed below: 

Taylor Catton - Baseball
John Day - Baseball
Kelsey Dalton - Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Olivia Harp - Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Tiana LoStracco - Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Amelia Lesher - Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
John Stillman - Men's Golf
Mara Flaherty - Women's Golf
Rasmus Smidtslund - Soccer

Joe Stowell Award
Introduced in 2007, the Coach Joe Stowell Award is presented annually to recognize the male and female student-athletes who best exemplify Stowell's love for Bradley Athletics, as well as dedication to their teams. Stowell served Bradley Athletics for over 70 years, first as a Bradley Basketball student-athlete, then as a Men's Basketball Assistant Coach, and eventually become the second-winningest Men's Basketball Head Coach in program history. He also served as an Assistant Athletic Director, Head Women's Basketball Coach and a Bradley Basketball Radio Analyst.

The female finalists included Grace French (Softball), Abby Johnson (Volleyball) and Megan Welch (Women's Golf). 

The male finalists included Roy Alvarez Gonzalez (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field), Jack Artimage (Soccer), Taylor Catton (Baseball) and John Stillman (Men's Golf). 

The winners were Grace French and Roy Alvarez Gonzalez. 



Carl Grose Service Award
The Carl Grose Service Award was established in honor of Mr. Grose, Bradley's long-time equipment manager and "Jack-of-all-trades." This award recognizes a student-athlete who is committed to volunteerism on campus and in the community.

The finalists included Mara Flaherty (Women's Golf), Connor O'Brien (Baseball), Charlie Parrish (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field) and Camryn Schaller (Softball).

The winner was Mara Flaherty. 



Individual Performances of the Year
We have already seen tonight the dedication of our student-athletes to their teammates, to serving others, and their performances in the classroom. It's time to also recognize their athletic accomplishments, starting with the Individual Performance of the Year, presented to a men's and women's recipient.

The winners were George Watson and Wilma Nielsen. 




Megan C. Fong Inspiration Award
The Megan C. Fong Inspiration award was created in 2003 in memory of our Women's Tennis student-athlete who passed away in August of 2002, her sophomore year, as a result of complications following her eight-month bout with leukemia. This award is presented to individuals associated with the Bradley Athletics department who have displayed perseverance, dedication and determination when confronted with a life altering event, while also serving as a role model and inspiration to others.

Olivia Bradley of Softball and Carlee Camlin of Volleyball were presented with the award after they both lost their fathers within the last year. 



Special Recognition Award
Each year, the Athletic Department awards one person the Special Recognition Award for their dedication and support of Bradley Athletics. This year's recipient of the Special Recognition Award was Craig Dahlquist, the current volunteer Assistant Cross Country and Track & Field coach. Dahlquist had previously spent 38 years at Bradley as an administrator and coach. Dahlquist was Head Coach for his first 10 years at Bradley and was instrumental in bringing seven NCAA Midwest Regional Cross Country championships to Newman Golf Course in Peoria. As a coach, Bradley set over 20 school records on the track and posted two top 4 finishes in the Missouri Valley Conference.



Charles Orsborn Award
Formerly known as the Watonga Award, the Charles Orsborn Award is the highest honor Bradley University bestows upon a graduating senior student-athlete and recognizes the ability of the winner to combine athletic and academic success with community service. 

A letterwinner in four sports as a student-athlete (baseball, basketball, football and track & field), Charles Orsborn helped put Bradley Athletics on the national map as a member of the Famous Five men's basketball teams that played in the first two National Invitation Tournaments in 1938 and 1939 and earned an invitation to the inaugural NCAA Tournament in 1939.

This year's winner was Rienk Mast of Men's Basketball. 



Men's and Women's Team Performances of the Year
The last award of the evening was presented to the best men's and women's team performance throughout the season. This year's winners were Men's Basketball in their regular season conference championship win over Drake and Women's Cross Country team for their win at the 2023 MVC Championship.