For the fourth consecutive year at Ashland University, the ASHPY Award winners were announced for the 2018-19 athletic season.

The ASPHY’s were created by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) of Ashland University were created with the purpose of honoring athletic accomplishments for both overall teams and individual players.

The awards banquet was created by students, but all the proceeds go to a greater cause, with all the money raised at the banquet is to go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation

Jay Slone is the president of SAAC, believes that the contribution to charity is what makes the ASHPYs special.

“It’s what it’s all about, and it visualizes it for the students,” Slone said. “When you’re in college, you tend to get sidetracked, you’re worried about yourself. Then you realize you’re part of an organization that’s something more than myself, kind of like a team.”
A great deal of awards were received by the Track and Field team at Ashland, a team that garnered eight awards in total.

Senior track and field athlete won three different awards in Male Athlete of the Year, Record-Breaking Performance and being a part of the Most Spirit team, which was awarded to the entire Ashland Men’s Track and Field team.

Track and Field head coach Jud Logan was awarded two seperate awards for Coach of the Year and the Best Moment award after the team won the NCAA Division II National Championship, which was his first as a coach.

The track team was also received the Best Championship Performance award, along with redshirt-freshman thrower Lindsay Baker receiving the Female Freshman of the Year.

Another team that received multiple awards at the ASHPYs was the women’s basketball team of Ashland University.

Junior guard Jodi Johnson took home the Female Athlete of the Year for her performance on and off the court. Alongside Johnson was her teammate senior Maddie Dackin, receiving the Senior Leader award, and the entire women’s basketball team winning the Team Grade-Point-Average (GPA) Award.

Other miscellaneous awards handed out to teams and individuals were redshirt-freshman quarterback Austin Brenner receiving Male Freshman of the Year for the Ashland football team, the Cheerleading and Dance team of Ashland University won the Community Service Award for the team’s involvement in the city of Ashland, OH, and graduate student Noah Cloonan received the Eagle of the Year.

One of the final awards of the night that was announced was the Perseverance and Courage Award, in this case awarded to the family members of the late Danny Krispinsky. Krispinsky was the head coach of the women’s soccer team at Ashland University from 2013-17, stepping down before the 2018 season to attempt to fight a form of cancer. Krispinsky later passed away in early 2019 due to his year-long fight with cancer.

The family of Krispinsky was in attendance to receive the award in the name of Krispinsky, and his wife Matti Krispinsky what it meant to the Krispinsky family to receive the award.

“I got to honor Danny,” said Matti Krispinsky. “I got to tell our story a little bit, and also encourage those others that are just facing some really hard times, what got us through and what is getting me through. Receiving that is such an honor, to be seen as courageous.”