Through all the sweat, tears and glory athletics have brought Dixie State University this year, the moment has come to recall all of the good moments and the unconquerable players.
For four years, DSU has held a banquet to acknowledge teams and the players who makes Dixie’s success possible.
“This banquet is special because it is one of the few nights a year where all of the student athletes and coaches get together in one place and have an opportunity to relax and enjoy each others’ company,” said Derek Dawes, DSU’s director of Annual Giving and Community Engagement.
This event is an end-of-the-year wrap-up where DSU honors each team and the MVP from each team.
The MVPs are chosen by their coaches and are announced on this night. Along with these, other awards are also given to the overall top male and female athletes of the year and the top male and female scholar of the year.
Dixie State University also honors and gives out three awards to those in the community: Volunteer of the year, booster member of the year and fan of the year.
The first community award is the Distinguished Athletic Alliance Member award. This award is given to a member of the booster club who has shown loyalty and obligation and to recognize their contributions to the DSU athletic department and the booster club.
The Volunteer Recognition Award is given to the most dedicated volunteer who spends most of his or her time volunteering to improve Dixie athletics.
And last is the Vic VanOstendorp Loyal Fan Award. This is named after one of the DSU’s most loyal fans in athletic history. This award was created in memory of VanOstendorp to acknowledge fans like him.
“We determine the overall MVPs, as well as the community award members,” DSU Athletic Director Jason Boothe said.
He said the scholar athletes of the year are determined by their overall GPA at Dixie State, which is usually a 3.9-4.0.
“I feel this is a great way for the athletes to get recognized—especially in front of their peers,” Dawes said.
The awards were decided weeks in advance for the athletes.
Boothe said because it is just a school-wide tradition, the members in the Pacific West Coast conference do not have anything to do nor help with the decisions for the awards with the banquet.
The banquet will be held April 24 at 6 p.m. in the Gardner Center. Admission is $15, and everyone is welcome to attend.
