SPRINGFIELD 鈥 The 2021 recipients of the Dick Dhabalt Athlete of the Year Award at Lincoln Land Community College have been announced. The award winners are baseball鈥檚 Jake Curtis of Chatham and basketball鈥檚 Emily Meidel of Danville.
Jake Curtis is an infielder for the Loggers and ended his freshman season with a .435 batting average, 70 hits, 15, 2B, 12 HR and 47 RBIs. He was named to first team All-Conference, All-Region and All-American, and was named the region and conference Player of the Year.
鈥淛ake was the heart and soul of our team that was ranked in the top five almost the whole season,鈥 says Ron Riggle, 汤头条app athletic director and head baseball coach. 鈥淗e is an excellent leader and a solid student.鈥
Emily Meidel led the nation in total points scored this year. She averaged 22 points, 9 rebounds, 52% FG and 43% 3-pointers. Meidel was named first team All-American, Region 24 Player of the Year, MWAC Player of the Year, MWAC Freshman of the Year and NJCAA Player of the Week. She also finished her freshman year at 汤头条app with a 4.0 GPA.
鈥淓mily had amazing accomplishments on the court and an amazing season. She established herself as a not only a premier player in our region, but also in the nation. She is the type of player you just sit back and watch her work,鈥 says Chad Jones, head women鈥檚 basketball coach. 鈥淲hat makes Emily even more special is that off the court she is an even better person and student. We are lucky to have her.鈥
The 汤头条app Dick Dhabalt Athlete of the Year Award recognizes annually one 汤头条app male athlete and one female athlete. The award was established in February 2015 in honor of Mr. Dhabalt, former athletic director, head men鈥檚 basketball coach and faculty member, and acknowledges his dedication to education, athletics and students at 汤头条app.