Tech celebrates banner year with Techspys

Louisiana Tech bowling senior Ashley Channell and baseball redshirt junior Jonathan Fincher were the recipients of the Presidential Awards at the 2021 Techspys held Monday night at the Thomas Assembly Center.

The year-end Academy Awards-style show highlighted all of the academic and athletic accomplishments of the Louisiana Tech student-athletes for the past year. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 spring seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Techspys focused on the accomplishments of the 2020-21 seasons through competitions played by April 19, 2021.

Channell and Fincher were honored with the Presidential Award presented by University President Les Guice, which is the highest honor bestowed upon a Tech student-athlete who best epitomizes what it means to be a role model Lady Techster and Bulldog. The duo was recognized for their hard work on the playing fields and in the classroom.

The Team GPA Award went to the Lady Techster cross country team while the SAAC Award (Community Service) was awarded to men’s and women’s cross country. The Tenets of Tech Award was given to the student-athletes in each program that best exemplify the 12 guiding principles that exemplify the qualities that Tech students should possess upon graduating from this institution.

The Tenets of Tech recipients were: Jonathan Fincher (baseball), Steele Netterville (baseball), Kaitlyn Eder (bowling), Trey Baldwin (football), Isaiah Graham (football), Eric Kendzior (football), Joshua Mote (football), Mac Murphy (golf), Amorie Archibald (men’s basketball), Mason Youberg (men’s cross country), Nolan Walker (men’s track and field), Amber Posthauer (soccer), Zoe Hicks (softball), Ilana Tetruashvili (tennis), Emily Boylan (volleyball), Lotte Sant (women’s basketball), Riley Killian (women’s cross country) and Johannon Murray (women’s track and field).

In the individual categories, Jarret Whorff (baseball) and Kaitlyn Eder (bowling) took home the Male and Female Performance of the Year awards, while Kenneth Lofton, Jr. (men’s basketball) and Keiunna Walker (women’s basketball) earned the Male and Female Play of the Year.

The 2021 Techspys also recognized the Tech student-athletes who earned various academic and athletic conference and postseason awards.

The night included singing performance by Keiunna Walker (WBB) and Jordan Myles (Football), as well as a performance by the Louisiana Tech cheer team.

MALE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Jarret Whorff (Baseball) — After scattering just two hits in the first two innings, Jarret Whorff continued his dominance to shut down the powerful Arkansas Razorbacks’ offense, not allowing a single hit over the final seven frames to post a complete-game shutout. Whorff’s performance powered Tech to its first win over a No. 1 team in program history, which was fittingly cemented with a strikeout from Tech’s Sunday starter. The right-hander tossed 10 strikeouts and allowed just one walk in the lights-out performance.

FEMALE PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Kaitlyn Eder (Bowling) — Kaitlyn Eder was named the 2020 Track Kat Klash MVP after leading the then-No. 9 Louisiana Tech bowling team to a second-place finish. She finished first individually with a pin average of 228.00. Eder totaled 1,140 pins in her five traditional games where she registered four games over 200. She bowled above a 250 twice after registering a 255 in game two and a 254 in game five.

MALE PLAY OF THE YEAR: Kenneth Lofton, Jr. (Basketball) — After Colorado State tied the game up at 74-74, head coach Eric Konkol called a timeout with 14 seconds remaining. In that huddle, he drew up a play to get the ball to Kenneth Lofton, Jr. Everyone knew the freshman was going to take the last shot. With seven seconds to go, Amorie Archibald dumped off a bounce pass to Junior at the elbow. The forward went one-on-one with his defender, knifed through traffic down the middle of the lane and finished strong for the game-winning bucket with only 0.3 seconds left.

FEMALE PLAY OF THE YEAR: Keiunna Walker (Women’s Basketball) — With Tech trailing 48-47 and time running out on their season, junior Keiunna Walker made a season-saving play. Following a Marshall turnover in the front court with 12 seconds to play, Raizel Guinto found Walker on the left wing with the clock running down. The junior guard drove middle, hit an acrobatic off-balance shot while falling to the floor and being fouled to propel the Lady Techsters to a 50-48 win over Marshall in the first round of the 2021 Conference USA Tournament in Frisco.

SAAC AWARD (Community Service): Men’s and Women’s Cross Country

GPA AWARD: Women’s Cross Country

PRESIDENTIAL AWARD (MALE): Jonathan Fincher (Baseball) — The two-time C-USA Academic Medalist, two-time C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and two-time C-USA Pitcher of the Week. Fincher ranks 29th in the nation with a 2.02 ERA (First in C-USA) and ranks 15th in the nation with a 0.87 WHIP. Opposing batters are hitting just .183 off him this season and Tech is 9-2 when Fincher pitches this season.

PRESIDENTIAL AWARD (FEMALE): Ashley Channell (Bowling) — SAAC Secretary is a three-time C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and has been named to the dean’s list seven times and the president’s list twice. She led Tech to its highest ranking in program history and its first NCAA Tournament in program history. She is part of the Tech lineup that registered the first perfect Baker game in program history at the 2021 National Collegiate Women’s Bowling Championship

TENETS OF TECH AWARD RECIPIENTS: Jonathan Fincher (baseball), Steele Netterville (baseball), Kaitlyn Eder (bowling), Trey Baldwin (football), Isaiah Graham (football), Eric Kendzior (football), Joshua Mote (football), Mac Murphy (golf), Amorie Archibald (men’s basketball), Mason Youberg (men’s cross country), Nolan Walker (men’s track and field), Amber Posthauer (soccer), Zoe Hicks (softball), Ilana Tetruashvili (tennis), Emily Boylan (volleyball), Lotte Sant (women’s basketball), Riley Killian (women’s cross country) and Johannon Murray (women’s track and field).