ASHLAND – The top athletes, coaches and performances at Southern Oregon University for the 2016-17 season were recognized Monday night in the Rogue River Room at the fifth annual Raider Black & Red Crew All-Sports Awards Banquet.

Lauren McGowne, a volleyball and track and field star, and four-time wrestling All-American Tyler Cowger took home the night's top honors, the SOU Alumni Awards. The rest of the winners, listed below, were voted on by SOU's coaches and members of the Black & Red Crew, which includes representatives from every team.

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Football
Winner: Matt Retzlaff
Position: Receiver
Of Note: A four-year starter, Retzlaff ended his career with Raider records in total receptions (247), receiving yards (3,373) and receiving touchdowns (40). He was named to the AFCA-NAIA All-America second team and scored 13 touchdowns despite missing two games, registering 100-plus yards five times and average 117.6 per game.
Finalist: Devvon Gage

Volleyball
Winner: Lauren McGowne
Position: Setter
Of Note: McGowne was selected to the All-Cascade Conference team for the third after ranking third in assists per set (10.2) and posting career highs in digs (1.7) and blocks (0.5). The All-American capped her career total at 4,336 assists, the second most in SOU history. After her time with the volleyball team ended, she captured her second CCC long jump championship in the spring.
Finalist: Emma Gasman

Men's Cross Country
Winner: Connor Cushman
Of Note: Cushman was the top finisher in SOU's championship effort at the national meet, completing the 8,000-meter course in Elsah, Illinois in 24:59.8 for 16th place. He was also the runner-up at the CCC Championships as the Raiders claimed their ninth consecutive conference title.
Finalist: Dylan Alexander

Women's Cross Country
Winner: Jessa Perkinson
Of Note: By taking third place, Perkinson had the best finish ever for a Raider at the NAIA Championships and was also the CCC's top placer, clocking in at 17:13.5 in the 5K race a year after taking 13th. She helped SOU to seventh place overall, matching the best effort in team history.
Finalist: Kayle Blackmore

Men's Soccer
Winner: Jonathan Morales
Position: Goalkeeper
Of Note: Morales, along with Magana, became the first All-CCC performers in the two-year history of the team. In his first year as a full-time starter, Morales ranked first in conference matches in both save percentage (.877) and goals allowed per game (0.58) with 50 saves of 57 shots on goal. During SOU's nine-game unbeaten streak, he went eight straight games without allowing multiple goals and finished the regular season with seven solo shutouts and one shared.
Finalist: Carlos Magana

Women's Soccer
Winner: Megan McArthur
Position: Forward
Of Note: McArthur's striking was a go-to ingredient as the Raiders won their first ever conference title, resulting in her selection as the CCC's offensive player of the year and an honorable mention NAIA All-America nod. The forward tallied 10 goals, including six of the game-winning variety to lead the conference, and ended her career with a total of 21 goals and eight assists.
Finalist: Megan Smith

Men's Basketball
Winner: Ben DeSaulnier
Position: Guard
Of Note: As a junior, DeSaulnier landed on the All-CCC list for the second year in a row after another high-scoring campaign. He ranked fourth in the conference in points per game (17.8) and posted top-10 marks in field-goal percentage (52.8), free-throw accuracy (83.9) and steals (1.3). He'll go into his senior season with 1,506 points, the sixth-most in SOU history.
Finalist: Tristen Holmes

Women's Basketball
Winner: Autumn Durand
Position: Forward
Of Note: Durand, a four-year starter, went out with a Cascade Conference player-of-the-year award and a second-team NAIA All-America nod. She pushed the Raiders to their third straight national tournament appearance, leading the CCC in points per game (16.5), ranking third in rebounds (7.6) and fifth in shooting percentage (50.7). She departed with 1,582 career points and 794 rebounds, which rank third and sixth, respectively, in Raider history.
Finalist: Sydney Mullings

Men's Wrestling
Winner: Tyler Cowger
Weight Class: 149
Of Note: Cowger became the seventh four-time All-American in SOU history by placing fourth at the NAIA Championships – also his fourth straight top-five finish. The Sweet Home product completed his career with a record of 114-32, going 33-6 as a senior to take the No. 3 spot on SOU's all-time wins list. He also led the Raiders to fifth in the national team standings and helped them win the West Regional title for the third time during his stay.
Finalist: Hunter Hodges

Women's Wrestling
Winner: Desiree Zavala
Weight Class: 143
Of Note: In her freshman season, Zavala took third place at the WCWA Championships for the top finish in the two-year history of the team. She wrapped it up with an 11-0 upset of the third-ranked wrestler in her weight class, running her record to 22-3 overall. She recorded 11 technical falls and eight pins.
Finalist: Kal Holliday

Men's Track & Field
Winner: Matt East
Events: Sprints
Of Note: East left the NAIA Outdoor Championships with three All-America honors and the most accomplished season ever for a Raider men's sprinter. Two weeks after winning titles in the 200, 400 and both relays at the CCC Championships – and a month after setting school and conference records with a 100-meter dash time of 10.42 seconds – East was fifth in the 100 at the national meet in 10.43, the top finish in the event in school history. Later, he was part of the 4x100 relay team that broke its own school record by clocking in at 40.77 for fourth place.
Finalists: Zach Beltz, Joseph Dotson

Women's Track & Field
Winner: Jessa Perkinson
Events: Distance
Of Note: During the indoor and outdoor seasons combined, Perkinson racked up four more All-America honors – in the indoor mile (4th) and distance medley relay (2nd), and the outdoor 1,500 meters (6th) and 5K (1st). Her dominance extended to the CCC Championships, where she captured a pair of titles and replaced meet and school records in the 5K (16:37.47). She also replaced her SOU 1,500 record, clocking in at 4:30.11 at the Oregon State High Performance Meet.
Finalist: Rakayla Tyler

Softball
Winner: Kelsey Randall
Position: Shortstop
Of Note: Randall was the rock atop the lineup and at shortstop during the best season in team history, as the Raiders won the CCC tournament and advanced to the NAIA World Series for the first time. An All-CCC selection and Gold Glove winner for the third year in a row, Randall established new school records for hits (94), total bases (122) and triples (10), all while batting a team-best .431.
Finalists: Karlee Coughlin, Harlee Donovan

GAME/EVENT OF THE YEAR
Winner: The Raider softball team wins four consecutive elimination games to topple the Hattiesburg Bracket of the NAIA Opening Round – ending with back-to-back defeats of Southeastern (Fla.). In the final game, SOU scored four times in the fifth inning to erase a 2-0 deficit, and the win brought the team to the NAIA World Series for the first time.
Finalists: The SOU men's cross country team captures its second NAIA title… The SOU football team erases a 20-point deficit to teal a 35-34 win at Rocky Mountain.

PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Jessa Perkinson becomes SOU's first 1,500-meter All-American, placing sixth, and two hours later comes from behind to capture her second NAIA title in the 5K at the national outdoor meet.
Finalists: Rakayla Tyler has a hand in four titles and is named women's track athlete of the meet at the CCC Championships… Harlee Donovan homers five times in a four-game sweep of Oregon Tech.

CHAMPION OF CHARACTER AWARD
Male Winner: Tyler Luebbert
Finalists: Colin Davis, Joseph Dotson

Female Winner: Lauren Aldana
Finalists: Aspen Abbott, Tyler Burke

ATHLETIC TRAINING PERSEVERANCE AWARD
Male Winner: Casey Coulter
Female Winner: Macaylea Mitchell

SPORTS INFO LEGACY AWARD
Single-Season Winner: Autumn Durand
Career Winner: Matt Retzlaff

COACH OF THE YEAR
Winner: Jessica Pistole
Finalists: Grier Gatlin, Mike Ritchey

RAIDER CUP TEAM OF THE YEAR
Winner: Men's Cross Country (NAIA champions)
Finalists: Men's Wrestling, Softball

ALUMNI AWARD
Male Winner: Tyler Cowger
Finalists: Colin Davis, Matt Retzlaff
 
Female Winner: Lauren McGowne
Finalists: Aspen Abbott, Tyler Burke