University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football player Haston Adams has been voted the 2017-18 American Southwest Conference Male Athlete of the Year, the conference announced on Monday (June 11th). Adams becomes UMHB’s 11th ASC Athlete of the Year, more than any other conference school.
Adams, a senior defensive tackle from Beckville High School, earned ASC Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the Cru to a 14-1 record and an NCAA Division III National Runner-Up finish. He was named All-America by three different publications after recording 4.5 sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss and 47 total tackles on the season. Adams added three pass break-ups and a forced fumble for the conference’s top defense and national leader in scoring defense. He was a two-time All-American, two-time All-Region and three-time ASC All-Conference selection. Adams played for four ASC Champions and four NCAA postseason qualifiers during his career and was a key member of the 2016 NCAA Division III National Championship team. He finished his career ranked among UMHB’s top four all-time in both sacks and tackles for loss. The Cru posted a 51-4 overall record in his four seasons with the program. Adams was invited to the Arizona Cardinals rookie minicamp this spring.
“Haston is obviously a great football player,” said UMHB Vice President for Athletics Randy Mann. “He is the best interior lineman that we have ever had. His impact on our team was significant. He was the number one reason we had such a great defense. More importantly, he is as great a person as he is a football player. Haston has a strong faith and lives it out each and every day. He is the most polite, respectful, and kind young man. I don’t know that I have ever met anyone more kind than him. Haston is most deserving, because he is more than a football player. He cares about others more than himself and makes others around him better.”
Adams is the ninth UMHB student-athlete to win ASC Male Athlete of the Year honors and the Cru has produced two ASC Female Athletes of the Year. He joins the following UMHB student-athletes as ASC Athletes of the Year: Robert Moore – 2000-01 and 2001-02, Preston Meyer – 2002-03, Cody Fredenburg – 2003-04, Holly Glover – 2004-05, Josh Kubiak – 2006-07, Jerrell Freeman – 2007-08, Javicz Jones – 2012-13, Mackenzie Ralston – 2014-15 and Teidrick Smith – 2016-17.
Hardin-Simmons soccer standout Kenne Kessler won ASC Female Athlete of the Year honors. Soccer player Sarah Rempe was UMHB’s nominee. Rempe, a senior midfielder from Lewisville and Hebron High School, was a Second Team All-American and First Team Academic All-American this year. She earned ASC Midfielder of the Year honors after helping lead the Cru women’s soccer program to a school record for victories and the first NCAA postseason appearance in program history.
The ASC Athlete of the Year award recognizes a male and a female student-athlete whose athletic accomplishments best contributed to their sport, their institution's overall athletic program and to the conference during the past athletic year and is presented for the 19th time in 2017-18. Selection is made from campus nominees with the recipients chosen by vote of the conference sports information directors.
