Crews, Thomas named Kramer SEC Athletes of the Year
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - LSU's Dylan Crews and Florida's Trinity Thomas have been named the 2022-2023 Roy F. Kramer SEC Male and Female Athletes of the Year by a vote of the league's athletics directors, Commissioner Greg Sankey announced today.
"Trinity and Dylan represent what it means for a young person to fully participate and succeed as a student and as an athlete in the Southeastern Conference. Trinity and Dylan both achieved the highest levels of competitive excellence-represented by perfect scores, national awards, and championships. We are proud and grateful for their outstanding representation of the SEC and of the accomplishments they have achieved as members of their university communities."
One of college baseball's biggest stars this season, Dylan Crews, helped lead the Tigers to the 2023 College World Series title. A junior from Longwood, Fla., he was named the winner of the 2023 Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top amateur baseball player in the U.S.
He was the SEC leader in batting average (.426), on-base percentage (.567), runs (100), hits (110), and walks (71). He also increased his reached base streak to 75 straight games, which includes all 71 games of the 2022-23 season and the final four games of the 2021-22 season.
Crews finished No. 1 in the nation in runs and in walks, No. 2 in on-base percentage and in hits, and No. 3 in batting average.
In addition to being honored as the SEC Player of the Year, Crews was named to the All-SEC First Team and earned a spot on the conference's All-Defensive Team thanks to his performance in center field.
Crews, a three-time SEC Player of the Week, was also named to the SEC Community Service Team for his work with Families Helping Families of Greater Baton Rouge, a non-profit resource center organized and directed by family members of individuals with disabilities.
He has been voted a 2023 First-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball newspaper and by the NCBWA and is projected to be drafted first or second in the Major League Baseball draft.
In 2023, Trinity Thomas led the nation for the third consecutive season in perfect 10.0s - four in 2021, 12 in 2022 and eight in 2023 - making her the career NCAA 10.0 co-leader. She earned her 28th perfect mark in the final vault competition at the NCAA Championships to help Florida to a runner-up finish.
One of three in the nation with five 2023 Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) All-America regular-season honors, Thomas also earned All-America first-team honors for vault and uneven bars in the NCAA Championships semifinal.
The 2023 SEC Gymnast of Year, Thomas joins Alabama's Andreé Pickens as the only three-time recipients in the award's history. She is also one of two individuals in SEC Championship meet history with two 10.0s in a single meet.
The only gymnast in NCAA history with at least five 10.0s on each apparatus for five career Gym Slams, Thomas is also the school career all-arounder leader (30), passing Bridget Sloan (27). She led Florida in 2023 with 29 event wins (9 floor, 7 bars, 5 vault, 5 all-around, 3 beam) and ended her collegiate career as Florida's career leader with 142 event titles.
Thomas received the Honda Award as the nation's top collegiate gymnast for the second consecutive season in 2023.
The other male nominees were Bryce Young, Alabama (football); Jaydon Hibbert, Arkansas (track & field); Nate Stoffle, Auburn (swimming & diving); Fred Biondi, Florida (golf); Ethan Quinn, Georgia (tennis); Liam Draxl, Kentucky (tennis); Kemp Alderman, Ole Miss (baseball); Cameron Crump, Mississippi State (track & field); Kobe Brown, Missouri (basketball); Toby Samuel, South Carolina (tennis); Hendon Hooker, Tennessee (football); Sam Bennett, Texas A&M (golf); Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt (golf).
The other female nominees were Kensey McMahon, Alabama (swimming & diving); Britton Wilson, Arkansas (track & field); Maddie Penta, Auburn (softball); Jenny Bae, Georgia (golf); Kayla Kowalik, Kentucky (softball); Angel Reese, LSU (basketball); Jalani Davis, Ole Miss (track & field); Julia Lopez Ramirez, Mississippi State (golf); Arianna Fisher, Missouri (track & field); Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (basketball); Kiki Milloy, Tennessee (softball); Lamara Distin, Texas A&M (track & field); Beatrice Juskeviciute, Vanderbilt (track & field).
The SEC Athletes of the Year Awards were first presented in 1976 for men and 1984 for women. The award was renamed the Roy F. Kramer Athletes of the Year in 2004 to honor the former Commissioner who served the conference from 1990-2002.
Past recipients of the SEC Athlete of the Year Award include: 2022 - Bryce Young, Alabama (football) and Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (basketball); 2021 - DeVonta Smith, Alabama (football) and Madison Lilley, Kentucky (volleyball); 2020 - Joe Burrow, LSU (football) and Tyasha Harris, South Carolina (basketball); 2019 - Grant Holloway, Florida (track & field) and Maria Fassi, Arkansas (golf); 2018 - Caeleb Dressel, Florida (swimming) and A'ja Wilson, South Carolina (basketball); 2017 - Brent Rooker, Mississippi State (baseball) and Kendell Williams, Georgia (track & field); 2016 - Jarrion Lawson, Arkansas (track & field) and Bridget Sloan, Florida (gymnastics); 2015 - Andrew Benintendi, Arkansas (baseball) and Lauren Haeger, Florida (softball); 2014 - AJ Reed, Kentucky (baseball) and Hannah Rogers, Florida (softball); 2013 - Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M (football) and Allison Schmitt, Georgia (swimming); 2012 - Anthony Davis, Kentucky (basketball) and Brooke Pancake, Alabama (golf); 2011 - John-Patrick Smith, Tennessee (tennis) and Kayla Hoffman, Alabama (gymnastics); 2010 - Mark Ingram, Alabama (football) and Susan Jackson, LSU (gymnastics); 2009 - Tim Tebow, Florida (football) and Courtney Kupets, Georgia (gymnastics); 2008 - Tim Tebow, Florida (football) and Candace Parker, Tennessee (basketball); 2007 - David Price, Vanderbilt (baseball) and Monica Abbott, Tennessee (softball); 2006 - Xavier Carter, LSU (track & field) and Seimone Augustus, LSU (basketball); 2005 - Ryan Lochte, Florida (swimming) and Kirsty Coventry, Auburn (swimming); 2004 - Alistair Cragg, Arkansas (cross country/track) and Jeana Rice, Alabama (gymnastics); 2003 - Alistair Cragg, Arkansas (cross country/track) and LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State (basketball); 2002 - Walter Davis, LSU (track & field) and Andree' Pickens, Alabama (gymnastics); 2001 - Matias Boeker, Georgia (tennis) and Amy Yoder Begley, Arkansas (cross country/track); 2000 - Kip Bouknight , South Carolina (baseball) and Kristy Kowal, Georgia (swimming); 1999 - Tim Couch, Kentucky (football) and Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee (basketball); 1998 - Peyton Manning, Tennessee (football) and Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee (basketball); 1997 - Danny Wuerffel, Florida (football) and Trinity Johnson, South Carolina (softball); 1996 - Danny Wuerffel, Florida (football) and Saudia Roundtree, Georgia (basketball); 1995 - Todd Helton, Tennessee (baseball) and Jenny Hansen, Kentucky (gymnastics); 1994 - Corliss Williamson, Arkansas (basketball) and Nicole Haislett, Florida (swimming); 1993 - Jamal Mashburn, Kentucky (basketball) and Nicole Haislett, Florida (swimming); 1992 - Shaquille O'Neal, LSU (basketball) and Vicki Goetze, Georgia (golf); 1991 - Shaquille O'Neal, LSU (basketball) and Daedra Charles, Tennessee (basketball); 1990 - Alec Kessler, Georgia (basketball) and Dee Foster, Alabama (gymnastics); 1989 - Derrick Thomas, Alabama (football) and Bridgette Gordon, Tennessee (basketball); 1988 - Will Perdue, Vanderbilt (basketball) and Dara Torres, Florida (swimming); 1987 - Cornelius Bennett, Alabama (football) and Lillie Leatherwood-King, Alabama (track and field); 1986 - Bo Jackson, Auburn (football) and Jennifer Gillom, Ole Miss (basketball); 1985 - Will Clark, Mississippi State (baseball) and Penney Hauschild, Alabama (gymnastics); 1984 - Terry Hoage, Georgia (football) and Tracy Caulkins, Florida (swimming); 1983 - Herschel Walker, Georgia (football/track and field); 1982 - Buck Belue, Georgia (football/baseball); 1981 - Rowdy Gaines, Auburn (swimming); 1980 - Kyle Macy, Kentucky (basketball); 1979 - Reggie King, Alabama (basketball); 1978 - Jack Givens, Kentucky (basketball); 1977 - Larry Seivers, Tennessee (football); and 1976 - Harvey Glance, Auburn (track and field).