VERMILLION, S.D.—Football player Jack Cochrane, women's basketball guard Chloe Lamb and women's soccer goalkeeper Emma Harkleroad took home the top honors Wednesday evening at The Charlies, South Dakota's annual award ceremony that honors student-athlete achievements during the 2021-22 academic year.
 
Cochrane swept the Dr. John Van Why Male Athlete of the Year and the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. Cochrane, who hails from Mount Vernon, Iowa, led South Dakota to the program's second-ever FCS playoff appearance. He garnered Academic All-America, All-America and All-Missouri Valley first team honors this fall. He also took fourth in the voting for the Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his career with 39 consecutive starts at linebacker and graduates as the program's sixth-leading tackler (327).
 
Lamb garnered the Catie Tobin Female Athlete of the Year award. Lamb, a native of Onida, South Dakota, led the Coyotes to the program's first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. She was the Summit League Player of the Year and Summit League Tournament MVP as USD took home Summit regular season and tournament titles. She averaged 15.8 points while shooting at a 46.8 percent clip on the season. Lamb graduates with USD's career games record (162), ranks third for scoring (1,884), second for 3-pointers (253) and seventh for steals (196).
 
The men's athlete of the year award is named for Dr. John Van Why, the University's former physical education department chair who pushed for the importance of athletics and physical activity in the 1950s. The women's athlete of the year award is named for Catie Tobin, who was one of the first female track and field athletes to compete for the University of South Dakota.
 
Harkleroad received the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Harkleroad, who hails from Geneva, Illinois, clinched the Coyotes' spot in the Summit League Tournament for the second-straight season. She was an Academic All-American, academic all-Summit League and all-Summit League pick. Harkleroad led the nation in save percentage (.889) with seven shutouts during the fall. Both were single-season school records. She also owns USD's school record for goals-against average (0.94).
 
Triathlete Maddie Lavin (Vermillion, S.D.) was the recipient of the Colonel Wales Award, which recognizes the most outstanding student-athlete from the state of South Dakota.
 
Men's golfer Max Schmidtke (Sheboygan, Wisconsin) and women's basketball player Grace Larkins (Altoona, Iowa) were named Male and Female Rookies of the Year, respectively. Schmidtke led the Coyotes on the course this spring with a 73.3 scoring average. Larkins was the Summit's Sixth Woman of the Year after averaging 6.5 points off the bench for the Coyotes.
 
Director of Track and Field Lucky Huber collected the Coach of the Year recognition after his women's track and field program made history this indoor season, ending NDSU's 14-year-run as Summit League Indoor Track and Field Champions.
 
Both the Outstanding Team of the Year and the Performance of the Year awards went to women's basketball following the program's historic run to the NCAA Sweet 16.
 
The Courage Award was presented to men's golfer Ian Johnston (Swisher, Iowa) for his promotion of mental health awareness and substance abuse prevention.
 
Men's cross country and women's volleyball picked up the Dr. Jack Powell and Dr. Tina Keller Leader of the Pack Awards for Academic Excellence. The squads posted the top GPAs for the 2021 calendar year, with volleyball recording the top women's GPA of 3.68 and cross country posting the top men's GPA of 3.41.
 
The Student-Athlete Choice Award, presented annually to a member of the athletic department staff, went to athletic trainer Mandy McCarthy.
 
A complete list of award winners follows:
 
Dr. John Van Why Award (Male Student-Athlete of the Year): Jack Cochrane, Football
 
Catie Tobin Award (Female Student-Athlete of the Year): Chloe Lamb, Basketball
 
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Jack Cochrane, Football
 
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Emma Harkleroad, Soccer
 
Colonel Wales Award (Most Outstanding Athlete from South Dakota): Maddie Lavin, Triathlon
 
Male Rookie of the Year: Max Schmidtke, Golf
 
Female Rookie of the Year: Grace Larkins, Basketball
 
Courage Award: Ian Johnston, Golf
 
Coach of the Year: Lucky Huber, Track and Field
 
Outstanding Team of the Year: Women's Basketball
 
Performance of the Year: Women's Basketball defeats Baylor to advance to the NCAA Sweet 16
 
Student-Athlete Choice Award: Mandy McCarthy, Athletic Training
 
Dr. Jack Powell Leader of the Pack Award for Academic Excellence: Men's Cross Country
 
Dr. Tina Keller Leader of the Pack Award for Academic Excellence: Volleyball
 
Coyote Character Awards: Aimee Adams, Volleyball; Haley Arens, Outdoor Track & Field; Ella Byers, Cross Country; Andrea Cernuda, Triathlon; Jack Cochrane, Football; Caden DeLay, Swimming & Diving; Lindsay Farrell, Soccer; Molly Fossen, Golf; Merga Gemeda, Cross Country; Holly Gerberding, Indoor Track & Field; Damani Hayes, Basketball; Gabbi Holbert, Softball; Maren Iverson, Swimming & Diving; Chloe Lamb, Basketball; Max Schmidtke, Golf; Jessie Sullivan, Indoor Track & Field; Eesha Varma, Tennis; Jacob Waymire, Outdoor Track & Field