Fourth-year junior volleyball player Elizabeth Juhnke and fourth-year junior sprinter Dylan Kautz earned top honors Wednesday at The Charlies, an annual award ceremony that honors student-athlete achievements during the 2022-23 academic year.
 
Juhnke (Lakeville, Minnesota) received the Catie Tobin Female Athlete of the Year award. She was named Summit League Player of the Year, a member of the AVCA North All-Region Team, and a second team all-American. Juhnke led the nation with 757.5 points and a Summit League record 677 kills. She led the Coyotes to a 29-4 record, a Summit League regular season and tournament title, and to a third straight NCAA tournament. Juhnke was named Summit League Tournament MVP for the third time.
 
Kautz (Norfolk, Nebraska) was named Dr. John Van Why Male Athlete of the Year. He was named Summit League Most Outstanding Performer of the Indoor Championships after leading the Coyotes to their fourth Summit indoor crown and first since 2015. Kautz swept the 60- and 200-meter dashes. His time of 6.64 seconds in the 60 set a school and meet record. Kautz also earned a silver medal as a member of USD's 4x200-meter relay team.
 
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. 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.
 
Softball's Courtney Wilson (Grand Island, Nebraska) and football's Dalton Godfrey (Cedar Falls, Iowa) were named Female and Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year, respectively, which is awarded to a senior with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2. Both Wilson and Godfrey carry 4.0 GPAs. Wilson is a two-time all-Summit League outfielder who leads USD and ranks fourth in the Summit with a .350 average this season. Godfrey earned all-America and academic all-America honors as a long snapper and captain of the football team.
 
Junior sprinter Erin Kinney of Sioux Falls is this year's Colonel Wales Award winner which goes to the Coyotes' most outstanding student-athlete from the state of South Dakota. Kinney is the Summit League Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. She won the 60- and 200-meter dashes at the championship meet and was named the League's Most Outstanding Performer of the Championship. Her time of 7.24 seconds in the 60 is a school and meet record.
 
Swimming and diving's Taylor Buhr and Matthew Sorbe were named Female and Male Rookies of the Year, respectively. Buhr (Bettendorf, Iowa) set program records individually in the 100-yard individual medley and 200-yard breaststroke and was a member of two record-setting relay teams. Sorbe (Brookings, South Dakota) broke a 28-year old record in the mile and also set new program marks in the 500- and 1,000-yard freestyle events.
 
Director of Track and Field & Cross Country Lucky Huber was named Coach of the Year. His Coyotes swept the Summit League men's and women's indoor championships held in Vermillion back in February and saw four student-athletes qualify for the indoor national meet. Women's indoor track and field was voted Team of the Year. Marleen Mülla's nation-leading vault of 14-feet-11-inches and subsequent third-place finish at nationals was celebrated as Performance of the Year.
 
Basketball player A.J. Plitzuweit was awarded the Courage Award for his remarkable journey back to the court from a serious leg injury. The Student-Athlete Choice Award, presented annually to a member of the athletic department staff, went to track and field graduate assistant coach Trajan Johnson.
 
Men's golf and volleyball picked up the Dr. Jack Powell and Dr. Tina Keller Leader of the Park Awards for Academic Excellence. The squads posted the top GPAs for the 2022 calendar year with men's golf recording a 3.45 GPA and volleyball netting a 3.57 GPA.
 
A complete list of award winners follows:
 
Dr. John Van Why Award (Male Student-Athlete of the Year): Dylan Kautz, Track & Field
 
Catie Tobin Award (Female Student-Athlete of the Year): Elizabeth Juhnke, Volleyball
 
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Dalton Godfrey, Football
 
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Courtney Wilson, Softball
 
Colonel Wales Award (Most Outstanding Athlete from South Dakota): Erin Kinney, Track & Field
 
Male Rookie of the Year: Matthew Sorbe, Swimming & Diving
 
Female Rookie of the Year: Taylor Buhr, Swimming & Diving
 
Courage Award: A.J. Plitzuweit, Basketball
 
Coach of the Year: Lucky Huber, Track and Field
 
Outstanding Team of the Year: Women's Indoor Track and Field
 
Performance of the Year: Marleen Mülla's nation-leading pole vault and third-place finish
 
Student-Athlete Choice Award: Trajan Johnson, Track and Field
 
Dr. Jack Powell Leader of the Pack Award for Academic Excellence: Men's Golf
 
Dr. Tina Keller Leader of the Pack Award for Academic Excellence: Volleyball
 
Coyote Character Awards: Allison Peplowski, women's basketball; Damani Hayes, men's basketball; Helen Gould, women's cross country; Charlie Babcock, men's cross country; Carly Haring, women's indoor track and field; Merga Gemeda, men's indoor track and field; Lydia Knapp, women's outdoor track and field; Marshall Faurot, men's outdoor track and field; Shaylee Gailus, soccer; Beata Havlickova, tennis; Akari Hayashi, women's golf; Ben Hicks, men's golf; Dalton Godfrey, football; Cassandra Dalbec, triathlon; Courtney Wilson, softball; Madison Harms, volleyball; Trevor Sinclair, men's swimming and diving; Sara Mayer, women's swimming and diving