The Wayne State College athletic department honored its top student athletes for the 2012-13 school year Monday evening during the annual athletic honors banquet held at the WSC Student Center and sponsored by Ameritas.  Seven major awards were handed out at Monday evening's banquet along with Most Valuable Players announced for each sport. 
            Senior football player Richard Daniel was named Male Athlete of the Year while junior track and field All-American Carly Fehringer collected Female Athlete of the Year honors. Freshman athlete of the year honors went to baseball player Eric Browning and volleyball  player Leisa McClintock while junior women's basketball player Kara Powell received the ninth annual Wildcat Inspiration Award. 
            In addition, junior baseball player CJ Nolen and senior volleyball player Melanie Placke received the Bob Cunningham Scholar-Athlete Awards.  The Cunningham Awards, named after longtime supporter Bob Cunningham, are presented to the department's top male and female scholar athletes.
             Daniel, a senior defensive end from Papillion, Nebraska (Papillion-LaVista HS), came to Wayne State as an un-recruited walk on and turned into a three-time All-NSIC defensive end.  He was named the 2012 NSIC Defensive Player of the Year after ranking in the top five in four major defensive categories.  Daniel ranked fourth on the Wildcat defense this season with 59 tackles and finished his career ranked fifth all-time in sacks with 28.  He also was named the winner of the 2012 NSIC Glen Galligan Award, given to a senior NSIC football player that makes significant contributions on and off the field.
            Fehringer, a junior from Wayne, Nebraska (Wayne HS), is a six-time national qualifier in track and field and earned All-American honors during the indoor season placing third nationally in the weight throw.  She was the NSIC Indoor Champion in the weight throw with an NSIC record throw of 64' 5 ¼”.  During the outdoor season, she became the first NSIC athlete to record a throw of over 200 feet in the hammer throw and currently leads NCAA Division II with a top mark of 206' 11”.  Last Saturday, she placed fourth in the hammer throw at the Drake Relays and also ranks 11^th nationally in the shot put.
            Browning, a freshman pitcher from Lyons, Nebraska (Bancroft-Rosalie HS), was voted top male freshman athlete with a 3-1 record this season and a 3.28 ERA in seven appearances with four starts and one combined shutout.  In 24.2 innings pitched, Browning has notched 31 strike outs and has allowed just nine earned runs for the 25-13 Wildcats.
            McClintock, a freshman setter from Sioux City, Iowa (Heelan HS), earned Second Team All-NSIC honors this season while helping the Wildcats to a 22-10 record and an eighth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.  She averaged 9.94 assists per set and was third on the team in blocks.
            Powell, a junior women's basketball player from Hot Springs, South Dakota, (Hot Springs HS) overcame two major operations (foot and knee) in back-to-back seasons to get back onto the playing court this season.  She averaged 2.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while appearing in all 27 games for the Wildcats.
            Nolen, a junior from Sioux City, Iowa (West HS), maintains a stellar 3.61 grade point average majoring in criminal justice with a minor in sport management.  He is involved in numerous community service activities and leads the Wildcat baseball team in hitting at .363 with five homers and 27 RBI's.  He ranks fifth in the NSIC in hits and 10^th in runs scored.
            Placke, a senior from St. Libory, Nebraska (St. Paul HS), carries a 3.87 grade point average majoring in business administration with a minor in sport management.  She was a two-year starter on the Wildcat volleyball team and has played on four NCAA Tournament teams, ranking second in her senior season in kills while also being involved in numerous community service activities.