UNT student-athletes Mason Fine and Dominique James walked away with top honors at the second annual Scrappy Awards, a program in which administrators, coaches and fans weigh in on the year's top performances by UNT teams and individual players.
Fine, now entering his junior year, was voted "Male Student-Athlete of the Year" and "Football MVP" for his key role in the Mean Green's successful 2017 season. The quarterback finished with 4,052 passing yards and was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year.
James, also a junior, was voted "Female Student-Athlete of the Year" and "Soccer MVP" for her role in leading the women's soccer team to the C-USA championship and NCAA tournament. She also was named defensive MVP of the C-USA tournament and helped the team secure the Scrappy for "Team of the Year."
"These outstanding student-athletes prove that we are living up to our mission," says Wren Baker, vice president and director of athletics. "We're building champions and preparing leaders."
The 2018 North Texas Coaches Caravan took place in May, with stops in Rockwall, Fort Worth, Plano and Dallas.
The Coaches Caravan, sponsored by the UNT Alumni Association and the Mean Green Scholarship Fund, offers fans the chance to get the inside scoop on the future of Mean Green athletics directly from Wren Baker.
Fans of all ages -- including Mean Green swimming and diving coach Brittany Roth's newborn daughter Isadora (pictured with Roth at right) -- met and mingled with administrators, student-athletes and coaches. Women's basketball head coach Jalie Mitchell ('02), men's basketball head coach Grant McCasland and football head coach Seth Littrell (pictured at far right) discussed their past and upcoming seasons.
For information on the Mean Green Scholarship Fund, which served as a Coaches Caravan sponsor, visit meangreenscholarshipfund.com or contact the office at 940-369-7284 or mgsf@unt.edu.
Some of the season highlights touted during the tour included UNT football's Conference USA West Division title, the women's soccer C-USA tournament championship and the men's College Basketball Invitational championship.
Fans also got a chance to see some of the programs' trophies and hear about upgrades to the turf at Apogee Stadium.
Mean Green tennis junior Maria Kononova is the first Mean Green tennis player in history to be selected for the NCAA Singles Championships. She also was voted All-Conference USA Singles First-Team for a third straight year.
Along with Kononova, UNT team-mate Tamuna Kutubidze was voted All-Conference USA Singles Second-Team, and Kononova and her doubles partner Minying Liang were voted All-Conference USA Doubles Second Team.
Also, for a third straight year, women's tennis was recognized for its academic performance. The team has an Academic Progress Rate score in the top 10 percent in the nation of all NCAA Division I women's tennis programs.
Three Mean Green football players who completed their eligibility in 2017 are pursuing roster spots with NFL teams. Running back Jeffery Wilson signed a free agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers, kicker Trevor Moore signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and safety Kishawn McClain has had tryouts with the Oakland Raiders, Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys.
Junior Ian Snyman was named a Division I PING All-Region selection by the Golf Coaches Association of America. He also was named the Conference USA Golfer of the Year, nabbed first-team all-conference honors for the second year and ranked No. 60 in the GolfStat national rankings.
