2007-08 M-Club Most Valuable Players (Front from left) Ashlyn Balensiefer, Tamara McCaskill, Bridget Williams, Kierra Handley, Taylor Hahn, Kelsey Musselman. (Back from left) Ashton Gronewold, Matt Hug, Joffroi Holcombe, Brandon Etzold, Jordan Henry, Mike McNamee, Garyion Turner.

Two of the most celebrated student-athletes in the history of the Missouri S&T athletic program were named as the recipients of the 2008 Gale Bullman Awards Wednesday night at the M-Club Awards Banquet held at Havener Center.

Ashton Gronewold, a three-year All-America performer for the Miner football team and Kandi Wieberg, who like Gronewold was a record setting performer while playing for the softball team, were named as the top award winners at Wednesday's banquet.

Gronewold was named to three All-America squads following the 2007 season in which he wrapped up an impressive career with the Miners. He caught 87 passes for 1,009 yards and 13 touchdowns on the year while piling up a school record 2,250 all-purpose yards. The 2007 numbers put his career totals at 278 receptions, 3,708 yards and 53 touchdowns; he also had five return touchdowns for a total of 58 in a career where he set 22 school records.

In addition, Gronewold set a NCAA Division II record during the season when he compiled 295 yards in kickoff returns which included two runbacks for touchdowns to tie another national record at the Division II level.

His performance earned him a berth to the Valero Cactus Bowl -- where he caught a touchdown pass in the game -- and allowed him to be one of the six regional finalists for the 2007 Harlon Hill Award, the first Missouri S&T player to earn such an honor. Over the past weekend, Gronewold participated in a tryout camp with the Chicago Bears.

Wieberg was an All-America performer for the S&T softball team in the 2007 season, when she was named as the Great Lakes Valley Conference's "Player of the Year" and "Student-Athlete of the Year". She is a two-time selection to the All-GLVC and Great Lakes all-region first team at second base and finished her career as a Lady Miner as the holder of four career records.

She finished with the all-time marks in home runs, runs batted in, doubles and runs scored, while ranking second on the career list for hits. Wieberg was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team following the 2007 season.

Two coaches who led their teams to unprecedented success this season shared the "Coach of the Year" award. Doug Grooms, who guided the Miner swimming team to a second place finish at the NCAA Division II Championships, and Alan Eads, who led the women's basketball team to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional championship game, were the selections as the top coaches.

The second place finish by the swimming team was the highest finish ever for a Miner athletic team at a national competition, while the Lady Miners' run to the Sweet 16 in the women's basketball tournament was the farthest that the team has ever gone in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Diana Newman, a former softball player and 1984 graduate of the university, was the keynote speaker for the event and was named as the receipient of the M-Club's M-M Award. Matt Loula, a senior-to-be defensive end for the Miner football team, was named as the Robert Nicodemus Award winner for this year while the honorary M-Club Awards were given to Sarah Moore and Cecelia Elmore.

Moore is Missouri S&T's assistant director of athletics and senior women's administrator; she previously served as a coach in the athletics department, most recently in the track and field program. Elmore, a former softball and basketball player for the Lady Miners, is presently the director of the Women's Leadership Institute at Missouri S&T.

The most valuable player for each of the sports for the 2007-08 season were also honored. The winners of those are as follows:

Baseball: Yaimel Javier-Cury, Sr., Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Men's Basketball: Justin Taylor, So., Webster Groves, Mo.
Women's Basketball: Tamara McCaskill, Jr., Edwardsville, Ill.
Men's Cross Country: Joffroi Holcombe, Sr., Alexandria, La.
Women's Cross Country: Kierra Handley, So., St. Louis, Mo.
Football (Offense): Ashton Gronewold, Sr., Carthage, Ill.
Football (Defense): Garyion Turner, Sr., Phoenix, Ariz.
Men's Soccer: Mike McNamee, Sr., St. Louis, Mo.
Women's Soccer: Beth Babb, Sr., Benton, Ky.
Softball: Kelsey Musselman, Sr., Springfield, Ill.
Swimming: Matt Hug, Sr., Bloomington, Ill.
Men's Track & Field (Indoor): Jordan Henry, Jr., St. Charles, Mo.
Men's Track & Field (Outdoor): Brandon Etzold, Fr., Jackson, Mo.
Women's Track & Field (Indoor): Taylor Hahn, Jr., Salem, Ill.
Women's Track & Field (Outdoor): Kendra Lewis, Jr., Waynesville, Mo.
Volleyball: Ashlyn Balensiefer, Fr., Lafayette, Ind.; Bridget Williams, Fr., Topeka, Kan.