Jacksonville State University

At the conclusion of each academic year, the Eagle Owl Award, which was established in 1994, is given to a male and a female senior athlete who possess several outstanding qualities. To be nominated, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve during his or her senior season and carry a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher.

The student-athlete must excel in his or her sport, be a positive role model for others and exemplify the well-rounded student-athlete. Nominees are voted on by a selection committee, which is comprised of administration throughout the Jacksonville State campus. Each of this year’s recipients exemplify the spirit of the award.


Nikki Prier, Softball
Prier, a senior first baseman from Raleigh, N.C., has had one of the most decorated careers in JSU’s softball history. A three-time All-Ohio Valley Conference Player and the 2009 OVC Player of the Year, Prier led the Gamecocks to OVC regular season titles in 2008 and 2009 while also guiding them to the NCAA Regionals in each of those seasons. In 2008, Prier and JSU were runners-up in the Tuscaloosa Regional before winning the 2009 Knoxville Regional and advancing to the school’s first Super Regional in any sport.

In the Gamecocks’ career record books, the career .331 hitter ranks second in doubles (56), third in RBI (136), fourth in hits (214), fifth in runs scored (139) and fifth in home runs (33). Ranking in the top 10 in 10 single-season categories in the JSU record books, Prier is tied for the school record for home runs in a game with two and is second in RBI per game after driving in six in a game in 2009. In that season, she posted a .379 average with 20 doubles, 12 home runs and 50 RBI to earn First Team All-Region honors in guiding JSU to its first-ever Top 25 ranking. She is an exercise science and wellness major that carries a 3.41 GPA. She is the sixth softball player to win the award and the third in the past four seasons.

Josh Cain, Football
Cain, a senior defensive back from Wetumpka, Ala., has been raking in the honors over the past couple of years. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in computer systems and software designs after starting all 11 games for the Gamecocks as a senior in 2009. He finished second on the team with 67 tackles and led a defense that was atop the OVC after allowing just 83 total points in seven league games.

Off the field, Cain is a team huddle leader with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and volunteers with the Habitat for Humanity and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. In addition to earning numerous OVC honors, he was named to the American Football Coaches Association/All-State Good Works Team and was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team selection in 2009. Earlier this spring, he was honored by the Atlanta Area Council Boy Scouts of America with the Georgia Peach of an Athlete Award and was then one of just two Division I Football Championship Subdivision student-athletes to receive the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award by the FCS Athletic Directors Association. He carried a 3.89 GPA in receiving his undergraduate degree in computer science and currently holds a 4.0 in graduate school. He is the fifth football player to win the Eagle Owl and the third in the past four seasons.

Year	Female Winner	Sport	Male Winner	Sport
2009-10	Nikki Prier	Softball	Josh Cain	Football
2008-09	Allie Barker	Softball	Gavin Hallford	Football
2007-08	Abbey Breit	Volleyball	Clay Whittemore	Baseball
2006-07	Daniela Pappano	Softball	Clay Green	Football
2005-06	Kisha West	Volleyball	James Hall	Rifle
2004-05	Kari Baldwin	Rifle	Matias Anselmo	Golf
2003-04	Jennifer Brenneman	Volleyball	C.R. Palmer	Baseball
2002-03	Sally Pearson	Tennis	Jose Campra	Golf
2001-02	Adriana Finelli	Soccer	Jeremy Sullivan	Football
2000-01	Lauren Buck	Softball	Brad Smith	Baseball
1999-00	Lisa Baswell	Basketball	Joey Hamilton	Football
1998-99	Lucinda Roddy	Rifle
1997-98	Melissa Harden	Basketball
1996-97	Kathy Schuneman	Rifle
1995-96	Tracey Wilder	Tennis
1994-95	Ann Shelton	Softball
1993-94	Jana Simmons	BKB, VB, SB