Hicks, Pannunzio Garner 2024-25 AU Student-Athlete Of The Year Honor

The 2024-25 Ashland University Student-Athletes of the Year have been voted on, and women's soccer forward Dani Hicks and football wide receiver Tony Pannunzio are the 38^th set of honorees.
 
Hicks and Pannunzio will be honored, along with five 2025 Hall of Famers and two Eagle Forever Award honorees (see release link at right) at the 2025 Ashland University Hall of Fame Induction and Student-Athlete of the Year recognition, Oct. 11 at 9:30 a.m. at the John C. Myers Convocation Center – prior to the Eagle football team's 101^st Homecoming game at 1 p.m. vs. Thomas More at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field.
 
DANI HICKS, WOMEN'S SOCCER – 2024-25 ACCOLADES

• Through 2025 spring semester, has 3.94 GPA as an Exercise Science major.
• College Sports Communicators (CSC) second-team Academic All-American
• First-team United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Midwest Region
• Second-team Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-American
• D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year and first team all-region.
• CSC Academic All-District
• Great Midwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference
• She tied for the team lead with 14 goals, had eight assists and ended with 36 points. Seven of her goals were game-winners.
• Ashland women's soccer was 17-2-2 overall and 12-0-2 in the Great Midwest, won both the league's regular-season and tournament titles, and hosted an NCAA Division II playoff game.

Hicks is the first women's soccer player to be voted Student-Athlete of the Year since Ashley Bigelow in 2006, and the third overall (Becky Richards in 2004).
 
TONY PANNUNZIO, FOOTBALL – 2024-25 ACCOLADES

• Graduated in May as a Biology major (3.91 GPA).
• Second-team CSC Academic All-America
• 2025 National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society
• CSC Academic All-District
• Second-team All-Great Midwest
• Caught 59 passes for 933 yards and five touchdowns and blocked a kick.
• Ashland football was 9-4 overall and 8-1 in the Great Midwest, won the conference title and earned the program's first-ever road NCAA Division II playoff victory, 40-38, at No. 6-ranked Charleston.

Pannunzio is one of 15 Eagle football players to be named AU Student-Athlete of the Year. He is the first football player to be a two-time honoree.
 

YEAR	FEMALE	MALE
1988	Kristin Hopper (track and field)	Dave Biondo (football)
1989	Vickie Schmitz (basketball)	John Walters (track and field)
1990	DeAnn Cirino (track and field)	Doug Powell (football)
1991	Bobbi Pugh (volleyball)	Bill Muller (swimming)
1992	Bobbi Pugh (volleyball)	Ron Greer (football)
1993	Julie Haase (track and field)	Larry Kaufman (wrestling)
1994	Andrea Gregersen (swimming)	Eric Berry (track and field)
1995	Heather Lefford (softball)	Eric Berry (track and field)
1996	Desi Gillman (softball)	Sean Robbins (track and field)
		Gene Stechschulte (baseball)
1997	Becky Ball (track and field)	Chad DiFranco (football)
1998	Jamie McDaniel (swimming)	Matthew "Bubba" Harris (football)
1999	Becky Ball (track and field)	Joe Veres (wrestling)
2000	Jennifer Bartlett (volleyball)	Ryan Knight (track and field)
2001	Adriane Blewitt (track and field)	T.J. Hellickson (wrestling)
2002	Alicia Longstreth (softball)	Nate Moore (baseball)
2003	Adriane Blewitt (track and field)	Craig Pickering (swimming)
2004	Becky Richards (soccer)	Michael Hull (football)
2005	Jackie Mason (basketball)	Nate Iler (track and field)
2006	Megan Dort (swimming)	Jody Stewart (track and field)
	Ashley Bigelow (soccer)
2007	Megan Dort (swimming)	Casey Jirsa (baseball)
2008	Mary Kate Glowe (volleyball)	Vince Cashdollar (football)
2009	Betsy Morrison (basketball)	Jacob Petkac (baseball)
		Dan Tierney (track and field)
2010	Steph Tinney (track and field)	Nick Bellanco (football/track and field)
2011	Abby Kacsandi (track and field)	Joe Horn (football/track and field)
	Allison Morgan (swimming)
2012	Kari Daugherty (basketball)	Brock Weaver (track and field)
2013	Kari Daugherty (basketball)	Donnie Dottei (football)
2014	Alyssa Miller (basketball)	Alex Sheil (swimming)
2015	Jamie Sindelar (track and field)	Drew Windle (track and field)
2016	Hannah Mattar (swimming)	Joe Brandt (wrestling)
		Stephen James (baseball)
2017	Kelsey Peare (basketball)	Adam Shaheen (football)
2018	Andi Daugherty (basketball)	Dominic Giunta (football)
		Matthew Wilcox (football)
2019	Kylie Asmus (softball)	John Duldner (soccer)
2020	Jodi Johnson (basketball)	Drew Noble (basketball)
2021	Rachel Miller (track and field)	Trevor Bassitt (track and field)
2022	Erin Krupar (volleyball)	Trevor Bassitt (track and field)
2023	Annie Roshak (basketball)	Gavin Posey (football)
2024	Annie Roshak (basketball)	Tony Pannunzio (football)
2025	Dani Hicks (soccer)	Tony Pannunzio (football)