Culver-Stockton College held its annual All-Sports Award Banquet Monday night as nearly 600 student-athletes, administrators, coaches and friends filled the auditorium inside the Brown Performing Arts Center on Monday, May 11, to celebrate the academic and athletic achievements of the Wildcat Athletic Department during the 2025-26 school year.

Drew Mallett of the men's track and field team and Avery Oetting of the women's basketball team were awarded the Male and Female Most Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete Award. The awards were based on their accomplishments in the classroom and on the field of play over a four-year career at Culver-Stockton.

Mallett, a senior from LaGrange, Mo. (Highland HS) is a three-time Heart of America Athletic Conference champion in the decathlon. Mallett is a 10-time all-conference performer in both indoor and outdoor track and field, a three-time NAIA national qualifier, and holds six school records in indoor and outdoor track and field.

Off the field, Mallett has been named a NAIA Scholar-Athlete three times in his career, earning the honor in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Oetting, a 5-foot-6 inch shooting guard from Hallsville, Mo. (Hallsville HS), led the Wildcats in scoring this seson, averaging 13.7 points per game. She also collected 4.5 rebounds, dished out 2.5 assists and recorded 2.0 steals per game this season. Oetting shot 43.2 percent (145-336) from the field, including 39.9 percent (62-153) from the 3-point arc, and 90.4 percent (47-52) from the foul line. Oetting tied a school record with 40 points in a single game against Graceland (Iowa) on Jan. 3. She was named the Heart's Offensive Player of the Week for that performance. In her career, Oetting scored 1,445 career points, which is eighth on the school's all-time list. She also recorded 215 career 3-pointers, which is second all-time. Oetting was a three-time all-conference performer, including first team in 2026,and was the 2023 conference freshman of the year.

Off the court, Oetting was named a NAIA Scholar-Athlete three times during her career. She was also the recipient of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Emil S. Liston Award for academic and athletic excellence by junior student-athlete in the sport of basketball.

The Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards were given to senior football player Kyle Dixon and junior women's bowler Rachel Moore.

Dixon, 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior wide receiver from Carlinville, Ill. (Carlinville HS / Southern Illinois-Edwardsville), was named to the AFCA-NAIA All-America first team for the first time and the Heart of America Athletic Conference first team for the second consecutive season after he led the Heart with 83 receptions for 1,282 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. The 83 receptions were fourth in the NAIA while his 1,282 receiving yards was third overall nationally. He averaged 116.5 yards per game receiving, which was fourth in the NAIA, and 7.5 receptions per game, which was ranked fifth nationally.

The 83 receptions were the fourth highest in school history, and 1,282 receiving yards were third most in school history for a single season. The 83 receptions were 31 more than the next wide receiver in the conference.

In addition, Dixon is the first wide receiver in school history to register two 1,000-yard receiving seasons. His 143 career receptions are sixth on the school's all-time list, while his 2,394 career receiving yards are second and his 24 receiving touchdowns are third on the all-time list. Dixon managed to compile these numbers in just two seasons with the Wildcats after transferring from SIU-Edwardsville. In April, Dixon signed an undrafted free agent contract with the New England Patriots.

Moore, of Keokuk, Iowa (Keokuk HS), has been named to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-America bowling team as a first team selection for the third time in her career.

Moore, competed in eight events this season, earning all-tournament team honors in four events for finishing in the top five overall. Among those four all-tournament team honors, Moore claimed the overall individual title in two events, winning the Kegel ISBPA Collegiate Classic Presented by Hammer Jan. 17-18, and the NAIA West Open on Feb. 7.

Moore registered five top 10 finishes and finished in the top 25 in seven of her eight events, averaging 201.73 pins per game. Moore totaled 8,271 pins in 41 games this season. She ranked 19th among all collegiate players ranked by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC).

In addition, Moore saved her best performances for Tier 1 Events. She competed in three such events during the season, recording an average of 202.63 in 16 games bowled. Moore finished in the top 25 in two of the three events, including the overall title at the ISBPA Collegiate Classic. 

Moore was named to the Heart of America Athletic Conference first team for the third straight year. Moore competed in the Intercollegiate Individual Sectional qualifier in Smyrna, Tenn, March 14, and finished 18^th among the 153 bowlers competing. Moore totaled 1,229 pins in six games, an average of 204.8 pins per game.

The Male and Female Newcomer of the Year awards were awarded to freshman men's volleyball player Cooper Varner and junior softball player Samantha Vetter.

Varner, an outside hitter from West Jordan, Utah (Corner HS), led the Wildcats with 250 kills on a team-high 676 attempts. He also led C-SC with 21 service aces while also contributing 112 digs and 25 blocks.

Vetter, a catcher from Huxley, Iowa (Ballard HS / Rock Valley College), played in all 50 games for the Wildcats, recording a .323 batting average with 38 runs scored and 41 runs batted in. Her 41 RBIs were ranked 10^th in the conference. 

Vetter collected a team high 50 hits with 17 doubles, six triples and two home runs. The 17 doubles were ranked fifth in the conference and were the second-most by a Wildcat player in a single season. Her six triples are tied for most in the Heart this season and is tied for seventh-most by a Wildcat player in a single season.

In addition to the individual athletic awards, the Athletic Director's Academic Excellence Team Awards were awarded to the women's soccer team and the men's soccer team for having the highest team grade-point-average for the 2025 calendar year.

Also, the Athletic Advisory Council (AAC) handed out two awards during the ceremony. Head women's basketball coach Janette Burgin was named coach of the year; Counselor Jill Miller was named faculty/staff member of the year.

The athletic department also gave out the PAW award to one player from each athletic team and the student athletic training staff. PAW stands for passion, attitude and work ethic.

Those honored with PAW awards were Chase Lake (men's cross country), Malia Carmack (women's cross country), Rico Williams (football), Dylan Rottinghaus (men's soccer), Keona Hirales (women's soccer), Samantha Wright (women's volleyball), Brooklyn Hollander (men's volleyball), Greg Hopkins (men's basketball), Camryn Caldwell (women's basketball), and Cooper Durr (e-sports).

Also awarded PAW awards were Lance Rewerts (baseball), Cierra Bush (softball), Jace Bales (men's track and field), Abagail Mooney (women's track and field), Brady Walker (men's golf), Natalie Wells (cheer), Kari Allison (dance), Levi Staley (men's bowling), Rilee Allen (women's bowling), Karson Jackson (women's lacrosse) and Kaylynn Sparks (athletic training).

Finally, all student-athletes who were selected to All-America teams, all-conference teams, HAAC player of the week or named NAIA scholar-athletes were recognized.