INDIANA, Pa. – Eight finalists have been named for the 2015-16 IUP Men's and Women's Athlete of the Year. The award is given each year to the top men's and women's student-athlete at IUP. This year's winners will be announced on Wednesday, June 15.
 
The finalists are made up of four men and four women, and include: men's track & field freshman D.J. Horton; men's basketball senior Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown); football sophomore Chris Temple (Malvern, Pa. /Great Valley); football freshman Lenny Williams; softball graduate student Brooke Darling (Springville, Pa./Elk Lake); women's tennis junior Jarka Petercakova (Bratislava, Slovakia/Sport Gymnasium); women's basketball senior Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana); and women's lacrosse senior Amy Weinberg (Clarksville, Md./Atholton).
 
The group includes three All-Americans, six All-Region honorees, two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) players of the year, and two league freshmen of the year. Six of the eight athletes were on teams or participated as individuals in the NCAA Championships.
 
This award was first given in 2013 to football senior Johnny Franco as voted on by the fans. 32 semifinalists were chosen, with fans naming Franco and junior women's cross country/track & field athlete Stephanie Beaudette as finalists. In 2014 the format changed, as both a men's and women's student-athlete was honored, with fan voting being eliminated. In the new format, IUP Athlete of the Year winners have been men's golf senior Zack Kempa (Brantford, ON/Assumption College School) and women's tennis junior Tanya Timko (Cannonsburg, PA/Chartiers-Houston) in 2014, and baseball senior Ryan Uhl (St. Marys, Pa./St. Marys) and women's basketball senior Lindsay Stamp (Erie, Pa. /Mercyhurst Prep) in 2015.
 
Details on the eight 2015-16 finalists are listed below:
 
D.J. HORTON | FRESHMAN | MEN'S TRACK & FIELD
Horton had a breakout year in his first as a collegian. The freshman won the pole vault title at both the PSAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships, was named the league's Indoor Freshman of the Year, was named All-Atlantic Region in the pole vault twice, broke both IUP records in the event, and capped the year by earning All-American honors at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. Horton finished eighth overall at the NCAAs, clearing 4.98 meters, the youngest All-American in the event. He won the pole vault in five of his 11 meets during both the winter and spring seasons, with a school indoor record of 4.93 meters (16-2) and an outdoor record of 5.10 meters (16-8.75).
Indoor Schedule | Outdoor Schedule | Horton Statistics/Results | Horton's Year in Photos
 
Brandon Norfleet (Virginia Beach, Va. /Landstown) | SENIOR | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Norfleet put together one of the best individual seasons in IUP men's basketball history. Named an All-American by three different outlets – including the prestigious NABC team – the senior broke the single season program scoring mark with 662 points in 29 games. Arguably the top guard in the Atlantic Region, the senior's 22.8 points per game is tied for fourth most in a season at IUP, and ranked 18th in the country. An eight-time IUP Athlete of the Week, he also averaged 4.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game and is one of only three players in program history to record at least 600 points and 125 assists in one season. Norfleet was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Year and also competed in the Reese's Division II All-Star Game.
Men's Basketball Schedule | Norfleet Statistics | Norfleet's Year in Photos
 
Chris Temple (Malvern, Pa. /Great Valley) | SOPHOMORE | FOOTBALL
Temple provided a ton of excitement in his first year as a starting running back for the Crimson Hawks. Despite playing in just nine full games and part of a 10th, the sophomore finished fourth in the PSAC with 1,217 rushing yards and tied for second with 17 rushing touchdowns. His 121.2 yards per game on the ground ranked 14th in Division II as he earned second team All-Region and first team All-PSAC West honors. Heading into his third year, he already has two of the top eight single game rushing performances in program history, going for 255 yards against California (Pa.) and 234 against Edinboro. Temple also ran for six touchdowns against the Fighting Scots, setting a school record and tying the PSAC's single game mark.
Football Schedule | Temple Statistics | Temple's Year in Photos

LENNY WILLIAMS | FRESHMAN | FOOTBALL
Williams broke onto the scene last fall, quarterbacking the Crimson Hawks' new high-octane, spread offense. A Harlon Hill nominee for the top player in Division II, Williams earned Freshman of the Year honors in both Super Region One and the conference, and became the youngest quarterback to earn second team All-PSAC West honors in 10 years. An electric runner, he finished third in the PSAC and 21st in the nation with 1,229 rushing yards, and was also second in Division II with a 7.8 yards per carry average. He had nine plays of 40 yards or more, including a pair of rushes that covered more than 60 yards each. Williams set a school record with 504 total yards at Slippery Rock and his four rushing touchdowns against Charleston tied a program playoff game record.
Football Schedule | Williams Statistics | Williams' Year in Photos

Brooke Darling (Springville, Pa./Elk Lake) | GRAD STUDENT | SOFTBALL
In her only season with the Crimson Hawks, Darling provided stability in the circle for the IUP softball team. A graduate transfer from Columbia, Darling earned All-PSAC honors by finishing among the league leaders with an impressive 1.90 earned run average. In 23 starts, she went 13-7 with 14 complete games, finished third in the PSAC with six shutouts, and allowed an opponents' batting average of .213 (sixth in PSAC). Darling struck out 119 batters in 143.2 innings, the most for an IUP pitcher since 2011. She was at her best at the end of the season, owning a streak of 24.2 innings without allowing an earned run in her last three regular season games and against California (Pa.) in the PSAC Championships.
Softball Schedule | Darling Statistics | Darling's Year in Photos

Jarka Petercakova (Bratislava, Slovakia/Sport Gymnasium) | JUNIOR | WOMEN'S TENNIS
Petercakova took over the No. 1 singles spot for the Crimson Hawks in her second year on campus, proving her worth as she earned region and conference honors. The Atlantic Region's Player to Watch (top junior/sophomore) finished with a combined 18-7 singles record (.720), going 16-6 in dual matches, including 5-1 against divisional opponents. Petercakova was 5-4 against regionally-ranked opponents, drubbing the top player from conference champion California (Pa.) on two occasions. A first team PSAC West selection as a singles and doubles player, Petercakova went 22-8 in doubles play to combine for 40 victories on the year. She ended the spring as the third ranked player in the Atlantic Region and was also part of the third-best doubles pairing in the region.
Women's Tennis Schedule | Petercakova Statistics/Results | Petercakova's Year in Photos

Leslie Stapleton (Indiana, Pa. /Indiana) | SENIOR | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Stapleton will go down in the record books as one of the top shooters in the history of IUP and the PSAC. The senior guard broke the school record with 216 career three-pointers made this winter, while also setting new league marks with 93.3 season free throw and 88.5 career free throw percentages. In early March, Stapleton led the entire NCAA – Divisions I, II, and III – with a 94.6 free throw percentage, and had consecutive made streaks of 27, 27 and 22 during the year. Not just a shooter, the co-captain led the PSAC runner-up Crimson Hawks with 16.0 points per game, also averaging 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest. A first team All-PSAC West selection and five-time IUP Athlete of the Week, she also hit the 1,000 career point milestone back in December.
Women's Basketball Schedule | Stapleton Statistics | Stapleton's Year in Photos

Amy Weinberg (Clarksville, Md./Atholton) | SENIOR | WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Weinberg wrapped up her career in crimson and gray as the only three-time All-American in IUP women's lacrosse program history. The 2016 PSAC Athlete of the Year, she broke the school and conference career records and is now fourth in Division II history with 205 assists. The only repeat IUP Athlete of the Year finalist finished this year with a career-high 86 points and owns the top three assist seasons in IUP history – 67 in 2015 and 2016, 53 in 2014. The all-around player forced 26 turnovers this year, the fourth most in IUP history, and also tallied some of the best draw control and ground ball pickup numbers in program annals. Four times an IUP Athlete of the Week in 2016, Weinberg finished her career second all-time at IUP with 281 points. 
Women's Lacrosse Schedule | Weinberg Statistics | Weinberg's Year in Photos
 

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