Valparaiso University’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) announced its year-end awards on Sunday evening at the eighth annual Athletic Recognition Ceremony (ARC) Awards.

Junior men’s basketball player Alec Peters (Washington, Ill./Washington) was named Valparaiso’s Male Student-Athlete of the Year, while senior women’s soccer player Rita Craven (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) was honored as the Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Junior men’s basketball player Shane Hammink (Millingen aan de Rijn, Netherlands/Oakley College [LSU]) earned Male Newcomer of the Year accolades, and freshman women’s basketball player Meredith Hamlet (McBain, Mich./McBain) received Female Newcomer of the Year honors.

Peters was named Male Student-Athlete of the Year for a second straight season after a junior campaign which saw him earn Honorable Mention AP All-American accolades. Also a First Team All-Region selection, Peters averaged better than 18 points and eight rebounds per game, finishing second in a single season in program history in scoring and fifth in rebounding.

Craven also repeated as Female Student-Athlete of the Year after closing out a standout career with the Crusader women’s soccer team. Craven earned First Team All-Horizon League honors and All-Region accolades for a second straight year, ranking second on the Crusaders with six goals and leading the team in assists. Also the league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Fall Season, Craven was a First Team Academic All-American selection as well.

Hammink claimed Male Newcomer of the Year honors as he finished third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding in his first year as a Crusader. He scored in double figures 17 times, helping Valpo to the Horizon League regular season title and a berth in the NIT title game.

Hamlet was tabbed the department’s Female Newcomer of the Year after a rookie season where she was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. She finished second on the team in scoring, averaging better than 10 points per game, and led the Crusaders with 69 3-pointers.

In addition Sunday, senior men’s basketball player Vashil Fernandez (Kingston, Jamaica/Princeton Day [Md.] Academy) was the recipient of the Bill Steinbrecher Sportsmanship Award and redshirt sophomore women’s soccer player Vanesa Abad (Barrington, Ill./Lake Zurich [Ohio State]) received the Rebecca D. Carter Memorial Award, given to the male and female student-athletes who have best exemplified integrity and sportsmanship while representing Valparaiso University. Director of athletics Mark LaBarbera presented the Anderson-Hoffman Memorial Service Award, awarded to the student-athlete who best demonstrates what it means to be a champion in the community, to senior men’s tennis player Brian Hickey (Western Springs, Ill./Fenwick).

New awards this year included the Unsung Hero Awards, presented to senior men’s golfer Michael Holevas (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) and junior women’s soccer player Robin Wenzel (Woodstock, Ill./Marian Central Catholic), and the Performance of the Year Awards, won by Peters for his 39-point game at Detroit and by junior volleyball player Emily Campbell (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) for her 25-kill effort in a win over UIC.

The awards were voted on by SAAC, which has representatives from all 21 of Valparaiso’s athletic teams. Sunday night’s program also featured recognition of all the student-athletes who have earned athletic or academic honors this year and a number of videos throughout the show, as well as a lip sync battle between a pair of football players and the return of the men’s tennis team, fresh off winning the Horizon League title.