Huskies to Honor 2011-12 Major Award Winners Tomorrow

HOUGHTON, Mich. — Michigan Tech athletics will honor its major award winners from the 2011-12 season during halftime of tomorrow’s football game. The athletic department’s major awards are the Raymond L. Smith Awards for the top senior male and female student-athletes of the year, the Terry Wilson Awards for the top freshmen male and female student-athletes of the year and the Ken Hamar Award presented by the Huskies Club.

Football player Todd Storm is the senior male student-athlete of the year for 2011-12 after a season in which he was a unanimous All-American selection. The defensive end was the catalyst for a Tech team that led the GLIAC in total defense (286 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (17.7 points allowed per game). Storm posted 68 tackles and 7.5 sacks on the season. The team co-captain ranked second in the GLIAC in sacks per game and was third in the league in tackles for loss (14.5) en route to being named GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year for a second straight season. He finished his career with 18.5 sacks—third-most all-time at Michigan Tech. Storm graduated last spring with a degree in marketing.

Molly Wiltzius was named the female Raymond L. Smith Award winner after rewriting the women’s track and field record books at Michigan Tech. The Kingsford, Mich., native holds the shot put, discus and hammer throw records as well as 20 top-10 performances across the three events. Wiltzius, who also earned the Terry Wilson Award as a freshman, graduated with a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry and is currently employed at Dow Chemical in Midland, Mich.

Women’s basketball player Jillian Ritchie was chosen as the Terry Wilson Award winner as the freshman female student-athlete of the year. The De Pere, Wis., native started 14-of-27 games a year ago and averaged 2.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. She scored a season-high nine points in a 66-60 win at Northern Michigan. Ritchie helped the women’s basketball team extend its streak of 20-win seasons to five straight years.

Football player Tyler Scarlett is the male Terry Wilson Award winner for 2011-12. The quarterback enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history, setting school records in completion percentage (66.1), passing yards (2,406) and completions (199). He accounted for 18 touchdowns (two shy of the school record) and started all 11 games for the Huskies. Scarlett ranked in the top 10 in the league in three categories, sixth in passing yards per game (217.7), sixth in pass efficiency (146.9) and seventh in total offense (232.5). He was named GLIAC Freshman of the Year.

The Ken Hamar Award winner is Pat Joyce, who recently retired after serving as a faculty member in Michigan Tech’s school of business and economics. Joyce spent 11 years as Michigan Tech’s faculty athletics representative (FAR) from 1999-2010. The FAR serves as a liaison between the institution and the athletics department and represents the institution in conference and NCAA affairs. In addition to his official role with the athletic department, Joyce has been a member and donor to the Huskies Club since 1983.

Several other individuals will receive awards for their service to Michigan Tech athletics. An honorary blanket will go to Craig Hughes, a key volunteer, alum and supporter of the Nordic skiing programs. Honorary letters will be presented to Steve Palosaari, a longtime Huskies Club member, and Suzanne Berkovitz, who plans and organizes the annual Michigan Tech Alumni Association Green Bay Golf Outing.