RADCLIFF, Ky. — Fort Valley State's head men's volleyball coach, Larry Wrather, was named the Makeda Excellence Awards 2023-2024 Men's Volleyball Coach of the Year.
The awards honor athletes and coaches of Historically Black Colleges and Universities programs. Each honoree was selected by a majority of voting peer coaches and band directors from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA), and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) programs.
In Wrather’s third season as head coach, the team celebrated a landmark 2024 season, becoming the first HBCU to compete in the NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship. The team also earned their first SIAC championship title, finishing the regular season with a 10-0 undefeated record and a program-best 17-9 overall record. His team had the first AVCA All-American in program history in Jaxon Hicks and a program-best 17-9 overall record.
Nominees were submitted by athletic representatives of the 78 four-year HBCU athletic programs. Ballots were sent to those programs for head coaches to vote for their peers and athletes from their sport. Information was from institutional submission and/or conference websites.
The HBCU Makeda Excellence Awards is named after Queen Makeda, the famous Queen of Sheba. It is said that she is the richest woman ever, and her wisdom was impressive enough to test King Solomon of the Hebrews. She was very instrumental in increasing his wealth so he could build the first Temple. Sources say that King Solomon allowed their son to take the Ark of the Covenant, which currently resides in Ethiopia.
The 2023-24 awards recipients will be officially honored later this year and celebrated at their respective institutions.
2023-24 HBCU MAKEDA EXCELLENCE AWARDS HONOREES
Football
Larry Scott, Coach, Howard University
Kenny Gallop Jr., Student-Athlete, Howard University
Baseball
Olen Parker Jr., Coach, Southern University at New Orleans
Miguel Oropeza, Student-Athlete, Talladega College
Men’s Basketball
Chris Wright, Coach, Langston University
Jamal “Tall” Gibson, Student-Athlete, Southern University at New Orleans
Men’s Cross Country
Nile Legania, Coach, Dillard University
Lejaune George, Student-Athlete, Xavier University of Louisiana
Men’s Track and Field
Nile Legania, Coach, Dillard University
Jamaal Morris Jr., Student-Athlete, Dillard University
Men’s Volleyball
Larry Wrather, Coach, Fort Valley State University
Women’s Volleyball
Pat Kendrick, Coach, Xavier University of Louisiana
Kennedy Wade, Student-Athlete, Xavier University of Louisiana
Softball
Joel Penfield, Coach, Stillman College
Lauren Haskins, Student-Athlete, Stillman College
Women’s Basketball
Bo Browder, Coach, Xavier University of Louisiana
Maya Buckhanon, Student-Athlete, Fisk University
Women’s Cross Country
Nile Legania, Coach, Dillard University
Kennedy Timmons, Student-Athlete, Dillard University
Women’s Track and Field
Nile Legania, Coach, Dillard University
Kevell Byrd, Student-Athlete, Dillard University
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.