Oakland’s Goetz, Jones Named 2021-22 Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor Award Winners
All-Time Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor Winners
INDIANAPOLIS – Oakland cross country and track & field’s Connor Goetz and softball’s Madison Jones have been named the 2021-22 Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor recipients.
The Coleman Medal of Honor, first awarded in 1981, is the Horizon League’s most prestigious individual honor. The award is presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes who demonstrate outstanding achievement in academics, athletics, and extracurricular activities.
“Connor and Madison have excelled in competition and in the classroom throughout their collegiate careers and are terrific examples of the well-rounded student-athletes we aspire to develop in the Horizon League. We are proud to honor each of them with these prestigious awards,” stated Horizon League Commissioner Julie Roe Lach.
Three Oakland student-athletes have now won a Coleman Medal of Honor as Jones and Goetz follow Travis Bader in 2013-14. 2021-22 marks the first time one institution has swept the annual honors since Milwaukee in 2001-02.
Academically, Goetz graduated from Oakland with a 4.0 GPA as a Computer Engineering major, earning the 2022 Oakland Athletics Men’s Top Academic Award. Goetz also collected three Horizon League Scholar Athlete of the Season honors, was named to several HL All-Academic Teams and was part of the Oakland School of Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s List all four years.
Goetz also earned the Horizon League Post-Graduate Scholarship this spring and will be enrolling in Oakland’s Masters of Science in Engineering Management program.
As a member of the cross country and track & field teams, Goetz earned numerous League accolades, including 2019 Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year and 2022 Outdoor Track & Field Championship Outstanding Performer in Running. He earned the League individual title in cross country in 2019 and totaled six career individual race victories in HL track & field championships. Goetz ended his career as the school record holder in the 10,000m.
Goetz worked on an Automated Warehouse Sorting Vehicle and completed a project in Microprocessor Design while on campus, also completing internships with General Motors and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Additionally, he participated in various volunteer activities with Oakland Athletics during his career.
Madison Jones is the first female student-athlete from Oakland and the first softball student-athlete since 2013-14 to earn a Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor.
In the classroom, Jones posted a 3.98 GPA as a Health Sciences major with a concentration in Pre-Health Professional Studies. She earned the Oakland University Black and Gold Award - Hollie L. Lepley Award this spring, awarded to a senior student-athlete in a women’s sport who demonstrates excellence in academics, academics, and community service and also won the 2022 OU Athletics Women’s Top Academic Award.
Jones collected three Horizon League All-Academic Team honors and was named to the Oakland University President’s List each of the past three years.
On the field, Jones capped her athletic career with 2022 Championship MVP honors as the Golden Grizzlies earned the #HLSB regular season and tournament titles this spring. Jones was a three-time All-League First Team selection and three-time All-Tournament Team honoree.
At the conclusion of her career, Jones leads the Oakland record book in career runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and home runs while ranking second in batting average and third in RBI.
Jones completed 550 hours as a Nursing Assistant at Beaumont Hospital and was a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and Alpha Lambda Delta at Oakland. She also volunteered at the Oakland University Day of Service, Brooksie Way, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk and Trick or Treat for Children’s Leukemia Foundation while on campus.
Candidates for the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor award must be seniors who have graduated or exhausted their eligibility and were participants in a Horizon League sponsored sport. Nominees must have a grade-point average of at least 3.00 on a 4.00 to be considered. Finalists for the Coleman Medal of Honor are below:
Cleveland State – Timothy Kubacki, swimming & diving and Nadia Dumas, women’s basketball
Detroit Mercy – Thomas Mueller, cross country and track & field and Rebecca Arnold, cross country and track & field
Green Bay – Benjamin Redman, swimming & diving and Savanna Hayes, women’s soccer
IUPUI – Eric Hoffman, cross country and track & field and Macee Williams, women’s basketball
Milwaukee – Luke Rapisarda, track & field and Mikayla Fox, cross country and track & field
Northern Kentucky – Kyle Mastin, cross country and track & field and Lynsey Shipley, track & field
Oakland – Connor Goetz, cross country and track & field and Madison Jones, softball
Purdue Fort Wayne – Adam Choudary, soccer and Alise Hale, softball
RMU – Nina Augustin, women’s basketball
UIC – Joshua Figueroa, baseball and Tara McElligott, softball
Youngstown State – Erik Gran, men’s tennis and Chelsea Olson, women’s basketball