AUBURN, Ala. – In the same venue where it earned 15 victories this season on the way to the Final Four, Auburn's men's basketball team celebrated another win Monday when it shared Team of the Year honors with equestrian's 2018 national championship team at the 10th AUSPY Awards.
"It means a lot because we accomplished a lot being Team of the Year. It feels good to get the recognition," said senior Horace Spencer, who also received the Student-Athlete Support Services Academic Achievement Award. "It was special. I worked hard this semester to keep my grades where they needed to be, to take care of business on and off the court."
"It's such an honor to be recognized for such an amazing award," said equestrian's Lauren Diaz, part of a senior class that won three national championships. "There are so many incredible teams here so to share in any kind of recognition is awesome."
Casey Mize, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft, won the AUSPY for men's Athlete of the Year.
Equestrian's Caitlin Boyle and swimming and diving's Aly Tetzloff shared women's Athlete of the Year honors.
"There were a lot of other great female athletes up there," said Tetzloff, an SEC relay champion and two-time Auburn record-holder who earned seven All-America honors at this year NCAA Championships. "It means a lot to get recognized by Auburn."
"There are so many amazing, talented athletes here," said Boyle, who followed her stellar 2018 season with another national title over the weekend in Waco, Texas. "As a senior, it's just one more thing to be so grateful to walk away with."
Baseball's Edouard Julien and equestrian's Taylor St. Jacques were honored as Auburn's Rookies of the Year.
"I couldn't be here without all my teammates, my family and all my coaches. It's pretty cool to win that," said Julien, who belted 17 home runs in 2018 and broke Frank Thomas' Auburn freshman record with 69 runs batted in. "It's an honor for me. To win this, it means a lot."
"This is truly a tremendous honor," said St. Jacques, the SEC Freshman Rider of the Year in 2018 and the Most Outstanding Player in Flat at last year's national championship. "I came here and I wanted to contribute to the team, contribute to the school and really make a statement. It's Auburn, it's the SEC. I'm really grateful for my coaches and teammates for always having the utmost support for me and always being my No. 1 fans every single day."
Men's golf's 2018 SEC championship, secured on Wells Padgett's walk-off birdie putt, was selected as War Eagle Moment.
"It feels great," said Padgett, who hopes to help the Tigers repeat as conference champs later this week. "It's an awesome thing to win."
Women's basketball earned the Comeback Award for overcoming a 20-point second-half deficit in a 72-70 victory at Vanderbilt.
Soccer's Gianna Montini received the Inspiration Award. Strengthened by her teammates, Gianna captained her team, scoring a game-winning goal at Long Beach State in her native California while her mother Wendy watched from her hospital bed, suffering from lung cancer.
"I'm honored to get this award," said Montini, who read a tribute at her mother's funeral, attended by teammates and coach Karen Hoppa during the season. "My mom hopefully is looking down on me right now, and it's all for her. The Auburn family has been incredible and I appreciate everything they've done for me."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer