There was a red carpet, paparazzi, great dining and live music on Sunday at a transformed Knox-Windham Gymnasium as Miles feted its student-athlete stars at the Golden Standard Athletic Awards banquet.

The show, produced by the athletic banquet committee helmed by Miles Director of Athletics Fred Watson, was an ode to the elite Hollywood-centric award galas but specifically tailored to highlight the athletic, academic, and community service accomplishments of Miles' student-athletes.

"It was very important to me to honor our student-athletes. From Day One, my mission has been to enhance the student-athlete experience and give the coaches and staff the tools and resources to be successful," Watson said on Sunday. "My goal, tonight, was to show our appreciation to our student-athletes for their commitment to our program, as well as the hard work they put in on the field of play, in the classroom, and in the community.

"I hope we were able to accomplish that."

The student-athlete honorees came dressed to impressed and mingled with professors, sponsors, and Miles College administrators, including Miles President Bobbie Knight. The Clutch Band provided the live music, dinner was plated and served with five-star service. The approach and presentation to produce an athletic banquet for the first time since 2019 was roundly noticed.

"After a year of grinding on the court and in the classroom, it's nice to have something like this for me and my teammates, and all the other athletes," said Williams, who was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player for women's basketball and honored for having a grade point average over 3.0.

For all of the glitz and glamour of the event, it still came down to honoring the student-athletes for their work on and off the field of play during the 2022-23 academic year. Overall, the athletic department boasted a cumulative grade point average of 3.19. Each student-athlete that had a GPA of at least a 3.0 – more than 160 of them – was individually lauded for their academic prowess.

There were multiple sponsored awards named after famous athletes (Charles Barkley, Jameis Winston), sponsors (Coca-Cola, BSN Sports) and supporters (Miles President Bobbie Knight, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, Gary Burley, Sam Presti). Each individual sport honored their top performers as well, with all award recipients receiving Goldies. Watson said that the support he garnered in putting the banquet together is much needed and appreciated.

"The banquet was a huge success, in large part, due to the support and financial commitment of our President, the participation of my fellow Cabinet members, and the hard work of the banquet committee," Watson said. 
 
 List of winners

Sport	Award
Baseball	Most Valuable Player – Trey Rutledge
	Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Kaleb Priest
Women's Basketball	Most Valuable Player – Iemyiah Harris
	Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Imani Williams
Men's Basketball	Most Valuable Player – Rodney Battle
	Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Anthony Latty
Women's Cross Country	Most Valuable Runner – Alexia Turner
	Go The Extra Mile Award – Nuriyah Slaton
Men's Cross Country	Most Valuable Runner – Kendrick Foster
	Go The Extra Mile Award – Garrick Baines
Golf	Most Valuable Golfer – Phillip Darst
	Newcomer of the Year – Malachi Greene
Football	Offensive Most Valuable Player – Jaih  Andrews
	Defensive Most Valuable Player – Austin Brundidge
Women's Volleyball	Most Valuable Player – Kierra Washington
	Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Chaiza Jones
Women's Track and Field	Golden Spike Award – Feliah Greer
	Most Improved – Jurni Cummings
Softball	Most Oustanding Hitter – DeOnia Gibby
	Most Outstanding Fielder – Kiana Terry
Cheerleading	Leadership Award – Ladazia Brown
	Most Valuable Cheerleader – Jamarius Heard
Coca-Cola Best Championship Performance	Rodney Battle, Men's Basketball
Charles Barkley Community Service	Baseball
Breakout Female athlete of the year	Iemyiah Harris, Women's Basketball
Breakout Male Athlete of the Year	Samuel Stagno, Golf
Sam Presti Team of the year	Men's Basketball
BSN Sports Biggest Upset	Volleyball
Jameis Winston Best All-Around Athlete-Male	Phillip Darst, Golf
Terry Sewell Humanitarian Award	Zion Sharpe, Football
Highest team GPA-Men	Cross Country
Highest team GPA-Women	Softball
Gary Burley Perseverance Award	DeOnia Gibby, Softball
Athletic Employee of the Year	Britt Kirkland
President Appreciation Award	President Bobbie Knight