SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury baseball player Connor Bain and tri-sport athlete Alexis Workman were honored with the Dr. Edsel Matthews Award at the Drury Athletics Panther Gala on Monday night. The annual event celebrates the institution's graduating student-athletes, highlights team and individual achievements from the year, and announces several major awards.
 
The Dr. Edsel Matthews Award is Drury's highest honor presented to a male and female NCAA student-athlete. The award recognizes outstanding athletic achievement, academic excellence, leadership, and the character that reflects the standard of an elite student-athlete. Matthews served as Drury's head men's basketball coach in the 1970s, later became Director of Athletics from 2003–2012, and remained an influential figure in the department following his retirement.
 
Bain has been a mainstay in the Drury outfield for four seasons. This year, he leads the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) in batting (.425) and runs batted-in (62), with his RBI total matching the Drury single-season record. He also ranks among the league's leaders in hits (3rd), total bases (3rd), doubles (5th), slugging percentage (5th), home runs (9th), runs scored (12th) and on-base percentage (14th).


Over his career, Bain has earned two All-GLVC selections, two CSC Academic All-District honors, and three Academic All-GLVC awards. This season alone, he has been named GLVC Player of the Week three times, NCBWA Midwest Region Player of the Week twice, and NCBWA National Hitter of the Week once.


Entering the final week of the regular season, Bain ranks among Drury's all-time leaders in hits (236), home runs (22), stolen bases (51), runs scored (172), doubles (46) and walks (100). He has contributed to 119 wins during his four years with the program.
 
Workman, a Springfield native, competes for Drury in triathlon, cross country, and track and field. She owns the second-fastest time in program triathlon history, posting a 1:03:16 at the Prairie State Cup during her senior season. She won the 2025 NCAA Division II West Regional, helping Drury secure its second straight team regional title.
 
At the 2025 national championship, Workman placed seventh to earn her first First Team All-American honor, adding to previous Second Team and Honorable Mention All-American selections.
 
Academically, Workman has been named a three-time CTCA Scholar All-American, a four-time Academic All-GLVC honoree, and a Brother James Gaffney Distinguished Scholar, earning a 4.0 GPA in every academic year at Drury.
 
On the track, she holds the 10th-fastest 5,000-meter time in Drury outdoor history (18:10.71) and was part of the fourth-fastest distance medley relay in indoor program history (12:35.00).
 
Women's Soccer earned five awards during the gala, the most among NCAA programs, following a season highlighted by a GLVC Tournament championship won in penalty shootouts.
 
Drury's Division I Hockey program led all non-NCAA teams with six awards. The Panthers finished 23–5, ranked in the national top five throughout the season, and earned an ACHA National Tournament berth.
 
OTHER AWARDS FROM THE PANTHER GALA

• Women's NCAA Academic Achievement Award – Triathlon
• Men's NCAA Academic Achievement Award – Men's Swim and Dive
• Non-NCAA Academic Achievement Award – D1 Hockey
• NCAA Team Service Award – Softball
• Non-NCAA Team Service Award – D3 Hockey
• NCAA Women's Team of the Year – Women's Soccer
• NCAA Men's Team of the Year – Men's Swim and Dive
• Non-NCAA Team of the Year – D1 Hockey
• OneDrury Team Challenge – Triathlon
• Scarlet and Gray Award – Erin Kineman (Assistant AD – Sports Medicine)
• NCAA Head Coach of the Year – Justin Olson (Women's Soccer)
• Non-NCAA Head Coach of the Year – Kevin Boyer (Shotgun Sports)
• NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year – Josh Lewis-Evans (Women's Soccer)
• Non-NCAA Assistant Coach of the Year – Cliff Cook (D1 Hockey)
• NCAA Male Newcomer of the Year – Belhassen Ben Miled (Men's Swim and Dive)
• NCAA Female Newcomer of the Year – Delaney Riekert (Track and Field)
• Non-NCAA Newcomer of the Year – Hunter Alver (Shotgun Sports)
• Bank of Missouri Male Impact Student-Athlete of the Year – Zach Ericsson (Baseball)
• Bank of Missouri Female Impact Student-Athlete of the Year – Kelsey Palmer (Softball)
• NCAA Male Individual Performance of the Year – Zach Howell (Men's Basketball, GLVC Semifinals)
• NCAA Female Individual Performance of the Year – Katy Fitzler (Women's Soccer, GLVC Finals)
• Non-NCAA Male Individual Performance of the Year – Jozef Kuchaslo (D1 Hockey, UMary)
• Non-NCAA Female Individual Performance of the Year – Camryn Medina (Pickleball, APP National Championship)
• NCAA Breakthrough Athlete of the Year – Anna Harris (Women's Soccer)
• Non-NCAA Breakthrough Athlete of the Year – Jackson Truchan (D1 Hockey)
• NCAA Leadership Award – Kristina Vestman (Triathlon)
• Non-NCAA Leadership Award – K-T Walters (D1 Hockey)
• NCAA Comeback Athlete of the Year – Raegan Halliday (Women's Basketball)
• Non-NCAA Comeback Athlete of the Year – Drake Poth (Men's Rugby)
• Non-NCAA Male Outstanding Senior – Nathan Reichardt (Men's Lacrosse)
• Non-NCAA Female Outstanding Senior – Taryn Fleck (Cheer/STUNT)
• NCAA Male Athlete of the Year – Alvaro Zornoza (Men's Swim and Dive)
• NCAA Female Athlete of the Year – Gwen Bergum (Women's Swim and Dive)
• Non-NCAA Male Athlete of the Year – Hayden Sanson (Shotgun Sports)
• Non-NCAA Female Athlete of the Year – Lauren Thomlinson (Women's Rugby)

 
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