Aug. 22—PEMBROKE — Academic all-American and all-region selection Christian Jayne was decorated with Male Student-Athlete of the Year accolades, and Conference Carolinas Golfer of the Year Georgia Page raked in Female Student-Athlete of the Year laurels, as the UNC Pembroke athletics department welcomed back its nearly 400 student-athletes on Monday evening inside the Givens Performing Arts Center (GPAC).

Baseball's Kody O'Connor and women's basketball's Kalaya Hall took home Male and Female Newcomer of the Year recognition, women's basketball head coach John Haskins picked up the Dan Kenney Coach of the Year crown. The awards put a wrap on the 2022-23 Golden Braves program which was presented in April.

An everyday center fielder for the Black & Gold, Jayne claimed first team all-conference laurels in 2023, while also staking claim to all-region nods from a trio of organizations. Jayne compiled a team-best .381 (86-for-226) batting average in 54 starts this season to go along with 31 extra-base hits (6 HR) and team-highs in both RBI (59) and runs scored (72, matched school record). He also drew 37 walks and stole 41 bases, while also logging a .482 on-base percentage and a .580 slugging percentage. A product of Fayetteville, Jayne closed out his collegiate career becoming just the 17th student-athlete at UNC Pembroke to be named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team.

A two-time Conference Carolinas Golfer of the Year, Page was a key part of the success that helped the UNC Pembroke golf team to its second consecutive conference championship. A first team all-conference selection, the Sydney, Australia native finished the season averaging a score of 75.1 in 22 rounds of play. She was also named the Conference Carolinas Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second-straight season, and capped off her senior year earning recognition from the College Sports Communicators as an academic all-American.

Haskins and the women's basketball team notched their first conference tournament championship as an NCAA Division II member after defeating top-seed Belmont Abbey on March 5. The Braves rebounded from a tough loss against Mount Olive in early November by capturing 19 of its next 21 outings. The Black & Gold finished with more than 20 wins for the first time in more than three decades and punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Haskins picked up his 239th victory at the helm of the program during the season as well.

O'Connor played and started in 49 games for the Black & Gold and posted a .344 batting average. The Lebanon, Ohio native compiled a .650 slugging percentage, scored 51 runs, tallied 14 doubles and a trip of triples. He finished the season with 12 homers, and set the single game record for home runs with four against UVA-Wise on February 10. He drew 34 walks and went on a 10-game hitting streak during the season.

Hall played an instrumental part of the women's basketball success during the season and the Conference Carolinas Tournament. The Beulaville native saw action in all 32 games and logged 27 starts during the season. The redshirt junior averaged 19.3 points and 6.0 rebounds during the Conference Carolinas Tournament. Hall's performance during the historic tournament for the Black & Gold helped her to being named the Most Valuable Player at the conclusion of the tournament.