INDIANAPOLIS – IUPUI women’s basketball’s Holly Hoopingarner and Detroit Mercy men’s soccer’s Garret Weaver have been named the 2019-20 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.
Holly Hoopingarner is the second IUPUI student-athlete to earn the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor, following Kori Waelbroeck in 2017-18.
“It is a great privilege to be awarded the Coleman Medal of Honor,” said Hoopingarner. “I was pleased to be able to represent the Horizon League for the past three years and be a part of something special at IUPUI. This award is a great way to top off a career that was full of great people and memories.”
Academically, Hoopingarner earned an Academic Excellence Scholarship each year at IUPUI and was also a two-time selection to the Horizon League Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team. The exercise science major was an IUPUI Honors College graduate and made the IUPUI Academic Advisor’s List in all eight semesters.
On the court, Hoopingarner ended her Jaguar career with 1,032 points and led the Jaguars to their first League tournament title in 2020, earning Championship MVP honors. In her senior campaign, Hoopingarner earned All-League Second Team honors, leading the League with 4.5 assists per game, adding 9.8 points per game overall.
“We are thrilled for Holly receiving the prestigious Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor. She absolutely represents everything you want in a student-athlete and has left a tremendous legacy at IUPUI that will last well beyond her four years in our program. She is hands down the best leader I’ve ever played with or coached, which makes it no surprise she is getting this award,” said IUPUI head coach Austin Parkinson.
Off the court, Hoopingarner volunteered with multiple organizations, including Live, Laugh, Dance, learning a dance with a partner with Downs Syndrome for an end of year recital; Riley Hospital Child Zone, making playing games and making crafts with patients; and Jags Reading Club, reading books to local elementary school students.
Hoopingarner was also invited to the “So You Want to Be a Coach” workshop this year normally held at the Women’s Final Four. In her junior year, she earned the IUPUI Coach’s Award, the Iron Jag Award and the Emily K. Seiler Spirit Award.
Garret Weaver is the seventh Detroit Mercy student-athlete to earn the Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor after Ben Kendell won the award in 2018-19.
“I am honored and humbled to receive such a prestigious award, as well as proud to represent the Titan family in this Horizon League award. Being on a list with other Titans who have received this award is a true honor,” said Weaver.
In the classroom, Weaver earned a spot on the Horizon League Men’s Soccer All-Academic Team each of the last two seasons and was also one of 30 candidates nationally for the Senior Class Award. The biology/pre-med major also earned 2018 Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team honors and was a member of the Detroit Mercy Athletic Director’s Honor Roll across all four years.
“What a fantastic honor for Garret. He has shown true dedication for the past four years through his academic and athletic achievements. He’s been a model student on and off the field. He represents everything in what a Horizon League student-athlete at the highest caliber should look like,” commented Detroit Mercy head coach Nicholas Deren. “The ability to help his soccer team and his academic teams as well will take him many places in this world, especially with him going into the medical field.”
On the field, Weaver started the final 67 matches of the last three-plus seasons, including playing all 1,752 minutes during his senior season. Weaver earned Second Team All-Horizon League recognition in 2019 as he led a defense that only allowed a League-low seven goals in eight League contests. He was a captain of the team each of the past two seasons as well.
Weaver was also involved in several community initiatives including working at Detroit Mercy’s Student Success Center, mentoring high school students through the General Motors Student Corps and volunteering at Beaumont Hospital in the Emergency Room.
Additionally, Weaver earned the Athletic Department’s prestigious President’s Award as the male recipient as a senior in 2019-20.
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 – Toni Dickson, soccer and Gabriel Pewu, soccer
Detroit Mercy – Sarah Hirschmann, soccer and Garret Weaver, soccer
IUPUI – Holly Hoopingarner, women’s basketball and Pedro Valladao, soccer
Milwaukee – Kylie Wilks, volleyball and Bailey Bodart, swimming and diving
Northern Kentucky – Ava Lawson, softball
Oakland – Alexandra Whall, tennis and Evan Sawula, soccer
UIC – Emily Valentine, soccer and Alex Bashqawi, cross country/track and field
Youngstown State – Mary Dunn, basketball and Jake Wilson, track and field
