Allan, Cooney Earn Recognition at Claremont McKenna Senior Awards Dinner for CMS Football
CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior CMS football players Mitchell Allan and Mackenzie Cooney were presented with honors as part of Claremont McKenna's senior awards dinner during graduation week, following an historic season for the program.
Allan earned the Alumni Association Outstanding Athlete for Men Award, while Cooney captured the Williams Dickinson Athletic Award. The Outstanding Athlete is presented by the CMC Alumni Association to the top senior male and female student-athletes at Claremont McKenna, as voted on by the athletic department coaches and staff. The Dickinson Award is presented to the one member of the CMC student body who above all others typifies those qualities of athletic participation which are beneficial to the student body in campus life as well as on the athletic fields. The winner exhibits these qualities: leadership, self-discipline, determination, and conscientiousness.
Allan was the SCIAC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-West Region selection after leading CMS in tackles from his middle linebacker spot and serving as a team captain. He helped the Stags lead the SCIAC in team defense (15.3 ppg), while holding the top three traditional programs in the league to 10 points or less (10 vs. Redlands, including a harmless last-minute touchdown, 10 vs. Cal Lutheran, nine vs. Chapman). He finished the year with 78 tackles, 20 more than his closest teammate.
Cooney was also a big part of the CMS defense, playing both cornerback and safety, and serving as a team captain for the second year in a row. His leadership was instrumental in the Stags success, both on and off the field. "He is the best leader I have ever coached," said Head Coach Kyle Sweeney. "His empathy and ability to relate to others is incredible. We will have to adjust how we handle our captains after his graduation, because he played such an important role in steering the team. Early in his career, he had several injuries and battled back from them through incredible hard work. In addition to constantly helping his teammates with football-related activities, I have seen him help a classmate with drug issues and help others deal with family losses."
In addition to the two Claremont McKenna honors, junior running back Garrett Cheadle was named the Harvey Mudd Athlete of the Year after earning Offensive Player of the Year Honors from the SCIAC. Cheadle finished second in CMS history in rushing yards in a season with 1305, including a single-game school-record 274 in a win over Whittier.
CMS finished 7-4 overall and 6-1 in the SCIAC, earning the program's first league title since 1987 and making its first-ever NCAA Division III Championship appearance. The senior class, which includes Allan and Cooney, finished as the winningest class in school history with 25 victories, including three seven-win seasons.