SEARCY, Ark. – Harding University has announced the recipients of the prestigious 2025 M.E. Berryhill Award, the highest honor bestowed by the university's athletic department. This year's winners are Maddox Long, a standout member of the Harding baseball team hailing from Morrilton, Arkansas, and Sage Hawley, a celebrated player from the women's basketball team.
The M.E. Berryhill Award, named in honor of former coach and athletics director M.E. Berryhill, annually recognizes the top senior male and female athletes at Harding.
Maddox Long, a kinesiology and health major from Morrilton, has left an indelible mark on the Harding baseball program. He holds the distinction of being the university's all-time leader in both wins and strikeouts. Over his impressive career, Long has amassed 28 wins and recorded 369 strikeouts, while maintaining a strong 3.81 earned run average (ERA). His exceptional performance has earned him recognition as a two-time All-American, the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Central Region Pitcher of the Year, and the 2024 Great American Conference (GAC) Pitcher of the Year. Long becomes the eighth Harding baseball player to receive the Berryhill Award since its establishment in 1963, joining a distinguished list that includes Steve Smith (1963), Marty Ninemire (1984), Marty Spears (1988), Chase Presley (2012), Matt Calhoun (2014), Miles Humphreys (2020), and Ryder Yakel (2021).
Sage Hawley, an information systems major from Memphis, Tennessee, has also made a significant impact during her time at Harding. She ranks second in program history with 2,313 career points and holds the Harding record for career rebounds with an impressive 1,361. Hawley's accomplishments include being a two-time All-American and a two-time Academic All-American. Additionally, she is a five-time All-GAC honoree and was named the 2023 GAC Player of the Year. Hawley is the ninth member of the Harding women's basketball team to earn the Berryhill Award, following in the footsteps of Nancee Wilson (1993), Kymm Alexander (1994), Angie Dugger (1997), Emily Prysock (1999), Mindy Napier (2002), Sierra Rollins (2012), and A'ndrea Haney (2017).
