MANSFIELD – Mansfield University women's soccer junior Meghan Noone, women's basketball senior Paige Whitfield, men's track and field junior Sean Ringgold and baseball senior Hunter DePrimo were named the 2021 male and female Iron Mounties of the Year by second-year Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Greg Gustin at the fifth installment of the Mountie Awards on Wednesday night, June 2.  

Joining in the Mountaineers in January of 2020, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Greg Gustin named a male and female student-athlete as Fall Iron Mountie of the Year for displaying hard work ethic, positive attitude, and dedication in the weight room throughout their offseason.
 
This award is special because it aims to recognize athletes in other ways besides in their respective sports. The Iron Mountie of the Year recognizes athletes for the intangibles that help to create good team culture and build success from the ground up. We select these award winners on four pillars of criteria: leadership (vocally or by example), strength in body in mind performance in the strength and conditioning realm, growth in mindset (someone who is constantly looking to continue and grow in their time as a Mountie) and consistency.  

Male and Female Iron Mounties of the Year
 
In his first season as a Mountaineer after recovering from an injury in 2019-20, Ringgold left his mark on the very competitive PSAC as he won the 200-meter dash and earned all-conference honors in the 400-meter dash at the Conference Championships. Ringgold also earned NCAA DII Outdoor Track and Field All-Region for his efforts in the 200-meter.
 
Gustin's Take: "A year ago at this time Sean would not have even been competing even if our season never got shut down due to COVID-19 due to an injury. Now he sits here as a PSAC Champion. That really is the simplest way to describe the adversity that he has had to go through over the last year to get back to his highest performance. Sean is one of the strongest kids I know at this level and he is truly a testament of the hard work that you need to have in order to perform well and overcome an injury. Individual sports don't always have the most vocal leaders on the team, but he is a testament to college being a 12-month a year, a four-year long process to truly maximize your potential."
 
Known as the strikeout king after piling up 83 of them (second PSAC), DePrimo earned 1^st-Team All-PSAC East Starting pitcher, while securing the All-Region trifecta following his dominate senior season. DePrimo went 6-3 and tossed six complete games to earn 2nd-Team NCBWA, D2CCA and Rawlings DII Atlantic All-Region member.
 
Gustin's Take: "Hunter made major improvements due to buy-in, consistency and discipline. He came in from the summer stronger and immerged as one of the strongest on the team throughout the fall. He maintained throughout the winter and when it came to the spring his discipline showed and he trusted the process. He came to me a few times throughout the season and said he was throwing harder and feeling better doing it. Hunter proved what a whole year of hard training can do for you when you perform at your highest level."
 
Named team captain this past fall, Noone starting all 17 games she appeared in on defense in 2019, the last time the Mountaineers played a full season. Noone attempted four shots as a defender and totaled 1430 minutes, ranking fourth on the team. The women's soccer program was unable to compete in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Gustine's Take: "Meghan stood out this season from a leadership perspective and was selected as a captain in the fall. She leads vocally and by example. She has pushed herself to the top of her team in many areas but especially fitness. She has come to me and coach Shaffer many times throughout the year to ask about ways to improve, how she can get faster and more fit and specifically become an All-PSAC player. With her mindset, anything is possible."
 
A four-year starter and captain of the women's basketball team, Whitfield started all 28 games and led the team in minutes in 2019-20, the last time the program played a full season. Whitfield led the team in 3-pointers attempted, was second in points (9.9 per game), second in assists (70) and steals (55), while pulling in 5.1 rebounds per game as an undersized power forward. The women's basketball team was unable to compete in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Gustin's Take: "Paige has been a veteran guiding light for us all year in our training. She has really helped bring the team along with her knowledge and leadership that she has gained during her time here at Mansfield. She has put herself all over the Iron Mountie record board this year in multiple different areas of strength and power and what she has shown is that hard work and consistency throughout a career can really pay off."