(image: UTM Sports)
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Dylan Mott, a standout junior for the UT Martin volleyball and beach volleyball programs, has been named one of six OVC Scholar-Athlete Award recipients for the 2022-23 academic season.
The six winners (three male, three female) are selected from a group of finalists by a vote of OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives. Honorees must have performed athletically with distinction, earned at least a 3.5 Grade Point Average and conducted themselves in a manner which has brought credit to the student-athlete, his or her institution, intercollegiate athletics and the OVC. The award is based on academic and athletic criteria/accomplishments achieved during the 2022-23 school year.
Joining Mott as OVC Scholar-Athlete Award winners are Peyton Calitri (Tennessee Tech baseball), Matea Diekema (SIUE soccer), Logan Lommel (Western Illinois cross country/track and field), Ryley Preece (Morehead State baseball) and Yao Giada Zhou (Tennessee Tech soccer).
Considered the highest individual accolade that can be earned by an OVC student-athlete, Mott is the first Skyhawk winner since Takeem Young (football in 2021-22). She is just the third UT Martin volleyball representative to win this honor (joining Jenna Miller in 2010-11 and Rachel Ahlers in 2002-03) and is the first Skyhawk female to bring home the award since Katie Schubert (women’s basketball) in 2014-15.
Overall, Mott is the 20th different UT Martin student-athlete to receive this award.
Hailing from Hendersonville, Tenn., Mott helped the Skyhawks to their first OVC regular season volleyball championship in two decades last fall. She was one of just three players to see action in all 132 sets, ranking fifth in the OVC with 4.35 digs per set (upping that number to 4.56 in league play). Her 574 overall digs ranked 24th in NCAA Division I volleyball and were good enough for sixth place in UT Martin single-season history. She was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5 and managed a career-best 31 digs against Lindenwood on Oct. 21 before reaching the 1,000 career dig plateau in the OVC Championship quarterfinal victory over SIUE on Nov. 17 – becoming only the 12th player in school history to accomplish that feat. She also helped the Skyhawks to their first postseason victory in the school’s NCAA Division I Era as UT Martin won its first-round matchup in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship event.
In the sand, Mott guided the Skyhawks to their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance as the program swept the OVC regular season and tournament titles for the second consecutive spring. UT Martin reeled off an OVC-record 27 victories and received votes in the national rankings for the first time in school history thanks in large part to Mott, who earned All-OVC first team honors for the second straight season. She went 21-12 overall with an 8-2 mark against No. 1 competitors in OVC play, receiving two OVC Pair of the Week accolades (April 11, April 25) as well as a spot on the OVC All-Tournament team. That hardware came after she became the first Skyhawk to ever win the OVC Freshman of the Year honor for beach volleyball in 2022.
Mott’s academic resume is flawless as she has obtained three OVC Medal of Honors for a perfect 4.0 GPA in her career. She currently boasts a 4.0 GPA while majoring in management. She is a member of the National Society of Leadership & Success as well as UT Martin’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Mott has taken part in several community service ventures during her tenure as a Skyhawk student-athlete. Through her major, she volunteered at Super Bowl LVII, the Waste Management Phoenix Open, a baseball exhibition between Tennessee and Memphis in nearby Jackson and the Jackson-Madison County African-American Chamber of Commerce Celebrity Golf Classic. She has additionally assisted with local Relay for Life events, university food drives and the Weakley County Sports Hall of Fame.
