BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Andrew Elkins of the men's soccer team and Jaycie Walker of the softball team have both been named finalists for the Gulf South Conference Commissioner's Trophy. It was announced by the conference office on Thursday (June 3). 
 
The Gulf South Conference annually hands out the Commissioner's Trophy to the league's top overall male and female student-athletes, recognizing athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievement. The award is one of the most prestigious prizes in all of Division II and the most significant individual honor that the league presents. It was first awarded in 1975 and honored the outstanding male student-athlete in the conference. In 1983, when the Conference officially began conducting women's championships, the GSC began honoring its outstanding female student-athlete as well.
 
Elkins has played in all 23 matches since arriving at AUM in 2019, with 22 starts. He's led a Warhawk defense that gave up just 1.07 goals per game in 2019 en route to a second-place finish in the GSC regular-season standings and 0.90 goals per contest in 2021 that helped the Orange and Black capture the regular-season title in group b of the GSC Spring Championship Series.
 
The Bay Saint Louis, Miss. native has also helped on the attacking side of the ball, netting four goals in 2019 and one in 2021. Two of Elkins' four career goals with AUM have come as game-winners.
 
Elkins earned his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology in the Spring of 2021, finishing with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. He was named to the GSC Fall Academic Honor Roll in 2019 while also earning Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Male Student-Athlete of the Year at the 2021 Warhawks' Choice Awards. 
 
Elkins has also helped out in the community with his work as a volunteer clinic coach at the Montgomery YMCA and his organization of an AUM food drive for recent hurricane victims.
 
Walker finished her AUM career in 2021 as the softball program's leader in career doubles (55) while ranking in the top three in career hits (201), home runs (32), RBI's (133) and fourth all-time in career runs scored (114). She is one of just two AUM softball players in program history to record 200 hits, 30 home runs, and 100 RBI's while at AUM.
 
Walker has taken home a plethora of accolades during her AUM career, including a selection to the GSC Spring All-Academic Team and CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team in the Spring 2020. She has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team twice (2019, 2020), NFCA All-South Region First Team twice (2018, 2019), an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete twice (2018, 2019),  a D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award recipient three times (2018-2020), and a GSC Spring Academic Honor Roll selection three times (2018-2020).
 
The Headland, Ala. native earned her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology in the Spring of 2021, finishing with a GPA of 3.89. Walker has been accepted to Physical Therapy school at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala.
 
Walker's community service efforts include: volunteering at the Montgomery Area Food Bank, working as a volunteer for the athletic department's annual blood drive, and working as a volunteer coach with Wiregrass Sports Academy Softball Camps. 
 
As the GSC continues to work through the COVID-19 pandemic, there will not be an in-person presentation of the honor this year, but will instead promote the award through their website and social media channels. The following schedule outlines the process.
 
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Date	Announcement	Method
June 3	GSC Commissioners Trophy Finalists	Social Media GSCSports.org
June 8	GSC Top Ten	Social Media GSCSports.org
June 10	GSC Commissioners Trophy Winners	Social Media GSCSports.org