Hundreds of Cougar athletes and Cougar Club members gathered for the annual Cougar Club Y Awards on Tuesday evening, paying tribute to the top student-athletes, coaches and volunteers for their efforts on and off the field.

Various sports throughout the BYU athletic department have received both Mountain West Conference and national recognition within the last year. BYU has won 11 conference championships and currently ranks 23rd in the Sports Academy Director's Cup Division I standings, which ranks the top overall athletics programs in the country, making it the top Mountain West Conference school and the top school from a non-BCS conference.

The winners among the nominated BYU student-athletes are selected by a vote of their student-athlete peers and represent the finest accomplishments and performances of the past 12 months.

The Cougar football team stole the show earning the most awards.

Football running back star Harvey Unga won the Male Rookie of the Year award. In the 2007 season, Unga set the BYU freshman rushing record with 1,227 yards, was named a Freshman All-American and was also named MWC Freshman of the Year.

Wide receiver Matt Allen was honored with the Ed Stein Outstanding Senior Male Athlete Award. A MWC All-Academic selection who totaled 31 receptions on the season for 358 yards and three touchdowns.

A highlight of the evening happened when football Linebacker Bryan Kehl gave his acceptance speech after winning the Dale McCann Spirit of Sport award.

"I would like to thank my future wife," Kehl, who is single, said. "I thought that maybe if I start thanking her in public, she'll come out from hiding."

Kehl served as a team captain, earned All-MWC honors and is a two-time academic All-Conference performer.

The deserving football team was also awarded the coveted Team of the Year award. The team finished ranked No. 15 nationally with an 11-2 record. They went undefeated at home and in conference play, won the Mountain West Conference Championship for the second year in a row, beat Utah in magnificent fashion and secured a bowl game victory with a 17-16 win over UCLA in the Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas Bowl.

Football walked away with yet another award when it was announced the grid iron team won the Play of the Year for Eathyn Manumaleuna's game-winning blocked field goal against UCLA at the Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas Bowl.

In addition to the football team, the BYU women's volleyball team received Team of the Year honors. The team finished spectacular year in 2007 with a 24-8 overall record and an appearance in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

The women's soccer team was also honored with numerous awards.

Freshman Kassidy Christensen was named the Female Rookie of the Year. Christensen earned a Soccer Buzz 2007 Freshman All-America Fourth Team nomination this year.

The Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to soccer player Katie Larkin. In 2007, Larkin finished the season ranked 28th nationally in goals per game and received multiple All-America honors.

Soccer player Katie Fellows was honored as the Female Crowd Pleaser. Fellows was named MWC Championship Tournament MVP for her two-goal performance in the championship game against UNLV at BYU's South Stadium.

Track and field National Champion Niklas Arrhenius won the Male Athlete of the Year award. Arrhenius claimed the national title in the discus and currently holds the 15th-best throw in the world.

Men's Basketball star Jonathan Tavernari was awarded the Male Crowd Pleaser award. Throughout the season this sophomore set the BYU and sophomore MWC records for three-pointers in a season with 88.

Women's volleyball player Annie Pinegar was awarded the Walk-On of the Year award. As a senior, Pinegar set the BYU record for digs in a season with 481.

Chelsea Goodman won the Lu Wallace Outstanding Senior Female Athlete Aaward for her significant contribution to the women's volleyball team. Goodman is the first women's volleyball player named to an All-America Team since 2000.

Men's track and field athlete Whitney Neves received the Cougar Club Memorial Junior award for his outstanding performance in the pole vault. He was named to the All-MWC Indoor Team and competed in the pole vault at the 2008 NCAA Indoor National Championships.

After suffering a broken neck in a car accident, Natalia Jimenez, who got emotional while accepting her award, received Comeback Player of the Year honors. This women's golfer has made a strong return since suffering the injuries. She now leads Cougars in Fall 2007 Scoring Averages and helped lead BYU to a 2007 No. 13 national ranking. This is the second year this award has been given to any athlete.

Senior Dayna Smart-Allen received the Leona Holbrook Spirit of Sport award. Smart-Allen earned the award for not only excelling in gymnastics but for exemplifying the true spirit of sport in athletics and life.

Cheer squad member Jessica Bingham was given the Floyd Johnson Service award for her active involvement as an executive member of the Cougar. She coordinated the 2008 Blood Drive at BYU.

For the second year in a row gymnast Hayley Jensen was honored with the Kimball Memorial award. This is only the second time the award has been given to the same student more than once. The honor is given outstanding athlete who is active in their respective sport and and who has the highest scholarly achievement of those who qualify. Jensen currently maintains a 3.99 in psychology while significantly contributing to the gymnastics team.

Several BYU coaches were honored at the Y Awards.

Softball coach Gordon Eakin was named Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 43-22 record and to BYU's furthest post-season appearance ever. It was the third consecutive berth to the NCAA Regionals for the softball team. He currently claims the all-time wins record at BYU, tallying more than 200 victories in his career.

Patrick Fisher was named Assistant Coach of the Year. Fisher is the assistant coach over men's tennis. Although this is his first year at BYU, Fisher has already made a significant impact on the tennis program as he led the team to a 7-1 home record this spring.

Men's Basketball coach Dave Rose won the Dale Rex Memorial award. The award is given to the individual thought to have contributed most to amateur athletics in the state of Utah. Rose has returned BYU basketball to the national stage with the program's first back-to-back top-25 seasons since 1981 and 1982.In his last two seasons Rose provided the Mountain West Conference with its first-ever two-time outright league champions. The last time a BYU team garnered back-to-back outright league crowns was in 1979 and 1980.

"I find it a privilege to be a coach at BYU, and find it a privilege to come to work every day," Rose said. "It is an honor to associate with our teams. It makes me want to become a better person."

Robert and Diana Williams were named Volunteers of the Year for their work within the BYU athletic department. The Williams currently serve as supervisors of volunteer hosts and tour coordinators at Legacy Hall in the Student Athletic Building.

• Men's tennis: Freshmen Help Pull Upset Over No. 54 SDSU: the BYU men's tennis team pulled out a close 4-3 win over No. 54 San Diego State on Thursday after three freshmen posted singles wins to close the match. Thomas Shubert, Daniel Hwang and A.J. Young's victories on courts two, five and six, respectively, helped the Cougars improve to 14-9 on the season and 2-2 in Mountain West Conference play. The win also marks the first time BYU has defeated a ranked opponent this season.

"I'm really proud of our guys today," said BYU head coach Brad Pearce. "Our backs were against the wall and all of those guys knew they had to win. It was a tough battle that could have gone either way, but it bounced our way today."

The Cougars jumped out to an early lead after winning the doubles point. Both Cassidy Mears and Evan Urbina, and Daniel Hwang and Thomas Shubert recorded 8-3 wins over the Aztecs. On court one, Jonathan Sanchez and Young were tied at six games all with Bartosz Golas and Juan Gomez. Forced into an early tie-breaker, the Cougars eventually fell 7-6 (4). BYU is now 9-2 on the season when winning the doubles point.

BYU will continue conference play throughout the weekend as it is scheduled to take on New Mexico on Friday and Utah on Saturday. Both matches will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the BYU Outdoor Tennis Courts, if weather permits. Admission is free and BYU "Y Lot" parking is available to visitors after 4 p.m. on weekdays. On both Friday and Saturday, fans can enjoy free burgers, chips and drinks. Cosmo will also be on hand supporting the Cougar team.

• Baseball: Washington Rallies Over Cougars: consecutive doubles and a two-run homer by Washington offset BYU's seven-inning lead Thursday night as the Cougars lost to the Huskies, 5-1.

Kyle Conley's home run and doubles by Bradley Boyer and Troy Scott preceded a two-run homer by Ty Rasmussen in the five-run eighth inning. Those hits erased the 1-0 lead shutout Jordan Muir had going for the Cougars.

The Huskies improved to 22-9 and BYU fell to 14-19 overall. The two teams meet again on tonight at 6:30, with a third game on Saturday being moved up to 12 p.m.