LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – UNLV women's golf's Toa Yokoyama and football's Jackson Woodard took home the top honors among a group of student-athletes recognized at the Seventh Annual Scarlet & Gray Awards Show held Tuesday night at the Strip View Pavilion in the Thomas & Mack Center.

Woodard was named the Mehdi Bouras Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Yokoyama received the Mehdi Bouras Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. The awards are named in honor of the memory of the late UNLV tennis star Mehdi Bouras, who passed away suddenly in 2013 at the age of 24.

Woodard, who graduated with his bachelor's degree in kinesiology, thrived as a leader academically and on the gridiron. The star inside linebacker boasted a 3.8 GPA, while finishing the year ranked fourth in the nation in total tackles (135) and 19th in the country in interceptions (4). Additionally, Woodard totaled 16 passes defended, 17.5 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 quarterback sacks and two forced fumbles in his final season. For his off-the-field excellence in the classroom and the community, he was named a First Team CSC Academic All-American, a finalist for the prestigious Campbell Trophy (known as the academic Heisman), an Academic All-Mountain West honoree and a member of the 2024 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class. Along with that, Woodard was a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award and the Burlsworth Trophy. His athletic prowess also translated to being signed by the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, earning All-American honors from four different outlets, along with being tabbed Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, All-Mountain West First Team accolades and the Art of Sport LA Bowl Defensive MVP.

Yokoyama, who is majoring in sociology, orchestrated her own decorated year in the classroom and on the golf course. She upheld a 3.65 GPA and finished the 2023-24 season with a team-best 72.26 scoring average, which ranks third all-time for a single season in program history. For her academic work, Yokoyama grabbed WGCA All-American Scholar and Academic All-Mountain West honors. Additionally, she went on to qualify to play on the Epson Tour, earn a Mountain West all-conference first team nod and grab the top-seed as an individual for the NCAA Las Vegas Regional.

Other honors, voted on by the student-athletes, included Outstanding Team (the three-peat MW Champion Lady Rebels), Best Upset (football defeats Kansas), Newcomers of the Year (Jesse Farrell from softball and Hajj-Malik Williams from football), the Perseverance Award (Jayden Jaster from cheer) and the Be A Rebel Award (Torie Reardon from women's soccer).

Also announced during the show were the Student-Athlete Academic Champion awards, which are given to each sport's most well-rounded leaders that demonstrate great academic achievement in addition to maintaining a productive role in their respective sport. Athletic academic advisors select each sport's academic champion based on the following criteria: GPA, degree path, credit load, academic class standing, contribution to their sport, community service and character.
 
Additionally, 179 UNLV student-athletes were honored for earning academic all-conference honors by achieving GPAs of 3.0 or higher in the MW and the Western Athletic Conference (men's soccer and men's swimming & diving). On top of that, 129 Rebel student-athletes were recognized on the 2023-24 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete Award list for recording a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater in at least two semesters at UNLV.
 
2024-25 UNLV SCARLET & GRAY AWARDS
Mehdi Bouras Scholar-Athletes of the Year: 
Jackson Woodard (Football) and Toa Yokoyama (Women's Golf)

Athlete of the Year:
Kennedi Porter (Women's Track & Field) and Ricky White (Football)

Newcomers of the Year: 
Jesse Farrell (Softball) and Hajj-Malik Williams (Football)

Best Upset Award:
Football win at Kansas (2024)

Perseverance Award: 
Jayden Jaster (Cheer)

Outstanding Team Award: 
Women's Basketball

Be A Rebel Award: 
Torie Reardon (Women's Soccer)

Academic Career Breakthrough Awards: 
Taryn Encinas (Rebel Girls & Company) and Karl Jones (Men's Basketball)

Kenny Keys SAAS Choice Awards: 
Cadence Whitley (Women's Soccer), Delaysia Allen (Track & Field) and Wyatt Plattner (Men's Golf)

SAAC Leadership Award: 
Erica Collins (Women's Basketball)

UNLV TEAM ACADEMIC CHAMPIONS
Baseball: JP Hefft
Men's Basketball: Isaiah Cottrell
Women's Basketball: Erica Collins
Football: Cameron Friel
Men's Golf: Trevor Lewis
Women's Golf: Toa Yokoyama
Men's Soccer: Kai Merrill
Women's Soccer: Gianna Newby
Softball: Sofia Morales
Men's Swim and Dive: McKay Mickelson
Women's Swim and Dive: Jenna Walch
Men's Tennis: Thomas Navarro
Women's Tennis: Coco Zhao
Cross Country: Nicole Boskovich
Track and Field: Annakay Maitland
Volleyball: Dakota Quinlan
Pom: Madelyn Kennedy
Cheer: Caitlin Thompson
Rebel Girls and Company: Taylor Freeman