COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs Department of Athletics is announcing major award winners every day from April 20-24.  Today's award winners are Hannah Meek (Pueblo, Colo.) and Padiet Wang (Aurora, Colo.) as the Mountain Lions Athletes of the Year.
 
A junior for the Mountain Lions track and field team, Hannah Meek recently helped UCCS to their third conference championship in program history after the Mountain Lions secured the 2019-20 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championship on Feb. 28-29.  Meek racked up two podium finishes and two first team honors as she bested the competition in the long jump with a 5.85m (19-2.5) leap, and a third-place finish in the triple jump, recording a mark of 11.96m (39-3).  
 
A four-time NCAA Division II National Championship meet qualifier, Meek competed in six meets for the Mountain Lions during the indoor season.  She set career-best marks in the same weekend of competition after starting the season Dec. 5, 2019 at the Mines Alumni Classic & Multi meet, registering a long jump mark of 6.08m (19-11.5).  The following day at the Air Force Holiday Open, Meek posted a personal best mark in the triple jump, winning the event with a measurement of 12.26m (40-2.75).  Both marks qualified as provisional marks and ranked No. 3 and No. 8, respectively, in Division II.
 
A guard on the men's basketball team, Padiet Wang closed out his senior campaign earning the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first UCCS student-athlete in program history to earn the individual award. A three-time RMAC All-Academic honoree and a three-time All-RMAC Men's Basketball performer, Wang ranked eighth in the league in scoring, averaging 16.6 points per game.  A member of the UCCS 1,000-point club, Wang became the school's all-time steals leader on Feb. 28, 2020, recording his 151^st career steal (154 career steals). 
 
This season, he finished fifth in the league in steals (1.8 per game) and eighth in assists (3.8 per game) and earned RMAC Player of the Week honors four times (two defensive, two offensive).  In 2019-20, Wang tallied 51 steals, blocked 21 shots and pulled in 152 rebounds (123 defensive boards).  A starter in all 28 games this season, he has posted 25 games with at least 10 points, and nine games scoring at least 20 points. He shot the ball at a 48.8 percent rate (158-of-324) and 37.6 percent from three-point range (44-of-117). Defensively, Wang tallied 14 multiple-steal games.
 
Wednesday's award will be the Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
 
McLaughlin – Monday, April 20
Male: Matt Clarke, Baseball
Female: Alessa Muir, Soccer
 
Athlete of the Year – Tuesday, April 21
Male: Padiet Wang, Basketball
Female: Hannah Meek, Track & Field
 
Student-Athlete of the Year - Wednesday, April 22
Male: TBA
Female: TBA
 
AD Award – Thursday, April 23
Male: TBA
Female: TBA
 
Freshmen of the Year – Friday, April 24
Male: TBA
Female: TBA