Athletes of the year

Jared du Toit — men’s golf

Consistency and dominance defined Jared du Toit’s 2015 spring season on the golf course. The sophomore from Kimberley, British Columbia, only finished outside of the top 10 once in six spring tournaments. Two of those top-10 performances came as victories — April 6 at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic and April 29 at the Big Sky Championship. His 8-under-par 208 in the conference championship also helped Idaho to a team title in its first year back in the Big Sky. Du Toit’s stellar season earned him Big Sky Player of the Year.

Galina Bykova — women’s tennis

Despite just being a sophomore, Idaho women’s tennis player Galina Bykova cruised through the Big Sky Conference in 2015. The St. Petersburg, Russia, native went undefeated in Big Sky play at No. 1 singles during the regular season and finished with Big Sky MVP honors. She finished the season 11-0 in the conference and 17-4 overall, which also ranked her No. 1 in the conference. Bykova and doubles partner Emmie Marx kept up the success in doubles play, where they ranked No. 1 in the conference in No. 1 doubles with an 8-1 record. The Vandals won the Big Sky Tournament in their first year back in the conference and have a bright future ahead as Bykova still has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining.

Connor Hill — men’s basketball

Connor Hill didn’t just make a lot of 3-pointers at Idaho, he made more than twice as many 3s as the next-best player — ever. Hill made 340 career 3-pointers as a Vandal, while second place Orlando Lightfoot (1991-1994) is all the way back at 168. The Post Falls, Idaho, native’s best season came in 2014-2015, when he made an Idaho single-season record with 108 3-pointers. But Hill didn’t just heave up a bunch of 3s to get those statistics. He made an astounding 45 percent of his 3-point shots during his career. Hill led the Vandals with 16.4 points per game during his senior season. The Vandals will have to find a new sharpshooter for the 2015-2016 season, but it will be tough for anyone to ever beat Hill’s monstrous statistics.

Stacey Barr — women’s basketball

Apparently, leading the conference in scoring by nearly four points per game isn’t enough to earn first-team all-conference honors. Senior Stacey Barr led the Big Sky in scoring in 2014-2015 with 21.3 points per game — good for No. 14 in the NCAA — but she earned second-team rather than first-team All-Big Sky honors. The Melbourne, Australia, native came into the season as the Big Sky Preseason Player of the Year and was the only Vandal to average double-digit scoring. She ended her career as Idaho’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made with 268 and fourth in all-time scoring with 1,896 career points.

Josh McCain — football

Josh McCain probably wishes he had played wide receiver for his whole football career. After making the switch from quarterback to wide receiver for the 2014 football season, the senior from San Jose, California, finished the season leading the Sun Belt Conference in receiving yards with 1,162 and touchdowns with nine. McCain’s receiving accomplishments earned him a place on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List — an award that goes to the best collegiate wide receiver in the nation. He had previously played the 2013 season as the backup quarterback to Chad Chalich.

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