DEARBORN, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn Department of Athletics & Recreation is proud to announce the winners of the 2019-20 Newcomer of the Year Awards.
The Newcomer of the Year Awards are presented annually to one female and one male student-athlete who achieved success in their first season of competition as a Wolverine.
The 2019-20 Newcomers of the Year are Claudia Maguire from women's ice hockey and Tyler Koons from baseball. The awards are the first for each program.
Claudia Maguire
Maguire quickly established her presence as not only one of the best offensive skaters for the Wolverines in the team's first season but also as one of the top forwards in the ACHA DII. Maguire was nearly unstoppable for UM-Dearborn in 2019-20, scoring 40 goals and adding 25 assists in 21 games. She scored 10 goals in the first five games of the season and closed the season with multiple goals in eight straight, racking up 24 goals over that stretch.
Maguire was named a captain for the Wolverines and led the program to an impressive 19-2-0 overall record as the team climbed all the way to No. 2 in the national rankings. Maguire was named to the ACHA All-Athletic First Team and is a former UM-Dearborn Difference Maker.
"I was happy to hear that we were going to start something at UM-Dearborn for women's ice hockey," Maguire said. "I knew we were good, and it was great to see the support for the program."
Maguire competed for the Wolverine women's soccer team in 2019-20 and recently signed a National Letter of Intent to join the UM-Dearborn women's cross country team for 2020-21.
Tyler Koons
Despite having his team's season cut short due to the global pandemic, Tyler Koons was able to make a quick impression for the UM-Dearborn baseball team in 2019-20. The right-handed pitcher transferred to UM-Dearborn after a season at NCAA DI Eastern Michigan University and instantly provided a shutdown ace for the Wolverines at the top of the rotation.
In five starts, Koons finished with a 3-1 record, a 2.33 ERA, 27 innings pitched, and 32 strikeouts. His impressive run included a 7-inning no-hitter against Robert Morris University on Feb. 22, 2020. The outing saw Koons strikeout nine batters, including the final three in an immaculate seventh inning (nine pitches, nine strikes).
"I didn't really know what was happening," Koons said of his mindset during the no-hitter. "I think it helped to boost the national recognition of the program. I look forward to seeing the steps forward that we can make in the future."
The Newcomer of the Year Award was established in 2015 and is given out annually at the UM-Dearborn All-Sports Banquet. Due to the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, UM-Dearborn was unable to host the event in 2020.
