Cobie Barnes Named RSC Male Athlete of the Year

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio -- The River States Conference is pleased to announce the selection of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods basketball player Cobie Barnes as the 2023-24 River States Conference Male Athlete of the Year. The 2023-24 RSC Player and Newcomer of the Year earns the award as the top male athlete in the conference, which includes eight RSC championship sports for men.

The Athlete of the Year is selected via a vote of conference athletic directors, and comes from a pool of all Player of the Year recipients.

Barnes is the first athlete - male or female - from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College to be named Athlete of the Year by the Conference. He is also just the fourth men's basketball player to earn the award in the 15 year history of the honor, and the first since IU East's Bishop Smith was the recipient in 2020.

After playing basketball at Indiana State, John A. Logan College, and SIU Edwardsville, Barnes made an immediate impact on the SMWC campus. In just one year as a Pomeroy, he set the school record for points scored in a career, pouring in 722 points during the 2023-24 campaign. His efforts led the Pomeroys to the NAIA Tournament, marking the first trip to the national level for a men's sport at SMWC.

Barnes led the Pomeroys to 17-1 record in conference play, as well as a trip to the RSC title game. In addition to his more than 23 points per game, he averaged more than seven rebounds per contest. The Floyds Knobs, Indiana native logged eight double-doubles on the season, including a 34-point, 10-rebound effort in SMWC's NAIA Tournament game against Northwestern.

In addition to his accolades as RSC Player and Newcomer of the Year, Barnes was named a Second Team All-American by the NAIA. He was the first male athlete from SMWC to be honored as an All-American by the NAIA.

RSC/KIAC MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR (SINCE 2009-10)
2009-10 -- Kyle Lenn, IU Southeast -- Baseball
2010-11 -- Jazzmarr Ferguson, IU Southeast -- Men's Basketball
2011-12 -- Marcus Isaac, IU Southeast -- Men's Basketball
2012-13 -- Matt Lowe, Brescia (Ky.) -- Cross Country/Track & Field
2013-14 -- Hank Stewart, Brescia (Ky.) -- Baseball
2014-15 -- Lucas Silva, Point Park (Pa.) -- Men's Soccer
2015-16 -- Willian Paulino, Rio Grande (Ohio) -- Men's Soccer
2016-17 -- Jorge Guinovart, Rio Grande (Ohio) -- Men's Soccer
2017-18 -- Trenton Thompson, Asbury (Ky.) -- Men's Basketball
2018-19 -- Joshua Turnquest, Asbury (Ky.) -- Men's Tennis
2019-20 -- Bishop Smith, IU East -- Men's Basketball
2020-21 -- Matt Monahan, IU Southeast -- Baseball
2021-22 -- Trevor Campbell, IU Southeast, Baseball
2022-23 -- Vilius Labutis, Rio Grande, Men's Soccer
2023-24 -- Cobie Barnes, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.), Men's Basketball