FORT VALLEY, Ga- Head coach Lawrence Wrather and outside hitter Isaiah Fedd of Wildcat men's volleyball were honored prior to Central State University (OH.) match, Friday evening. 

Coach Wrather was named the HBCU Makeda Excellence Award men's volleyball recipient for the 2023-24 athletic year. The Rice FAME group presents the award annually. The awards honor athletes and coaches of Historically Black Colleges and Universities programs. Each honoree was selected by a majority of voting peer coaches and band directors from National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA), and United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) programs.

Coach Wrather led the Wildcats to both a conference tournament championship as well as being the regular season champions for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). These are both firsts for the program. Under Wrather at the helm, FVSU became the first HBCU to compete in the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships. 

Fedd was given his NCAA Statistical Champion award for service aces per set during the 2024 season. He averaged .661 service aces per set to led the nation in Division I men's volleyball. 

In the 2024 season, Fedd 195 kills, 3.31 per set, for a .329 hitting percentage. He also tallied 24 block assists, three solo blocks and 74 digs.