LAKELAND, Fla. - The Florida Southern College Department of Athletics announced the recipients of the Hal Smeltzly and Lois Webb Awards, which are presented annually to the top male and female athletes of the year at Florida Southern. Men's golf redshirt senior Max Barile received the Hal Smeltzly Award for Male Athlete of the Year while women's lacrosse graduate student Charlie Laye earned the Lois Webb Award for Female Athlete of the Year at Florida Southern.
 
Barile is the 10^th men's golfer in FSC history to earn the Male Athlete of the Year Award as he joins Jeff Klauk (1999-00 Honoree), Steve Sokol (2000-01 Honoree), Steve Paramore (2002-03 Honoree), Jude Eustaquio (2007-08 Honoree), Matt Stauch (2009-10 Honoree), Tim Crouch (2012-13 & 2013-14 Honoree), John Coultas (2015-16 Honoree), John VanDerLaan (2016-17 & 2017-18 Honoree), and Colton Swartz (2024-25 Honoree). Laye, the fourth-straight Lois Webb Award honoree from women's lacrosse, becomes the eighth women's lacrosse student-athlete to earn the honor. The women's lacrosse program has earned nine of the last 11 awards. Laye joins the elite group of Megan Asper (2014-15 Honoree), Gabby Barowski (2015-16 Honoree), Emily Santoli (2016-17 Honoree), Meghan O'Brien (2017-18 Honoree), Marina Jozokos (2019-21 Honoree*), Jackie Stoller (2022-23 & 2023-24 Honoree), and Abby McFerren (2024-25 Honoree) who have all represented women's lacrosse as the Female Athlete of the Year.
 
"Max had an incredible season for the Mocs, leading them to the program's 14^th NCAA DII National Championship," said Drew Howard, Director of Athletics and Dean of Wellness. "His competitive excellence helped lead the team to one of the best seasons in program history, while placing himself among the very best golfers in NCAA Division II. We are excited to have Max (Barile) named as the 2025-26 Hal Smeltzly Male Athlete of the Year."
 
Barile had an incredible 2025-26 season for the Moccasins, leading FSC with eight top-10 finishes, including seven consecutive, before Florida Southern won the program's 14th NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship on May 22. The redshirt senior from Land O' Lakes, Fla., was named the top golfer in NCAA Division II after being awarded the Jack Nicklaus Division II Golfer of the Year award last month. Barile earned his first collegiate victory by six strokes at the Las Vegas Desert Classic on March 3, recording a career-low 14-under 202 (68-69-65). Carding a 70.49 scoring average, Barile was named 2026 PING First Team All-American, PING All-South Region, Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Golfer of the Year, and First Team All-SSC in 2025-26. 
 
Laye was a standout of the Florida Southern defense, leading the team to the program's second NCAA DII National Championship last month. Laye led the team with 44 groundballs, adding 32 caused turnovers and 18 draw controls. She was the Polk County Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year, an All-SSC First Team, USA Lacrosse Second Team All-America, and IWLCA First Team All-America selection, tallying a pair of goals this season and credited with an assist. Prior to the NCAA semifinal game, Laye was recognized as the NCAA Elite Scholar-Athlete for Women's Lacrosse, given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships. She was also named a CSC Academic All-American, IWLCA Academic Honor Squad, and the IWLCA Scholar Athlete of the Year, awarded to the top academic student-athlete in Division II women's lacrosse.
 
"Charlie continues an outstanding run of women's lacrosse athletes who have won the Lois Webb Female Athlete of the Year award," stated Howard. "She played a pivotal role in helping the women's lacrosse team to a national championship, capping a great end to her collegiate career at FSC. A great representation of FSC student-athletes, we are proud to recognize her as this year's 2025-26 Lois Webb Female Athlete of the Year."
 
Established in 1999-2000, the Hal Smeltzly Award is named for the Moccasins' long-time baseball coach and athletics director. He was the Moccasins' baseball coach from 1958-76, winning three national championships, with a total of 391 wins. As Director of Athletics from 1972-2000, he oversaw a Moccasin program that produced 21 National Championships. He retired in 2000. Smeltzly was a member of the ABCA, Royal Dutch Sports, Florida Sports, Polk County Sports, Sunshine State Conference, FSC Baseball and FSC Athletics Halls of Fame and his baseball uniform, number seven, is retired. He was also recently announced as part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Smeltzly passed away in 2018 at the age of 86.

Established in 2017-18, the Lois Webb Award (previously also the Hal Smeltzly Award) is named for the Mocs' longtime volleyball coach and athletic director. Webb led the volleyball program from 1977-2000, compiling a record of 747-272 while leading Florida Southern to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, including fourth-place finishes in 1981, 1989 and 1991. She served as the athletic department's Senior Woman Administrator under Smeltzly and took the reigns as Director of Athletics in 2000 before retiring in 2008. During her time as the athletic director, Florida Southern won three NCAA National Championships. She also served as the head women's basketball coach from 1978-82 and was the first-ever women's golf coach at Florida Southern. Webb was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2003. She is also a member of the Polk County Sports, Sunshine State Conference, and Florida Southern Athletics Halls of Fame.