Ashley Joens, David Carr earn top awards at first annual Iowa State O.S.C.A.R.S event

AMES — Ashley Joens scooped up additional awards Tuesday night near Hilton Coliseum. Then the former Iowa State star returned home to Iowa City on Wednesday. Thursday, Joens was en route to Dallas — where she will embark on her WNBA career with the Wings.

That’s quite a whirlwind 72 hours for the Cyclones’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder. It’s also the culmination of a lifelong dream for the second-round draft pick and three-time Cheryl Miller Award winner.

“I’ve already been studying,” Joens said after being honored for delivering the “Female Highlight of the Year” at the first annual ISU athletics red-carpet O.S.C.A.R.S event at Cy Stephens Auditorium. “You just have to go in and find different ways to stand out from the other players. It’s gonna be a competition, but it will be exciting and something new. You get to learn a little bit, soak it all in and just enjoy the experience.”

Competition breeds smiles, not stress for the former Iowa City High standout. And Tuesday night’s O.S.C.A.R event — which stands for “outstanding student-athletes celebrating achievements and recognitions showcase” — centered on the friendly side of that.

Joens’ individual award spotlighted her performance in last month’s Big 12 Tournament, where she averaged 26.7 points while helping the Cyclones win their first title in 22 years. She also shared in a team award that commemorated that achievement.

“It was really exciting,” Joens said. “Iowa State did an amazing job putting (the event) together. Lindsey Long (ISU’s assistant athletic director for student-athlete and letter winner engagement) just does a great job with the alumni and making sure that everyone gets awards — not necessarily just for your performance athletically, but your performance academically and within the community as well. So it’s a really neat event that they put on and it’s really exciting just to be able to celebrate other athletes as well.”

Iowa State wrestler David Carr served as the co-emcee of the event along with Lea Nelson of the Cyclones’ softball team. Carr — a two-time finalist and 2021 NCAA champion — also ended up as perhaps the biggest winner at the O.S.C.A.R.S., attaining the “Male Highlight of the Year” award as well as the male “Letterwinner All-Around Award.” Joens earned the female “Letterwinner All-Around Award,” which honors student-athletes for their community service work, character, and academic and athletic achievements.

“It’s cool because there are a lot of student-athletes here,” Carr said. “(And) people that help us accomplish our goals — our academic advisors. My mom and dad came because I was emceeing it, so I didn’t really know I was gonna get those awards. I think it’s cool that some of the athletes voted for me for some of the awards, so it means a lot.”

It also meant a lot to Carr to see his teammate, Yonger Bastida, honored with the “Eye of the Storm Award.” Bastida, a 195-pound All-American and standout freestyle wrestler, left family and friends behind in Cuba to chase his folkstyle wrestling dream in Ames.

“I love him a bunch,” Carr said. “That was super-cool.”

Former Iowa State star forward Stephanie Soares also attended the event and took the stage when the team’s award was announced. The first-round WNBA pick will eventually join Joens with the Wings, but for now she remains focused on rehabilitating from her season-ending ACL injury sustained in January.

“I’ll stick around here, finish my rehab and start working on basketball,” said Soares, who became ISU’s highest WNBA Draft pick ever when she was selected fifth. “I’ll still go down on visits. They said they want to bring me down to meet the crew, meet the team, but it’s a blessing to be here because there are so many resources.”

Joens feels the same way — even though she’s now no longer a full-time Ames resident.

“I just have to be confident in myself, believe in myself, and go out there and show them what I can do,” Joens said.

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