Orono, Maine – The University of Maine is proud to announce that Lauren Magnuson of the women's track & field team and Jeff DeVaughn of the football team are the recipients of the 2019 'M' Club Dean Smith awards.

The 'M' Club Dean Smith award is the most prestigious award presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes. To be considered for this award, athletes are nominated by their coaches and must have demonstrated outstanding academic and athletic achievement, be of outstanding character and a contributor and leader within their community.

It was in 1992 that the 'M' Club named the award after former UMaine student athlete standout Dean Smith. In 1990 Smith had the top grade-point average among electrical engineering majors at UMaine and was the Northeast Atlantic Conference scoring leader in men's basketball.  He was a three time Academic All-American, and he received the prestigious NCAA Walter Byers Award as the nation's top scholar-athlete.

Magnuson, a senior from South Portland, Maine, is an elementary education major with a concentration in social studies and a minor in disability studies who currently boasts a 3.97 grade point average (GPA). Athletically, Magnuson, a two-year captain, is a three-time America East all-conference selection. Her runner-up time of 24.49 in the 200m at the America East Championship was good for second best on Maine's all-time list while her time of 55.06 in the 400m slotted her third at the America East Outdoor Championships. In 2017-18, she was awarded the America East Elite 18 honor, presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA competing at the Championship event.
 
In the classroom, Magnuson is a seven-time Dean's List selection and four-time UMaine Presidential Scholar recipient. She has been honored to the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll on four occasions and has received four UMaine Scholar-Athlete medallions for achieving a 3.0 GPA or better all four years of her athletic career. A member of the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society, Magnuson has focused her research on effective reading instruction. She has served as the Vice President of the Alpha Delta Honor Society and offered her time as an UMaine Student-Athlete Academic Mentor. Magnuson devoted her time outside of UMaine towards serving as a Black Bear tutor for middle school students as well as coaching and volunteering at youth track meets.

DeVaughn, a graduate student from Folcroft, PA, earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology & Physical Education in August of 2018 and is now pursuing a Masters Degree in Student Development in High Education. DeVaughn, a captain for the 2018 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Champion and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Final Four participant Black Bears, finished the season as Maine's leader in solo tackles (56). DeVaughn wrapped up Maine's longest playoff run in school history ranked fourth overall on the team with 74 total tackles while adding eight pass breakups. DeVaughn returned a fumble 66-yards for a touchdown at Rhode Island and record two interceptions in Maine's FCS quarterfinal victory at Weber State. In all, DeVaughn set single-season career highs in tackles and total interceptions (3). A two-time UMaine Special Teams Player of the Year, DeVaughn totaled for his 45 game career 146 tackles, five interceptions, 17 pass deflections and 4.0 tackles for loss.
 
During his time at UMaine, DeVaughn devoted much of his time towards volunteering for numerous events throughout the Black Bear community. A member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a Co-Student Graduate Student Coordinator for Male Athletes Against Violence, he played a large part in hosting UMaine's White Ribbon Campaign to end violence against women, promote healthy relationships, gender equity and a new vision of masculinity. DeVaughn assisted, along with UMaine Student-Life, with the coordination of the UMaine March Against Domestic Violence and hosted the Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast. He was a pivotal part of the football team's "Walking School Bus" initiative, walking children to school and reading at local elementary schools and earned a selection to the CAA Honor Roll.

The M Club, founded in 1932, is the letter winner association of the University of Maine and has been a fixture in supporting athletics since then. Varsity athletic competitions began at the University in 1881, and nearly 20,000 men and women have earned their letter in more than 30 different sports. It is through active letter winner and honorary member dues that the club has given financial support back to the athletic development for 86 years. The club's motto reads; "dedicated to Maine Athletics: past, present and future."

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