The Central Florida Future sports staff compiled a list using a variety of criteria, including impact on and off the field, career achievements, success of the program and buzz and exposure created for the school.

While things seemed pretty clear at the top of the list, it got a bit complicated as we neared the bottom, so included at the end is a “first four out,” which lists a few other deserving Knights.

Here are the Future’s top 10 most valuable Knights:

1. Octavious Freeman, sprinter, track & field — This isn’t even a question. Freeman may very well be the fastest woman on the planet (her 11.10 in the 100 meters in Gainesville is the fastest time for a woman in the event this year, professional or amateur), or at least among them. Freeman came to campus as arguably the most sought-after recruit ever to choose the black and gold. Most importantly, a likely future Olympian, perhaps even a gold-medalist, is a UCF Knight.
2. D.J. Hicks, first baseman, baseball — He’s the guy carrying the big stick for the resident top-15 baseball team. Hicks was voted the preseason Conference USA Player of the Year and a preseason All American, and he’s delivered. He’s done it in ways outside of just sending the ball over the fence. Hicks is batting .329 with a team-leading 55 RBIs (Chris Taladay comes in second with 30). Hicks provides a lot of the excitement to be had at Jay Bergman Field, leading the team with 10 home runs. In short, Hicks is the face of a program that may be contending for a national championship in Omaha, Neb., this summer.
3. Mackenzie Audas, pitcher, softball — In a sport where a pitcher can dominate and take the mound nearly every game, there truly is nothing more valuable than an ace. The Knights have theirs. The freshman has come in and in a flash become the face of the program, posting shutout after shutout, including this biggest win of the season, a 2-0 victory over the then-No. 3 Florida Gators at the UCF Softball Complex. What’s more? She’s going to be rocking the black and gold for three more years.
4. Keith Clanton, forward, men’s basketball — He’s Mr. Reliable for a program that is on an upward trend and has embraced increasing expectations. Clanton is one of the few players who can quietly register a double-double, racking up rebounds and often scoring at ease in the paint or on the perimeter. Clanton led the Knights, averaging 14.5 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game, and perhaps most importantly hit the go-ahead free throw with just seconds remaining in UCF’s historic win over Memphis.
5. Kevan George, midfielder, men’s soccer — The 29th pick in the this year’s MLS SuperDraft, selected by Columbus Crew, was an integral part of a loaded men’s soccer team that took the program to new heights in 2011. George led the team in assists (7) and had two game-winning goals to his credit in 2011, one of which game in the first round of the NCAA Championship against Florida Gulf Coast.
6. Isaiah Sykes, guard/forward, men’s basketball — Sykes was easily the most improved player on the roster this season and made a strong case for most improved player in the nation. The sophomore from Detroit continued doing the things he did well as a freshman: rebounding, defending and grabbing loose balls. But in the 2011-12 season he started scoring. A lot. Sykes averaged 12.3 points per game and had a few 20-point efforts to his name. Sykes got more confident in his jump shot as the season went on and, of course, delivered more than a few SportsCenter-worthy highlights.
7. Josh Robinson, defensive back, football — The Knights’ defensive backfield took a blow when this junior defender declared for the NFL Draft. Then, the program enjoyed some exposure when Robinson made a huge splash at the NFL Combine. Robinson’s 4.33-second time in the 40-yard dash was the fastest of any athlete at any position at the Combine. Accordingly, Robinson, who came to the program as a four-star recruit out of high school, saw his stock shoot upward. Any time a Knight goes in the earlier rounds of the Draft, it’s a victory for everybody.
8. Tishia Jewell, forward, women’s soccer — The 5-foot-6 senior out of Satellite Beach was an integral part of a women’s soccer program that ranked among the top in the nation. Jewell finished 2011 as a Third Team All-American and a C-USA First Team honoree. Jewell dished out 10 assists, putting her at No. 24 nationally, and scored seven goals. On a program that has been consistently good for quite some time, Jewell shined this year, scoring two game-winning goals.
9. Jackie Coward, sprinter, track & field — She is the most accomplished athlete in the program’s history, and Coward is also the commitment that started it all. Coward was the first All-American to come to UCF and join coach Caryl Smith Gilbert in her vision of what the program could become. Speedsters like Freeman and Aurieyall Scott may not have selected UCF out of high school had it not been for Coward. The senior sprinter will be chasing Olympic dreams at the U.S. Trials this summer.
10. Alex Friedrich, right fielder, baseball — It’s probably the best sports story on campus. Friedrich, who graduated from nearby şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą High School, had no major college offers despite his stellar high school career. Undaunted, Friedrich came to UCF and walked on with the program, no small achievement. But he wasn’t done. Friedrich gradually earned more and more playing time, and now the senior right fielder who came to campus without a scholarship offer is one of the top hitters on one of the top baseball teams in the country. Friedrich is batting .351 and also has quite the arm in the outfield with five assists this season.

Just missed out:

“We are so happy for both Kevan and Warren,” UCF head coach Bryan Cunningham said. “This is a great achievement for both of them and also a great accomplishment for our program.”

UCF was one of just 10 schools nationally to have more than one player selected Thursday.

Creavalle and George were both selected to the All-Conference USA First Team this past season when they helped the Knights advance to the second round of the NCAA Championship for the second-consecutive year. UCF was ranked in the top-25 nationally for nearly the entire campaign, and moved to as high as No. 6.

George had a pair of goals and seven assists this past year, when he started all 21 contests for the Knights. During his four-year career, he started all 73 matches and recorded six goals and 16 assists, which ranks 10th in program history. A native of Trinidad, George was a three-time All-C-USA First Team selection.

“Kevan is a great kid. He has done so much for the program. He came to UCF as one of the top recruits in the country when I took over as the head coach. He played in three Conference USA Championship semifinals, two NCAA Tournaments and made it to the second round two-straight years. Every year as a player and a person, he improved,” Cunningham said.

“It was an unreal feeling to see my name on the screen,” George said of his selection. “I’ve had so many ups and downs in my life, but I stuck to my goal to play professionally. It is a rewarding feeling to get drafted by such a wonderful organization like the Columbus Crew.”

In 2011, Creavalle appeared in 17 contests, making 16 starts. He recorded one goal and three assists during the year. Prior to the campaign, the Georgia native was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. After his junior season, when he tallied four goals and 12 assists, Creavalle garnered NSCAA All-America Third Team honors. He spent two years at UCF after transferring from Furman.

“We were very blessed to have Warren join us two years ago,” Cunningham said. “He was still very raw, but he bought into our system of what we do here. He worked extremely hard on his game. He is a very coachable young man. Warren is the consummate team player.”

“This is what I have been working toward for the majority of my life,” Creavalle said. “I am real excited to get to this point and I am really excited to keep working harder.”

George and Creavalle became the second and third players in program history to be selected in the MLS SuperDraft. In 2010, goalkeeper Sean Johnson was tabbed with the 51st overall pick by the Chicago Fire.

Junior Nik Robson (Auckland, New Zealand) gave UCF a 1-0 edge with a goal at the 32-minute mark. Two minutes later, junior Eduardo Jimenez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) scored. Sophomore McKauly Tulloch (Kingston, Jamaica), who leads the country in points per game, scored twice in the second half and now has 12 goals in only eight matches this season.

With the triumph, the Knights snapped a three-match winning streak for the Mustangs (5-1, 0-1). SMU was coming off a 2-1 victory at No. 18 UCLA.

“SMU is a first-class team. Tonight we knew that we would need a quick start,” UCF head coach Bryan Cunningham said. “We were able to go up 2-0 and that got us going for the rest of the match.”

The contest was the second this week against a ranked opponent for the Knights. On Wednesday, host UCF opened C-USA play with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Kentucky. The Wildcats are ranked 21st nationally by the NSCAA. SMU is listed at No. 21 in the Soccer America poll.

Robson put UCF on the board in the first half after he corralled a rebound and scored from six yards out. Just over two minutes later, Tulloch crossed the ball over to Jimenez who beat SMU goalkeeper Jamie Ibarra.

Tulloch’s first goal came at the 55-minute mark from eight yards out and was assisted by senior Warren Creavalle (Acworth, Ga.). He added another score 14 minutes later off a feed from senior Kevan George (Roxborough, Trinidad).

The win over SMU was the second-straight for the Knights, who posted a 2-1 victory over the fifth-ranked Mustangs last year in Orlando. Playing SMU for the fourth time in on the road, the Knights picked up their first win in Dallas Saturday.

“Playing at SMU is never easy,” Cunningham said. “It is extremely difficult for a road team to win at SMU. I am very proud of our players. They took advantage of chances. This was a great win.”

UCF improved to 4-0-1 away from home this season.

Junior Shawn Doyle (Fort Myers, Fla.) totaled six saves in the win. SMU got goals from Ben Hill at the 42-minute mark and Damian Rosales with 17 minutes to play.

Eight Knights each logged 90 minutes in the contest.

The match, which featured a 70-minute lightning and rain delay, ended when Creavalle knocked the ball into the left corner of the goal after securing a corner kick from junior Nik Robson (Auckland, New Zealand). The Knights went down 1-0 early, but played with more energy following the weather delay.

“I’m so proud of my team tonight,” UCF head coach Bryan Cunningham said. “I don’t know who we were in the first 30 minutes of that game, but we came out after the rain delay a totally different team. I challenged them to be the team that we are capable of being.”

UCF tied the match at 1-1 at the 38:24 mark when sophomore McKauly Tulloch (Kingston, Jamaica) slipped past the lone defender back for the Wildcats and scored past Tyler Beadle. Creavalle and senior Kevan George (Roxborough, Trinidad) assisted on the goal, which was the 10th of the season for Tulloch, who leads the nation in points per game.

UCF finished with a 19-12 shot advantage and took eight corner kicks during the match. Kentucky entered the contest tied for first in the nation with 25 total goals, but the Wildcats’ scoring opportunities were limited by UCF’s defense.

Kentucky grabbed a 1-0 lead 13 minutes into the opening half when Tyler Riggs tapped the ball into the open goal after UCF’s goalkeeper, junior Shawn Doyle (Fort Myers, Fla.), slipped on the wet field.

The contest was the first of eight league matches this year for the Knights.

“It’s huge,” Creavalle said of starting off C-USA play with a victory. “We started off with a win like that last year and it really set us up for the rest of the season.”

UCF had several good scoring opportunities late in the match, and almost ended the contest in regulation when senior Cameron Cooksey (Marietta, Ga.) found sophomore Steven Lamberta (Temecula Valley, Calif.) in the box for a header that went just left of the goal with two minutes to play. Tulloch setup Creavalle with a great pass with seven minutes to go, but the senior was whistled for offsides before he booted the ball into the goal past Beadle.

The physical contest featured 38 total fouls and three yellow cards.

Tulloch attempted six shots in the winning effort, and Creavalle had three shots. Doyle recorded four saves as he picked up his sixth win of the year.

Last week, Creavalle became the first player in program history to be named to the NSCAA/Performance Subaru All-South Region First Team for his play in 2010.

Junior Kevan George (Roxborough, Trinidad) and sophomore Nik Robson (Auckland, New Zealand) joined Creavalle when they both earned All-South Region Third Team honors, marking the first time that UCF has had three players selected by the NSCAA for its regional team.

Creavalle is just one of two players from Conference USA to be named to the NSCAA All-American Teams. Joining Creavalle from C-USA is SMU’s Arthur Ivo, who was named to the second team.

UCF’s junior midfielder finished the season with four goals and four assists for eight points, putting himself on a list as one of the best at his position in the country. In all, he was honored as the first-ever UCF player named an All-American and the first named to the NSCAA All-South Region First Team, to go along with his spot on the All-Conference USA First Team.

Senior captain Yaron Bacher (Atlanta, Ga.) was honored with a spot on the second team and goalkeeper Shawn Doyle (Ft. Myers, Fla.) was selected to the third team. Steven Lamberta (Temecula, Calif.) was also honored with a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

Tulsa was the other program to have three members selected to the 11-member All-Conference First Team. Robson, the league’s leading scorer, was selected to the first team one season after being named to the third and the all-freshman teams in 2009. Robson scored eight goals and had nine assists in his second year with the Knights to lead all of C-USA with 25 points.

For the third-straight season, George earned a spot on an all-conference team. As a freshman, George was selected to the First Team before being named to the Second Team as a sophomore last year. In 2010, George earns a spot on the First Team with his stellar play in the midfield as he finished tied for fourth on the team with four assists.

Creavalle rounds out the trio of UCF players on the All-Conference First Team. The third-year midfielder tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 11 points on four goals and three assists and helped the Knights to their best season since joining the conference in 2005.

Bacher was named to the All-Conference Second Team for the second-consecutive season. Bacher, a senior captain, has been an anchor on the Knights’ defense that allowed a league-low 13 goals in 2010. Besides being a defensive mainstay for UCF, Bacher was third on the team with five assists, while adding a goal in the season opener against Jacksonville on Sept. 1.

Doyle, a sophomore goalkeeper, was a major reason for UCF’s success in 2010, posting the league’s top save percentage (.814) and goals-against average (0.73) to earn a spot on the All-C-USA Third Team. His seven shutouts were also tied for the most by any keeper in the conference this season.

Finally, Lamberta was recognized as one of the league’s top young players with a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team. He earned the distinction with strong play in the midfield during his first season with the Knights. Lamberta joins Robson (2009) and George (2008) as the only current members of UCF to have been named to the All-Freshman Team during their careers.

Blake Brettschneider of South Carolina and Arthur Ivo of SMU were named the Co-Offensive and Co-Most Valuable Players of the Year. Goalkeeper Daniel Withrow of Marshall was named the Defensive Player of the Year, while SMU’s Juan Castillo was named the Freshman of the Year. SMU’s Tim McClements was named the Coach of the Year for leading his team to a 15-1 mark overall and 7-1 in league play. The only loss of the season for the Mustangs came at the UCF Soccer Complex, 2-1, on Oct. 2.

The Knights will begin play in the 2010 C-USA Tournament at Memphis’ Mike Rose Soccer Complex on Friday at 8:30 p.m. in the second semifinal of the day. UCF earned the No. 2 seed and a bye into the semifinals and will play the winner Wednesday’s game between Kentucky and Tulsa.