The Fairleigh Dickinson University Athletic Department honored its student-athletes on Monday, May 5 at the 53rd Annual Athletics Awards Banquet held at the Glenpointe Marriott in Teaneck, NJ. A freshman and a senior were named the Outstanding Female and Male Athletes of the Year.
Michele Holzwarth Hagen (Berlin, Germany) of the second-year women's golf program and sprinter Cortez Adams (Capital Heights, MD) captured the top honors.
Holzwarth Hagen has an unprecedented rookie campaign, winning seven tournaments. She was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, capturing six Golfer of the Week accolades. The freshman also placed third at the NEC Championships, securing All-NEC distinction.
Adams has proven to be a leader both on and off the track, as he has excelled in competition, as well as the classroom. During the indoor track & field season's IC4A Championships, he broke the school record in the 500m (1”02.26). Prior to that, Adams took second at the NEC Championships in the 800m and was on FDU's third place 4x400m relay squad. This past weekend, Adams finished third in the 400m, registering an NCAA Regional-qualifying clip of 47.20, while also contributing to the Knights' 4x400m relay squad that took won the event.
Senior guard Shanay Freeman (Laurelton, NY) of the women's basketball team received the George Braun Alumni Leadership Award for the combination of dedication to her sport, work in the classroom, school spirit, and commitment to community.
Midfielder Michelle DeCourcey (Fredericton, New Brunswick) from the women's soccer team earned the Mary Kay Stratis Award. Ricardo Tonon Geromel (Sao Paolo, Brazil) earned the Robert Metz Award, marking back-to-back years a men's soccer standout took the hardware. Both awards are given to the male and female senior student-athletes sporting the highest cumulative grade point average.
The “Voice of FDU,” Paul Dottino, was honored with the H. Rogers Muse Service Award for his outstanding contributions to the athletic department.
Director of Student Life Craig Mourton received the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Faculty/Staff Appreciation Award for his unwavering support for student-athletes.
For a second-consecutive season, the women's golf team won the Roy Danforth Award, presented to the team with the highest grade point average. The squad also represented Fairleigh Dickinson well on the course, winning the league title in only their second year of existence. They also saw success in the classroom, posting a cumulative team grade point average of 3.561.
Senior forward Nikki Lockhart (Rochester, NY) of the women's basketball team earned the Athletic Director's Service Award. She was joined by two-sport contributor Erica Galarza (Bayshore, NY) and student worker Konstantin Angelov.
Lockhart represented FDU and the athletic department in an exemplary manner on and off the court, and has been a four-year letter winner. Her strong character and upbeat attitude allowed her to persevere through various injuries. Lockhart also helped orchestrate the Senior Class Gift Committee.
Galarza has brought the women's fencing program national recognition, highlighted by finishing 16th in the epee at NCAA's in her senior campaign. She has also been a three-year mainstay for the outdoor track & field squad.
Angelov was been a staple at the front of the Rothman Center, working various FDU athletic functions, in addition to odd hours when the building has been rented out. He exhibited leadership, able to instruct his peers, while supporting the department in other fashions.
DeCourcey and Geromel were honored academically as the top female and male student-athletes, respectively. DeCourcey, this year's recipient of the Mary Kay Stratis Award, compiled a GPA of 3.901, graduating with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Geromel, the Robert Metz Award winner, posted a perfect, 4.0 GPA, while working toward a degree in Management in only three years.
Freeman stands at the SAAC president and also represents FDU on the national SAAC level. A finalist for the University's Pillar Award, she served on the hiring committee during the search for a new women's basketball coach. Freeman was named Second Team on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), while recording 6.6 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per game.
Dottino has annually proved a permanent fixture courtside, announcing play-by-play for the men's and women's basketball programs. He has also served as a comical emcee at all FDU events, including Monday night's ceremony.
In addition to the nine major awards given, each team presented a Most Valuable Player award and also honored its seniors in their last year of eligibility. The Knight award, introduced in 2006, is an accolade given to an individual who has provided intangible contributions to their team. The following is a list of each team's Most Valuable Player, Knight Award recipient and its seniors.
Women's Fencing
MVP: Erica Galarza
Knight Award: Rebecca Kellogg
Senior: Erica Galarza
Softball
MVP: Ali Keltos
Knight Award: Trina Fields
Seniors: Jennifer Boldman, Ashley Buchanan, Hope Hilman
Baseball
MVP: John O'Hara
Knight Award: Jeff Vincent
Seniors: David Montas, John O'Hara, Luis Rosario
Men's Cross Country
MVP: Edwin Rotich
Knight Award: Rudy Urena
Seniors: Cortez Adams, Derrick Morton, Edwin Rotich, Rudy Urena
Women's Cross Country
MVP: Jessica Sanders
Knight Award: Karina Pinto
Senior: Karina Pinto
Men's Soccer
MVP: Samson Malijani
Knight Award: Dan Rasoilo
Seniors: Adrian Dinculescu, Ricardo Geromel, Richard Healey, Xavier McFarlane, Jahman McKenzie, Sean Moriarty, Elvir Prasovic.
Women's Bowling
MVP: Erica Perez
Knight Award: Brianna Balkin
Men's Basketball
MVP: Manny Ubilla
Knight Award: Bernell Murray
Seniors: Eric Hazard, Bernell Murray, Raynell Pascal, Manny Ubilla
Women's Soccer
MVP: Amanda Wheeler
Knight Award: Zaida Castillo
Seniors: Michelle DeCourcey, Tonya Hipsman, Meredtih king, Amanda Wheeler, Alex White
Women's Volleyball
MVP: Lauren Boothby
Knight Award: Ruth Levy
Seniors: Ruth Levy, Lauren Lombardo, Rebecca Tenney
Women's Basketball
MVP: Jennifer Walkling
Knight Award: Mercedez Walker
Seniors: Shanay Freeman, Megan Kirkland, Nikki Lockhart, Jennifer Walkling
Men's Golf
Knight Award: Tom Anthes
Seniors: Pat Lawler, Chris Kowalczyk
Women's Indoor Track & Field
MVP: Dara Jones
Knight Award: Taryn O'Connor
Seniors: Lauren Hutcherson, Karina Pinto
Women's Outdoor Track & Field
MVP: Jessica Sanders
Knight Award: Claudine Williams
Seniors: Erica Galarza, Lauren Hutcherson, Karina Pinto
Women's Tennis
MVP: Ksenia Chernyshova
Knight Award: Christina Martine
Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Seniors: Cortez Adams, Jason Blount, Xavier McFarlane, Derrick Morton, Nicholas Reid, Jason Suarez
Note: The season will continue through the IC4A Championships and NCAA Regionals, hence no MVP or Knight Award winners were named.
Men's Indoor Track & Field
MVP: Cortez Adams
Knight Award: Eric Sheppard
Seniors: Seniors: Cortez Adams, Jason Blount, Xavier McFarlane, Derrick Morton, Nicholas Reid, Eric Sheppard, Jason Suarez
Women's Golf
MVP: Michele Holzwarth Hagen
Knight Award: Eva Mayr
Men's Tennis
MVP: Matt Gordon
Knight Award: Keiichiro Adachi
Senior: Justin Seow
