SAINTS ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT HOSTS ANNUAL AWARDS NIGHT

The Emmanuel College Athletic Department hosted its Annual Awards Night and Dessert Reception last weekend, celebrating the Saints success during the 2012-2013 athletic seasons. Student-athletes, coaches, supportive families and fans filled the gymnasium of Emmanuel's Jean Yawkey Center on Saturday evening, April 27th, for the annual athletic recognition night.  The event featured award presentations by the head coaches of each of Emmanuel's varsity programs and spirit teams, as well as major award presentations by Saints staff and administrators. Emmanuel's food service division, Bon Appetit, provided a delectable buffet of dessert selections for all of the attendees.

Emmanuel's Director of Athletics and Recreation Pam Roecker opened the evening by welcoming everyone and praising the success of the Saints during the 2012-13 campaign. Each of Emmanuel's head coaches then took to the stage to recap their sport-specific seasons and to present awards to their team members. The team honors included an Academic Achievement Award, an Unsung Hero, a Coach's Appreciation Award, a Most Improved Player and a Most Valuable Player from each athletic team.

At the conclusion of the team awards, Emmanuel's Vice President of Student Affairs Patricia Rissmeyer presented "The President's Cup," an award given annually to each member of the athletic team, who together have accumulated a grade point average higher than that of any other team during the first semester this year. Receiving the honor for the third consecutive year, the 2013 President's Cup went to the Saints Women's Tennis Team, which earned a collective 3.44 grade point average.

Roecker returned to the stage to then kick off the presentations for the major awards, which are voted upon by each head coach and member of the athletic administration.  The "Freshman of the Year" is given annually to the freshman student-athlete who has provided the greatest contribution to the athletic reputation of Emmanuel College.  Receiving the “2013 Freshman of the Year” was rookie softball standout Catherine Davis (Wethersfield, Conn.).  Davis was the Saints’ starting shortstop and lead-off hitter, leading the squad in just about every offensive category this year.  Her team-best .432 batting average ranked her 7^th in the GNAC and her team-high 57 hits was good enough for 4^th in the conference.  Davis was honored by the GNAC several times this spring, including being named the GNAC Softball Rookie of the Week three times and a GNAC 2^nd Team All-Conference selection.

The Senior Perseverance Award was then presented by Head Athletic Trainer and Assistant Athletic Director Ron Laham.  Laham presented the award to a student-athlete who has shown great determination in overcoming physical setbacks.  Through hardwork and dedication, this student was able to overcome the challenges set forth and successfully return to athletic competition.  The Senior Perseverance Award went to Meaghan Reddy (Warwick, R.I.), a ten-time letter winner on Emmanuel’s Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Teams.

Assistant Sports Information Director Dan Campagna presented the Senior Unsung Hero Award, given annually to a senior athlete who has exhibited leadership, dedication, and athletic achievement in quiet ways, which may have gone unrecognized throughout his or her career. Both a male and female recipient were selected for this award.

The first Senior Unsung Hero Award went to Jackie Murray (Saugus, Mass.), a two-sport athlete and eight-time letter-winner for the Saints. Murray has been a goalie on the Women’s Soccer Team and an outfielder and team captain of the Softball Team over the past four years.  She has been described by her soccer coach as “the ultimate team player and one of the hardest-working players that he has ever worked with."  She has also spent countless dedicated hours working within the day-to-day operations of the Athletic Department and her efforts behind the scenes have been truly "unsung."

The second Senior Unsung Hero Award was presented to Abdi Ibrahim (East Boston, Mass.), a three-sport athlete at Emmanuel, running on the Men’s Cross-Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Teams.  Ibrahim transferred to Emmanuel after a year at Roxbury Community College and made an immediate impact on all three programs.  He owns several Emmanuel records, including the Cross Country records for the three-mile and 8k distances, the Indoor Track one-mile and 5000 meter records and the Outdoor Track 1500 meter record.  He is also a part of several record-setting relay teams.  Ibrahim captained all three sports during his junior and senior years.  His coaches have described his leadership ability as “invaluable,” as he constantly volunteers to help, stay late, and just do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Two recipients were also selected for the Senior Leadership Awards.  Associate Director of Athletics, Alexis Mastronardi, presented the awards to two women who have distinguished themselves by demonstrating the qualities desired to lead successful teams throughout their athletic careers.

One Senior Leadership Award went to Joslyn DelSignore (Taunton, Mass.), a twelve-time letter winner at Emmanuel, playing three sports all four years.  DelSignore captained the Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Teams as both a junior and a senior.  She has been a true leader, always supporting and encouraging her teammates.  She unselfishly has always put the team first, putting aside any individual setbacks to focus on team success.  She holds two program-records including one that she set two weeks ago.  She is Emmanuel’s outdoor track record-holder in the 3000 meters and the outdoor record-holder in the Mile.

The second Senior Leadership Award was given to Madeline Leahy (Cohasset, Mass.), the only student-athlete at the 2013 Athletic Awards Night to have played lacrosse at Emmanuel all four years.  Leahy played on the women’s varsity lacrosse team since the program’s inception in 2010, captaining the team all three years, and also played on Emmanuel’s Club Team in 2009.  She is looked up to and respected by both her peers and coaches and has been relied upon both on and off the field for four years.  The women’s lacrosse program would not have made such great strides in such a short time if it wasn't for this young woman.  Her head coach says, “She works tirelessly to make sure that Emmanuel women's lacrosse is respected and that players represent themselves with pride.”  Leahy will graduate as Emmanuel’s all-time leader in every offensive category, holding career-records for goals, assists, total points and groundballs.

Assistant Athletic Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jamahl Jackson presented the Senior Scholar-Athlete Award, which is given annually to a senior athlete who has excelled in the classroom, while competing in intercollegiate athletics.  Taylor Whitehill (Newburyport, Mass.) prevailed in this category, holding the highest cumulative grade point average of all student-athletes in the senior class. Whitehill has been a four-year starter and standout on defense for the Emmanuel Women’s Soccer Team.

Both a male and a female recipient were voted to receive the Senior Athlete Achievement Award.  Associate Director of Athletics and Head Women’s Basketball Coach Andy Yosinoff presented the awards to two student-athletes who have excelled on the playing field and provided the greatest contribution to the athletic reputation of Emmanuel College.

The first Senior Athlete Achievement Award was given to Nick Updike, a four-year starter and two-time team captain of the Men’s Volleyball Team.  As the starting setter, he has been an integral part of the Saints’ success and has run the offense for the past four years.  Updike is a three-time GNAC 1^st Team All-Conference selection and was ranked 4^th nationally in service aces and 11^th nationally in assists this year.  He will graduate as Emmanuel’s all-time leader in assists with a career total of 3,629.  His teams have advanced to the GNAC Finals or Semifinals for the past four years and made two NECVA Tournament appearances.  During his tenure, Emmanuel has gone 46 and 5 in regular season GNAC matches and has been ranked among the nation’s Top 15 teams all four seasons.

Yosinoff presented the second Senior Athlete Achievement Award to one of best players he has ever coached.  Fiona O’Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) has been four-year player and four-year starter for the Women’s Basketball Team.  She is a three-time GNAC All-Conference selection and has been named to seven different All-Tournament Teams.  O’Dwyer was voted the 2013 GNAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year.  She recorded both her 1000^th point and 500^th rebound as a junior and will graduate ranked 3^rd among Emmanuel’s all-time leading scorers with 1,557 career points.  O’Dwyer led the Saints to four-straight GNAC titles and appearances in the NCAA Tournament every year, including a trip to the Elite Eight her junior year.  This year, she was voted an ECAC New England All-Star, D3hoops.com 1^st Team All-Region and a D3hoops.com 3^rd Team All-American.

The final awards of the night were presented by Roecker, who retuned to the stage for the Senior Sportsmanship Awards.  The awards were presented to a male and a female student-athlete, who conducted themselves in the highest manner on the playing field, including interactions with players, coaches, and officials.

The first Senior Sportsmanship Award was given to Laura Benvenuto (Wyckoff, N.J.), who truly exemplifies what it means to be a Division III student-athlete.  After transferring to Emmanuel as a sophomore, Benvenuto was a three-year starter on the Women’s Basketball Team, starting in the Saints’ backcourt and helping lead the team to GNAC Championships in all of her years played.  Benvenuto has excelled in the classroom and has been an ambassador for Emmanuel Athletics both on and off the court.  She has the unique ability to play her sport intensely and aggressively, yet allows her character and integrity to shine through.  Her coach at Emmanuel has coached countless great players, but says he “has never appreciated any athlete’s great attitude like he does Laura’s.”  She was one of the top defenders in the GNAC this year and led the conference with 85 steals.  She was named to two different All-Tournament Teams, voted an All-Conference selection and a three-time GNAC Academic All-Conference selection.  Additionally, she was named to the 2013 GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

The final award of the night went to Michael Connor Morgan (Glocester, R.I.), a four-year player and one of the tri-captains of the Men’s Basketball Team.  Morgan has excelled both in the classroom and on the court, again exemplifying what it means to be a true student-athlete.  He has distinguished himself amongst his peers as a true gentleman with strong morals and values.  He has great pride in himself and a tremendous work ethic.  Morgan has experienced each end of the spectrum as an athlete…from sitting on the end of the bench, fighting to get more reps in practice…progressing to fighting to earn time on the floor…to eventually becoming a starter and team captain in his senior year.  He finished the 2013 season as one of the GNAC’s best three-point shooters, hitting 50 threes this year.  His attitude in practice, on the game floor or anywhere on or off campus has never been in question.  He has always maintained great rapport with his teammates and represented Emmanuel in the best light.  His coach says, “He has been an absolute pleasure to coach over the past four years and he will truly be missed.”

After being honored, Morgan remained on stage and represented the Emmanuel student-athletes as their "senior speaker."   Morgan’s remarks were extremely well-received, and he graciously thanked his coaches, teammates, family and friends for their support over his four-year career.  At the conclusion of his speech, Morgan brought the crowd to their feet with a standing ovation. Read the full text from Connor Morgan’s speech by clicking HERE.

Congratulations to all of the award winners and best of luck to the 2013 senior class! You will be missed!