2016 Athletics Banquet held Sunday
IRVING, Texas – The University of Dallas Athletics Department celebrated the third annual athletic banquet on Sunday at the Haggar University Center on campus. Each coach for the 14 NCAA affiliated programs took a few minutes to reflect on the teams’ year. The Most Valuable Players (MVPs) were announced, which are voted by the athletes on each team once a season ends. Other notable honors were handed out and/or announced.
Dallas had 259 student-athletes suit up throughout the 2015-16 academic year. 60 school records were broken throughout the year. Some of these same records were reset on more than one occasion. Softball, junior Alexandria Compte (Houston, Texas) and volleyball, junior Anna Fazio (Beaumont, Texas) were recognized for representing UD at the NCAA Convention in January with the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). Another duo giving the Crusaders national representation were: men’s basketball, junior Lorenzo Gonzalez (San Antonio, Texas) and women’s soccer, junior Cascade Mayer (Kapaa, Hawaii). Both of them attended the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in early April.
The evening concluded as Dr. Thomas Jodziewicz, the Faculty Athletics Representative, presented the 2016 Scholar Athlete Award. The Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year Award was first implemented in 1984 and given to Greg Roper – a current University of Dallas Associate Professor of English. The award is handed annually to the letter-winning varsity student athlete with the highest GPA; freshman are not eligible.
This year’s recipient of the 2016 Scholar Athlete Award was men’s soccer, sophomore Trae Hampton (Paducah, Ky.). He has produced a 4.0 GPA and is majoring in biochemistry. Hampton is studying abroad in Rome this semester, so head coach David Hoffmann accepted the accolade for him.
Hampton becomes the 17th different winner since the award’s inception. He becomes the fifth member of the program to earn the honor. The last recipient was Bennett Rawicki in 2007-08. View all winners of the award.
Photo Album from the night. Listed below are the recognitions that each athlete earned this past year.
2015 Fall Awards
Men's Cross Country
MVP: Javier Secaira
All-SCAC: Ryan McAnany (1st Team)
Women's Cross Country
MVP: Emma Polefko
USCAA All-American: Bridget Kennedy (2nd Team)
Men's Soccer
MVP: Colton Allen
NSCAA All-Region: Colton Allen (3rd Team)
CoSIDA Academic All-District: Barton Holdridge
All-SCAC: Colton Allen (1st Team) , Barton Holdridge (2nd Team), Tommy Byrd, Tino Gamueda, and Luke Schwarz (Honorable Mention)
Women's Soccer
MVP: Elena Naccari
SCAC Defensive Player of the Year: Elena Naccari
All-SCAC: Elena Naccari (1st Team), Mason Cosgrove, Lauren Hood, and Cascade Mayer (2nd Team)
Volleyball
MVP: Jessie Koster
All-SCAC: Jaime Birzer, Jessie Koster (2nd Team)
USCAA All-American: Jessie Koster (Honorable Mention)
2015-16 Winter Awards
Men's Basketball
MVP: Lorenzo Gonzalez
All-SCAC: Lorenzo Gonzalez, Tom Kaiser, Michael Sarrat (Honorable Mention)
USCAA All-American: Michael Sarrat (Honorable Mention)
USCAA National All-Academic Team: Tom Kaiser
Women's Basketball
MVP: Holly Tonry
All-SCAC: Seana Stoia (3rd Team) Michelle DeCoud, Holly Tonry (Honorable Mention)
USCAA All-American: Michelle DeCoud, Seana Stoia (Honorable Mention)
2016 Spring Awards
Baseball
MVP: Luciano Villanueva
All-SCAC: Luciano Villanueva (2nd Team) Thomas Martin (Honorable Mention)
Softball
MVP: Erin Begle
All-SCAC: Lyda Tesauro (2nd Team), Katie Antigua, Erin Begle, Stephanie Cervantes, Avery Finch, Allison Kotlar, Katie Lee Melanie Savala, Roma Thornton, (Honorable Mention)
Men's Track & Field
MVP: Ryan McAnany
All-SCAC: Prince Giadolor (3), Dominic Del Curto, Barton Holdridge, Thomas Pierick, Ryan McAnanay
Women's Track & Field
MVP: Katie McIntyre
All-SCAC: Katie McIntyre
Men’s Golf
MVP: Thomas Schuberg
Men’s Lacrosse
MVP: Ryan Murphy
Women's Lacrosse
MVP: Colby Madrigal