WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Hartford Department of Athletics honored its student-athletes at the annual end of the year banquet on Tuesday night at the Gengras Student Union. Each year, the Department of Athletics honors student-athletes for their success in the classroom, on the field or court and in the community.
The evening began with a surprise as the members of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee joined University of Hartford President Walter Harrison in a Flash Mob.
Prior to presenting the annual awards, the Hawks took time to honor more than120 student-athletes who achieved a grade point average of higher than 3.5 over the Spring 2011 and Fall 2011 semesters.
Next up in the program was the presentation of the Hawk Club and Outstanding Contribution Awards. The Hawk Club Award is presented to members of the University community whose day-to-day commitment, loyalty and professional manner have played a key role in fostering University of Hartford Athletics. This year's Hawks Club Award was presented to Kim Kennison, Assistant Vice President for Finance and Controller at the University.
The Outstanding Contribution Award is presented annually to someone within or outside the University community whose contributions, support and loyalty to the athletics program has been instrumental to its success. The 2012 Outstanding Contribution Award was presented to Farmington Bank, an invaluable corporate partner with the department.
Next to be presented was the S. Edward Weinswig Outstanding Scholar Athlete Award, which is presented to a male and female graduating senior who has the highest cumulative grade point average. The 2012 honorees were Lindsay Makowicki (volleyball) and Aneil Bhalla (men's tennis). A little later in the evening, Makowicki and Bhalla were also presented with the Farmington Bank Excellence in Business and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center Excellence in Science awards, respectively.
After recognizing the many student-athletes who earned America East, America Sky and MAAC honors throughout the 2011-12 year, the program moved along to the presentation of the Service Award to four University of Hartford students who have contributed to the success of the Department away from the spotlight of the playing fields. Alex Sachetti was honored for his years of service as a manager for the men's basketball team. Rebecca Perry was recognized for her time spent working in the front office, while Caitlin Ormsbee was presented a Service Award for her work as a math tutor. The final service award was presented to a senior on the men's track and field team, Andrew Chalmers, for his four years of service working with the Athletics Support Service staff.
The next set of awards honored Hawks student-athletes for success beyond the field of play. First was the Best Team Community Service Award, presented to two teams who displayed the most enthusiasm and highest level of participation in community service events throughout the 2010-11 academic year. This year's Community Service Awards were presented to the cross country, track and field teams and the men's lacrosse team, who earned the recognition for the third-straight year.
Next came the Hawks Sportsmanship Awards, which recognizes any individual team, player or coach that while participating in intercollegiate athletics during the past year displayed any of the values associated with sportsmanship, including caring, civility, fairness, honest, integrity and responsibility. This year's Sportsmanship Awards were presented to Kevin Brandon (men's track & field) and Siera Sheehan (softball).
The next award was the Unsung Hero Award, which is given to student-athletes whose efforts and contributions reflect the high ideal of sport. Two Unsung Hero awards were presented to Lauren Brodeur (women's soccer) and Steven Groccia (lacrosse).
In its third year of existence, the Iron Hawk Award was voted on by the strength and conditioning staff and presented to one male, one female and one team who demonstrated the qualities and standards of the strength and conditioning program. The qualities include accountability, intensity, leadership and performance. This year's recipients were Rebecca Cheatham (women's track & field) and co-men's recipients Aidan Genik and Carter Bender (lacrosse). The team award was presented to the lacrosse team.
Another annual award is the Coaches Top Hawk Award, which is presented to one male and one female student-athlete in their final year of eligibility. The Top Hawk is someone who represents the department as a well rounded student-athlete. They are a hard worker in athletics, a success in the classroom and a quality leader amongst our student-athletes. The 2012 Top Hawk Awards were presented to co-men's recipients Andrew Chalmers (men's track & field) and Simon Kudernatsch (baseball) and women's recipient Shannon Simpkins (softball).
Lane is a four-year competitor in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and an active member in the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, serving as the Co-Vice President this academic year. This past year, Andy led the Hawks in all six cross country meets and carried that success to the track where he set a pair of school records during the indoor season and three school records during the outdoor season. Andy will graduate with a degree in economics from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Kudernatsch is one of three captains on the baseball team this season and currently leads the team after an impressive performance at the plate this past weekend which earned him America East Player of the Week accolades as well as College Baseball Insider Regional Player of the Week. Off the field, Simon is one of the most successful students earning America East All-Academic honors twice and this spring being named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-America District I First Team. Simon will graduate with a biomedical engineering degree from the College of Engineering, Technology and Architecture.
Simpkins is a two-year co-captain on the softball team who made an instant impact on the program since she stepped foot on campus. In the field, Simpkins combined for just nine errors over four years leading the Hawks outfield. This year, she finished with 21 hits and a .239 batting average as the second hole hitter in the lineup. Simpkins is a two-time America East Academic Honor Roll member and an America East Commissioners Honor Roll member. She will graduate with a psychology degree from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Next came the presentation of the Athletics Director Awards. Thirteen individuals or teams were recognized with the annual Athletics Director Award, as presented by Director of Athletics Patricia Meiser. The first three awards were presented in recognition of the 2011 lacrosse team's first ever America East Championship and subsequent trip to the NCAA Tournament. The three lacrosse awards were presented to Carter Bender, coach Peter Lawrence and the 2011 team as a whole.
Three Athletics Director Awards were presented to the women's basketball team or individuals, with the first honoring the 2010-11 team for their Top-10 in the nation cumulative grade point average. The second women's basketball honor was presented to head coach Jennifer Rizzotti for her success with the USA Basketball Under-19 National Team as well as being named the USA Basketball Coach of the Year. The final women's basketball honor was presented to junior Alex Hall who was named to the Division I-AAA Scholar Athlete Team, one of 12 individuals honored in the nation.
The next five Athletics Director Awards were handed out to members of the women's soccer team, the first of which honored junior Amélia Pereira for her participation with the Portuguese National team. Four of the Athletics Directors Awards for women's soccer honored this past season's 16-game unbeaten streak. The first two were presented to the Hawks All-Americans Erin Quinlan and Caitlin Alves, while head coach John Natale and his staff was honored in recognition of receiving America East Coaching Staff of the Year accolades. The final Athletics Director award was presented to the 2011 team for the amazing unbeaten performance that spanned 65 days during the 2011 season.
The final two Athletics Directors Awards were presented to a pair of individual student-athletes Matt Smith from the men's golf team and Lindsay Makowicki from the volleyball team. Smith was honored for his New England Division I Individual Medalist honors, while Makowicki was lauded for obtaining the NCAA Women's Enhancement Post Graduate Scholarship, one of just 13 individuals nationally that were presented with the honor.
For the final set of awards, a total of 19 seniors were named to the Coca-Cola All-Senior Team. The 2012 honorees include Simon Kudernatsch (baseball), Andy Drexel (baseball) Zach Dryden (cheerleading), Patrick Boucher (men's soccer), Luke Citriniti (men's soccer), Mary Beth Hamilton (women's soccer), Christiana Lang (women's soccer), Aidan Genik (lacrosse), Ryan Compitello (lacrosse), Martin Bowes (lacrosse), Andres Torres (men's basketball), Anderson Emerole (cross country, track & field), Andrew Chalmers (cross country, track & field), Stephanie Curcio (cross country, track & field), Carolyn Grime (cross country, track & field), Kevin Brandon (cross country, track & field), Danielle Etta (volleyball), Emily Linn (golf) and Shannon Simpkins (softball).
