WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Hartford Department of Athletics honored its student-athletes at the 2019 Athletics Honors Night, held at Gengras Student Union on Thursday evening.

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Student-athletes from each of the Hawks' 17 Division I programs were joined by coaches, administrators, family and University of Hartford community members in celebrating Hartford's successes in the classroom, on the field or court and in the community.
 
After welcoming remarks from Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President, Montrashay Worley, the evening began by recognizing student-athletes for their academic achievements. 
 
Hartford inducted its second-ever Chi Alpha Sigma class. A non-profit organization established to recognize college student-athletes who excel both on and off the field, student-athletes must have achieved junior academic status and a 3.4 cumulative grade-point average in order to be inducted. Increasing its size by four from last year, the 2019 Chi Alpha Sigma class included 52 student-athletes.

The Chia Alpha Sigma class announcement led into the recognition of Hartford's America East Presidential Scholars. Presented by Senior Associate Athletics Director Amanda Devitt and Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Services and Success Denise Marchese, five seniors were named Presidential Scholars for achieving a cumulative grade-point average of 3.75 or higher:
 
Billy McLaughlin, women's lacrosse
Ashley Claud, women's soccer
Paulina Modestow, volleyball
Amanda Hamel, women's cross country/track and field
Melissa Pereira, softball
 
Continuing to recognize the department's academic achievements, the men's cross country team and women's golf teams earned recognition for having the most improved team grade-point averages amongst the Hawks men's and women's teams, respectively. The men's cross country team checked in with a 3.12 GPA, from a 2.96 last year. The women's golf team improved from a 3.10 GPA to a 3.35.
 
The highest men and women team GPA's were also recognized, honoring women's soccer with a 3.68 GPA and men's basketball with a 3.20 GPA. 
 
The Junior Scholar-Athlete and Edward Weinswig Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete awards were the final academic-specific recognitions of the evening, presented by Dr. Fred Sweitzer and Dr. Catherine Certo. The female recipient of the Junior Scholar-Athlete Award was Karoline Petersen, a two-year member of the women's soccer team. The Denmark native boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA. The male recipient of the Junior Scholar-Athlete Award was men's soccer's Fredrik Ekman, who has a 3.98 cumulative GPA. 
 
The prestigious Edward Weinswig Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete award was presented to Billy McLaughlin from the women's lacrosse team and Bami Adu from the men's soccer team. McLaughlin's cumulative GPA of 3.91 is the highest among all senior female athletes. Adu, a three-year member of the men's soccer team has combined for a 3.67 cumulative GPA. 
 
Following the academic awards was a special recognition of each of the Hawks' All-Conference and All-Region honorees. Highlighting that list were major conference award winners Jenna Bridges (America East Player of the Year), Nick Campana (America East Player of the Year), Nicholas Dombkowski (America East Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year), Maria Loza (2019 MAAC Individual Champion, 2018 MAAC Rookie of the Year), Alexia Douglass (America East Sixth Player of the Year), and Justin Blood (America East Coach of the Year).
 
The next set of awards were the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Awards, which were voted on by members of Hartford's SAAC.
 
Kicking off the five SAAC Awards was the Best Breakout Performance, which was presented to Bridges, who became the first Hartford volleyball player in program history to be named the America East Player of the Year, in addition to becoming the first to earn AVCA All-Region honors.
 
The next SAAC Award for Best Record-Breaking Performance was presented to baseball, which swept the America East's major awards for the first time in conference history, claiming Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards. 
 
Best Individual Record-Breaking Performance was then awarded to women's basketball's Lindsey Abed, who tied the program's scoring record (36 points) and broke her own school record – and the America East's record – in three-pointers with 10 against UMBC.
 
The SAAC Award for Best Comeback was given to men's basketball for its overtime victory over UAlbany after coming back from a 22-point deficit. The last SAAC Award of the evening was Moment of the Year and it was presented to the baseball team for claiming the America East Championship Title. 
 
Following the SAAC Awards, the Newcomer of the Year was announced. Chosen by athletic administration, the award was presented to Ty Thompson from men's lacrosse.
 
Presented by Worley and Director of Strength and Conditioning Jarrett Kratzer, the Iron Hawk Awards were announced next. Recognizing student-athletes for their performance and leadership in the weight room, the Iron Hawk Award recipients were Megan Scherer from volleyball and men's basketball's J.R. Lynch. 
 
The following award recognized student-athletes who demonstrated outstanding performances both inside the classroom and in competition. Nominated by head coaches, one male and one female from each class year were selected by athletic administration to join the Cast of Hawks Teams. 
 
The Male Cast of Hawks Team included: freshman Will Nowak (baseball), sophomore Nicholas Dombkowski (baseball), junior Terrel Davis (men's track and field) and senior Dylan Jinks (men's lacrosse). The Female Cast of Hawks Team included: freshman Haleemot Adeyanju (women's track and field/cross country), sophomore Magalie Kayrouz (women's soccer), junior Sierra Stone (women's soccer) and senior Lindsey Abed (women's basketball). 
 
Finally, the Athletes of the Year were announced. Recipients of this prestigious award are the most accomplished student-athletes in their respective sports. The female Athlete of the Year was Abed, who was an All-Conference First Team, All-Defensive Team and All-Academic Team member. She became the 18th 1,000 point scorer in program history and led the team to the America East Championship for the second time in as many years.
 
The male Athlete of the Year was Lynch, who was a First-Team All-Conference selection. He will graduate as the only player in program history to record 1,000 points, 300 assists and 150 steals in a career. Lynch inked his name throughout the record book, finishing second all-time in both assists and steals, third in three-point field goal percentage, sixth in three-pointers and seventh in scoring. 
 
Lastly, the most prestigious award of the evening was the Hawk Medal of Honor, presented by Director of Athletics Mary Ellen Gillespie. "The Hawk Medal of Honor is an award that's meant to define the essence of the qualities we hold important for all of our student-athletes" announced Gillespie. The male recipient of the Hawk Medal of Honor was Lynch, and the female recipient was Abed. 
 
There were also three awards presented throughout the evening to those who help contribute to student-athlete success at the University of Hartford. The first of the three was the Distinguished Service Award. Presented by Gillespie, the Distinguished Service Award recognized one individual who has contributed positively to the development of Hartford's student-athletes in some way. The award was presented to the Director of Public Safety, Michael Kaselouskas. 
 
The next presentation was the Hawk Spirit Award, given to an unsung hero who demonstrates spirit and commitment to Hartford Athletics. The winner of the Hawk Spirit Award was Rasmei Tep, who has made major contributions to Hartford Athletics by putting countless hours into producing athletic events and teaching fellow students the ins-and-outs of live-game productions. 
 
Finally, the last Recognition was the Ted Stavropoulos Coach of the Year Award, presented to baseball's Justin Blood. Blood was named the America East Coach of the Year in 2018 and he led his team to winning the America East Regular-Season Championship and the America East Tournament for the first time in program history. 

At the conclusion of the event, each member of the Class of 2019 was recognized on stage where they were presented with a senior gift for their dedication and hard work to each of their respective programs.