WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? The Monmouth University Athletics Department recognized the achievement of its student-athletes at the annual Student-Athlete Awards Banquet presented by Northwestern Mutual Financial Tuesday night in Boylan Gym. A number of prestigious awards were handed out, as well as the announcement of the Athlete of the Year nominees.
Among the prominent awards handed out to its most successful Hawk student-athletes were the Joan Martin Award, Bill Boylan Award, Team Community Service Award, Parker Award, Kelsey Award, Team Physicians' and Sports Medicine Award, and Strength and Conditioning awards. In addition, Most Valuable Player Awards and Coaches Award winners were named for each individual team.
The Joan Martin Award, that is presented annually to the senior student-athlete who has shown dedication to their team while staying the course through adversity, was presented to football player Ayo Falae (Newark, N.J./Barringer) and basketball player Laura Forbes (Eatontown, N.J./Monmouth Regional).
Senior soccer standout Angelo Amato (Livingston, N.J./Montclair Kimberly Academy) and prominent basketball player Jennifer Bender (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Tech) were recognized with the Bill Boylan Award. The award is presented annually to the male and female senior student-athletes who demonstrate the traits of leadership, sportsmanship, scholarship and athletic ability that former MU Director of Athletics and head men's basketball coach, Bill Boylan, portrayed. Amato was NEC Defensive Player of the Year in soccer while Bender ended her career as a two-time All-NEC honoree and Women's Basketball Winter Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
For the second straight year, the women's soccer team won the Team Community Service Award for their numerous charitable contributions, and volunteer hours, to the local and university community. The Parker Award, which honors the teams with the highest grade-point average, was given to women's soccer and men's tennis for the Fall 2008 season and women's golf and men's cross country in the Spring 2009 year. Also recognized was the teams with the most improved GPAs, which went to men's soccer and women's basketball for the Fall/Winter 2008 and women's golf and men's cross country for the Spring 2009 campaign.
The Kelsey Award, presented annually to the student-athlete with the highest overall GPA, was given to senior tennis standout Benjamin Evenden (Cresco, Pa./Ridgewood, N.J.), who sported a 3.98 GPA as a business finance major.
NEC Defensive Player of the Year honoree Kevin Walsh (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) was deemed the Team Physicians' and Sports Medicine Award winner, as he was awarded the honor given to the student-athlete that has overcome adversity through injury to continue success on the field.
The duo of senior Megan Kubek (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) from field hockey and sophomore Nick DelTufo (Mendham, N.J./West Morris Mendham) took home honors for the National Strength and Conditioning Association Athlete of the Year Awards, given to the collegiate athletes, whose athletic accomplishments, in the opinion of their strength coach, reflect their dedication to strength and conditioning.
Also announced at the banquet were nominees for the male and female Athlete of the Year awards, to be announced this coming fall. This year's nominees for MU Female Athlete of the Year are basketball's Bender, field hockey's Molly Passarella (Atco, N.J./Hammonton), lacrosse's Megan Brennan (King of Prussia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll), softball's Emily deLong (Rothschild, Wisc./DC Everest), golf's Brigid Cahill (Whiting, N.J./Manchester Township), soccer's Joni DeMoor (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley), tennis' Sarah Ragan (Lanoka Harbor, N.J./Lacey Township), cross country's Cailin Lynam (Sparta, N.J./Sparta), and indoor and outdoor track and field's Michelle Losey (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway).
The nominees for MU Male Athlete of the Year are soccer's Amato, baseball's Chris Collazo (Wall, N.J./Wall), football's David Sinisi (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove), basketball's Travis Taylor (Union, N.J./Union), golf's Greg Etimos (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip), tennis' Laurence Heads (Stockton-on-Tees, England/Repton School), cross country's Peter Forgach (Long Branch, N.J./Red Bank Catholic), indoor track and field's Larry Lundy (Friendsville, Pa./Montrose Area), and outdoor track and field's Chris Keller (Matawan, N.J./Matawan).
