Trio honored with awards at Wheelock Athletics banquet
BOSTON, MA - Three students and three employees earned major awards on Thursday at the 18th Annual Wheelock College Student-Athlete Recognition Banquet, while programs handed out honors to student-athletes. Women's soccer also received the President's Cup for the fourth straight year by having the highest cumulative grade-point average among the Wildcats' 10 programs.
Women's basketball and softball junior Jo Gomes (Boston, MA/Newton Country Day School) and men's soccer sophomore Dan Campbell (Northboro, MA/Algonquin Regional) were both lauded with the Courage Award, which recognizes student-athletes who show incredible courage while persevering in the face of adversity. Field hockey head coach Kyoungho Koh earned the Shannon Roberts Rise Above Award, which recognizes a coach that has gone above and beyond to serve the department in a given school year. She also assisted the first-year women's lacrosse team and helped coordinate the department's second annual fundraiser for Haiti. A trio was lauded with Willy Awards, as social work professor Deborah Beck, junior Jonah Faigel and Coordinator of Academic Assistance Julia Mears were honored. The award recognizes members of the community who have demonstrated a consistent commitment to supporting Wheelock Athletics teams and their student-athletes.
Each program also handed out three team honors. The Wildcat Award is given to the student-athlete who has made significant athletic contributions to a program and demonstrated leadership through his or her athletic prowess and skill. The Coach's Award is given to a student-athlete who has made significant off-the-field contributions to the program and has demonstrated a positive and enthusiastic approach to the challenges they have faced. This person should be a good example of a team player and embody the values of the department: respect, commitment, balance, teamwork, integrity and communication. The final honor is Most Improved Player.
Senior Wilson Chang (Lee, MA/Lee) was the Wildcat Award winner for both men's soccer and tennis, and classmate Nicole Zina (Bristol, RI/Our Lady of Fatima) drew the Wildcat Award for softball and the Coach's Award for women's soccer. Junior Kayla Drescher (Wallingford, CT/Mark T. Sheehan) was the women's basketball and lacrosse Coach's Award recipient, and freshman Matt Pennucci (Leominster, MA/Concord-Carlisle Regional) drew the men's soccer Coach's Award and men's lacrosse Most Improved Player honor.
Rounding out Wildcat Award honorees were field hockey senior Meredith Race (Marion, MA/Old Rochester Regional), women's soccer junior Alexandra Chiesa (Medford, MA/Medford), men's basketball junior Eric Rice (Woburn, MA/Woburn), women's cross country junior Maria Sideri (North Andover, MA/North Andover), men's lacrosse sophomore Michael Manning (Brookfield, NH/Kingswood Regional), women's basketball sophomore Keneisha Milton (Boston, MA/Wayland) and women's lacrosse sophomore Despina Savvoulides (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk).
Remaining Coach's Awards were earned by men's basketball senior Patsy DiNuzzo (Beaver, PA/Beaver), field hockey senior Milbrey Hendrix (Kennett Square, PA/Sanford School [DE]), women's cross country senior Kelly Meehan (Salem, MA/Marblehead), softball senior Sarah Novak (Needham, MA/Needham), men's tennis junior Irene Gonzalez (Madrid, Spain/Marianapolis Prep [CT]) and men's lacrosse junior Kevin Kareckas (South Berwick, ME/Marshwood).
Additional student-athletes who were lauded as their team's Most Improved Player were women's cross country junior Sarah Negron (Northbridge, MA/Northbridge), men's tennis junior Jeff Silveria (Wilmington, MA/Merrimack Valley [NH]), women's soccer sophomore Sabrina Freiberg-Dale (Newton, MA/Newton South), field hockey sophomore MaryKate Grenier (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg), men's basketball sophomore Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, MA/Weston), women's basketball sophomore Sarah McCaffrey (East Taunton, MA/Taunton), men's soccer sophomore Andrew Stott (Plymouth, MA/Sturgis Charter Public School), softball freshman Danielle Gaudette (Nashua, NH/Nashua South) and women's lacrosse freshman Kelsey Schools (Enfield, CT/South Windsor).
18th Annual Wheelock College Student-Athlete Recognition Banquet - May 5, 2011
Courage Award
Dan Campbell, men's soccer
Jo Gomes, women's basketball/softball
Shannon Roberts Rise Above Award
Kyoungho Koh, field hockey head coach/women's lacrosse assistant coach
Willy Award
Deborah Beck
Jonah Faigel
Julia Mears
Field Hockey
Wildcat Award: Meredith Race
Coach's Award: Milbrey Hendrix
Most Improved Player: MaryKate Grenier
Men's Soccer
Wildcat Award: Wilson Chang
Coach's Award: Matt Pennucci
Most Improved Player: Andrew Stott
Women's Soccer
Wildcat Award: Alexandra Chiesa
Coach's Award: Nicole Zina
Most Improved Player: Sabrina Freiberg-Dale
Women's Cross Country
Wildcat Award: Maria Sideri
Coach's Award: Kelly Meehan
Most Improved Player: Sarah Negron
Men's Basketball
Wildcat Award: Eric Rice
Coach's Award: Patsy DiNuzzo
Most Improved Player: Bashir Hudson
Women's Basketball
Wildcat Award: Keneisha Milton
Coach's Award: Kayla Drescher
Most Improved Player: Sarah McCaffrey
Men's Lacrosse
Wildcat Award: Michael Manning
Coach's Award: Kevin Kareckas
Most Improved Player: Matt Pennucci
Women's Lacrosse
Wildcat Award: Despina Savvoulides
Coach's Award: Kayla Drescher
Most Improved Player: Kelsey Schools
Softball
Wildcat Award: Nicole Zina
Coach's Award: Sarah Novak
Most Improved Player: Danielle Gaudette
Men's Tennis
Wildcat Award: Wilson Chang
Coach's Award: Irene Gonzalez
Most Improved Player: Jeff Silveria
