STUDENT-ATHLETES HONORED FOR PROWESS ON AND OFF THE FIELD
May 4, 2010
Student-athletes honored for prowess on and off the field
Annual athletic awards recognize students for their contributions on the field, in the classroom, and to the campus community.
Courtesy of David Cranshaw and University Relations
SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- This year’s Athletes of the Year had large shoes to fill. Last year’s male co-winners – Pat McKenna ’09 and Zack Greer ’09 MBA, as well as the female recipient, Delia Glover ’09 – played pivotal roles in Bryant’s historic first season of Division I competition.
Andrew Hennessey ’09 ’10 MBA (Wading River, NY) and Kelsey O’Keefe ’10 (Warren, MA) ensured that Bryant’s momentum on the athletic fields continued.
For his efforts in leading the men’s lacrosse program to its most successful campaign to date, Hennessey was named the 2010 Male Athlete of the Year. O’Keefe, the scoring star on the women’s basketball team, took home Female Athlete of the Year honors.
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A fifth-year senior captain, Hennessey, led the country in faceoff winning percentage for the second year in a row. The team accumulated 12 wins in just their second year in Division I, including victories over nationally-ranked Yale and Army.
“This award has gone to a lot of great student-athletes over the years, and I am very proud and humbled that my name is associated with these people,” says Hennessey.
O’Keefe thanked those around her for making her stellar four-year career possible. She leaves Bryant as the school’s third all-time leading scorer, and for the second year in a row, she was named Rhode Island’s Division I Co-Player of the Year.
“I would not have been successful without my teammates, coaches, and family,” she says. “Being honored is a nice culmination to my four years at Bryant and something that will continue to motivate me to succeed in everything I do.”
Stars in the classroom
The Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, tennis player Chelsea Downing ’10 (Denver, CO), has been a standout in the classroom and on the court. She graduates summa cum laude with a double concentration in marketing and finance. At commencement, she will be honored with the Delta Sigma Pi Scholarship Key Award, which is presented to the student with the highest cumulative GPA for all coursework toward a degree in business administration.
In her two years competing at the Division I level, she
accumulated 14 wins in singles and doubles competition. Before that
she was one of the top players in the Northeast-10 Conference.
“Being on a team has taught me cooperation and how to effectively communicate with others towards achieving a goal,” says Downing.
The Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, soccer defender Patrick Bedard ’10 (East Longmeadow, MA), graduates cum laude with a concentration in accounting. This summer, he will begin the Master of Professional Accountancy (MPAc) program at Bryant before starting to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers in January.
Bedard says his favorite memories came during a trip to Hawaii that kicked off his sophomore campaign. The team captured two wins, which built the momentum for an 11-win season.
“Playing soccer at Bryant has taught me how to manage my time effectively and to work hard to accomplish things I never thought I could do,” he says.
A cut above
Perhaps the best goalkeeper in the history of Bryant field hockey, Kundayi Mawema ’10 (Harare, Zimbabwe) was named Distinguished Athlete of the Year by the Rhode Island Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (RIAIAW) and Bryant’s NCAA Woman of the Year.
As a senior, Mawema posted the eighth-best save percentage in the nation. She holds the Bryant record with 552 career saves.
One moment she will never forget is a good illustration of
Bryant’s close-knit community. During a game as a sophomore,
the parents of one of her teammates brought a large poster that
depicted the flag of her home country. When Mawema saw it before
the game, she had tears in her eyes.
“It was a great feeling to know that everyone supported me so much,” she says.
For the first time, Bryant handed out the Director’s Award of Excellence. The honor went to Jason Thresher ’10 (West Suffield, CT), arguably the best player in the storied history of Bryant’s golf program. He recorded 27 top-10 individual finishes, 19 top-5 finishes, 15 top-3 finishes, and eight victories.
Thresher’s involvement on the golf team gave the New England native the opportunity to travel around the country to compete.
The accounting concentrator says his involvement on the golf team provided experience performing in pressure situations. “This knowledge and confidence in myself has been transferred to the classroom and will transfer to the workforce.”
Unsung heroes
Jess Looney ’10 (Goffstown, NH), a recipient of the William T. O’Hara Leadership Award, has been an integral part of the women’s swim team since she arrived on campus as part of the team’s first recruiting class four years ago.
“Being a part of this program really helped me learned how to be part of and lead a team, which is absolutely essential in the work world,” says Looney, a four-year captain. In June, she will begin her working at BAE Systems in the company’s financial development program.
The second recipient of the O’Hara Leadership Award, Jerell Smith ’10 (Brooklyn, NY) led the football team in rushing yards each of the past two years. During his three-year career, Smith racked up over 3,000 rushing yards and scored 18 touchdowns. Smith also won the Omar Shareef Spirit Award.
For the second year in a row, President Ronald K. Machtley awarded his own President’s Cup to the team with the highest winning percentage against Division I competition for each season. The spring 2009 recipient was the golf team, which finished in the top three in eight different tournaments, including capturing two titles. The football team captured fall honors with four wins against Division I competition. The women’s basketball team earned the winter award with 13 wins.
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The 12th Man Award was presented to Undergraduate Admission Director Michelle Beauregard for her support and assistance in recruiting top student-athletes to Bryant.
The first ever Peter Sullivan Award was given to David Beirne ’85, who was a key donor for the locker room renovations at Bulldog Stadium. As a student, Beirne was a captain of the club lacrosse team. The award is in memory of Peter Sullivan ’68, an ardent Bulldog supporter, Bryant alumnus and former student-athlete.
The Coaches’ Award was presented to Claire Theroux of Bryant’s custodial staff for her efforts to go above and beyond in helping Bryant Athletics.
Bulldog Award Recipients
Cristian Balestrieri ’11 (Mar Del Plata,
Argentina), Men’s Tennis
Chris Birrell ’10 (Hope, RI), Men’s
Basketball
Neil Black ’10 (Roslyn Heights, NY),
Men’s Soccer
Ashley Coon ’10 (Levittown, PA),
Softball
Alex Dipippo ’11 (Shelton, CT),
Women’s Soccer
Deirdre Doyle ’13 (Carlow, Ireland),
Women’s Cross Country & Women’s Track &
Field
Alex Engel ’10 (Spencer, MA), Men’s
Track & Field
Katie Francazio ’11 (Cranston, RI),
Women’s Tennis
Robyn Gardner ’11 (Longwood, FL),
Volleyball
Caitlan Johnson ’10 (Walpole, MA), Field
Hockey
Jessica Looney ’10 (Goffstown, NH),
Women’s Swimming
Matt Murnane ’11 (Rockville Center, NY),
Men's Lacrosse
Steven Nguyen ’11 (San Jose, CA),
Men’s Swimming
Courtney Schermerhorn ’10 (Lowell, MA),
Women’s Basketball
Jerell Smith ’10 (Brooklyn, NY),
Football
Nikole Such ’10 (Wrightstown, NJ), Women's
Lacrosse
Jason Thresher ’10 (West
Suffield, CT), Men’s Golf
Scott Twardowski ’11 (Rehoboth, MA),
Men’s Cross Country
Jeff Vigurs ’11 (South Windsor, CT),
Baseball
