BRYANT'S KUNDAYI MAWEMA NAMED NORTHEAST CONFERENCE SAAC STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

June 17, 2010

Northeast Conference Names Bryant’s Kundayi Mawema SAAC Student-Athlete of the Year

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- Bryant University field hockey goalie Kundayi Mawema (Harare, Zimbabwe) was named the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Student-Athlete of the Year by the Northeast Conference. The league honor comes two months after the Rhode Island Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (RIAIAW) deemed the 2009 senior captain its Distinguished Athlete of the Year.

Mawema becomes the eighth student-athlete in league history to earn the honor, which recognizes individual excellence in both the academic and athletic realms, as well as contributions to one’s community.

“Kundayi has a powerful presence on the field and is well respected by teammates and opponents alike,” said Bryant’s head field hockey coach Shaunessy Saucier. “Her sound skills coupled with her incredible leadership qualities and commanding presence are incredible assets to our team.”

Mawema’s “sound skills” yielded one of the top statistical campaigns amongst NCAA Division I goalies in 2009. The 2010 graduate and Dean’s List student, boasted a .795 save percentage that ranked her eighth in the national rankings.

Mawema earned all-conference second team honors in Bryant’s first season competing as an NEC member and was the goalie of record for all seven of the Bulldogs’ wins, tallying four shutouts. Mawema posted a 1.85 goals-against average as a senior, including a 1.25 mark against league opponents. She graduates as Bryant’s all-time leader in saves (552), while ranking second in career victories (31).

The field was only one of the numerous platforms Mawema used to display her aptitude as a leader. Well-respected on campus, Mawema earned the endorsement of Bryant’s faculty and was selected to the University’s Senior Advisory Council. She most notably served on Bryant’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as both Co-Chair and Secretary. Through her work as a two-year SAAC member, she became the face of Bryant Athletics on a regional and national level. Mawema represented Bryant at the annual NEC meetings, as well as at the NCAA National Leadership Conference.

Mawema spearheaded a number of service initiatives, including a Campus Cleaning Day, Canned Food Drive and a charity basketball tournament that raised money for the Cancer Recovery Foundation. Mentoring children in the local community, Mawema participated in a “Kids Day Out” and Bryant's Celebrity Readers program.

Remaining committed to her studies, Mawema posted a 3.34 grade point average and made her way onto to the Dean’s List this past fall semester. Her GPA stood in excess of the 3.0 mark at the conclusion of every semester since Fall 2008.

Weighing one’s leadership ability, athletic prowess, academic achievement and community service, the Northeast Conference SAAC members select the annual recipient of the award.  The NEC began honoring a SAAC Student-Athlete of the Year in 2003 when Central Connecticut State’s Sabrina Mariani claimed the inaugural award.

Northeast Conference SAAC Student-Athlete of the Year Award Winners

2009-10  Kundayi Mawema           Bryant
2008-09  Alexandra Tomlinson      Wagner
2007-08  Tiffany Hahn                   Monmouth
2006-07  Erika Jacobs                   Saint Francis (PA)
2005-06  Joy Gallagher                 Wagner
2004-05  Beth Swink                     Saint Francis (PA)
2003-04  Naomi Campano             Mount St. Mary’s
2002-03  Sabrina Mariani              CCSU