Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Senior Athletes Honored at Annual Awards Dinner
5/4/2004 8:00:00 AM | General
May 4, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - In one of the highlights of the athletics season at Bucknell University, 18 outstanding senior athletes were given awards at the 43rd Annual Department of Athletics & Recreation Senior Recognition Dinner, held Tuesday evening in Sojka Pavilion.
The outstanding careers of some 111 senior athletes were honored at the dinner, which is sponsored by the Bison Club. Swimming record-setter Meghan Freese (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) and track and field standout Noel Powell (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) walked off with the evening's top honor, the Christy Mathewson Award, which goes to the outstanding male and female senior athletes.
At this year's Patriot League Championships, where the Bison women won their second league crown in as many years, Freese won and set school records in the 50 (23.27 final, 23.22 prelims) and 100 freestyle (51.40 final, 50.96 prelims) events while earning a bronze in the 100 backstroke in a Bucknell third-best all-time 57.48. She was also part of three relay teams that won silver and all swam second-best Bucknell times.
But Freese's predilection for victory was present at dual and multi-team meets during the regular season as well. She won 14 of 16 50 and 100 free events in which she competed, as well as two out of four other events heading into the league meet. Freese won every race she entered in dual meets this year, as the Bison went 6-0 in such meets this year, extending a streak to 16-0 since the 2001-02 season.
Freese won her first gold medal as a sophomore at the 2001 league meet by capturing the 50 free. She also won a silver that year in the 100 free while finishing fourth in the 100 back. She was a two-time gold medalist for the first time last season, taking both freestyle races.
 Noel Powell  |
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Serving as one of six captains on the 67-member men's track and field squad, Powell has fulfilled the role on and away from the track. Individually, he holds five school records, including the long jump and 200 meters, both indoors and outdoors, as well as the 100 meters, competed outdoors. He is also a part of the outdoor school record-holding 4x100 team. In his four years at Bucknell, Powell has won seven Patriot League Championships, as well as eight silver medals and two bronze medals over the 100, 200 and long jump competition. He has also parlayed his long jump talent into a seventh-place finish at the USATF indoor nationals last year.
Elsewhere, the Patriot League's men's lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year Blaise Fletcher (Glen Mills, Pa./Archmere Academy) and women's basketball standout Desire Almind (Blairstown, N.J./North Warren Regional) were given the Bradley N. Tufts Award, awarded in recognition of exceptional athletic achievement and contribution to Bucknell athletics.
 Tufts Award Winner Blaise Fletcher |
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The Bison Club Award, presented to the senior athletes who best exemplify the winning spirit of the University's athletic program, went to Greg Costello (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Lebanon) of the men's cross country and track & field teams and volleyball star Brandi Trapasso (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda).
Ben Stoll (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott), the 2003 Patriot League baseball batting champion, and volleyball setter Breean Trapasso (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda), claimed the Alvin F. Jackson, Jr., Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award, presented for outstanding academic and athletic achievement, and future promise as Bucknell alumni.
The Edward W. Pangburn Award went to swimmer Michael Willats (Hamburg, N.Y./St. Francis HS) and tennis player Samantha Berthod (White Plains, N.Y./Ursuline School). The Pangburn Award is given for sportsmanship, fellowship, and contribution to the University.
The Lee S. "Bud" Ranck Award, presented for outstanding spirit and contributions to the Bucknell athletic program, went to swimming's Peter Garvin (Silver Spring, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) and record-holding track and field thrower Maria Garcia (Providence, R.I./Hope).
Daniela Faas (Ludwigshafen, Germany/Worcester [Mass.] Academy) won the Margaret L. Bryan Award, presented to a female athlete for outstanding achievement in more than one varsity sport. Faas holds several Bucknell swimming records and also plays on the Bison water polo squad. The Albert E. Humphreys Award, presented to a male athlete for outstanding achievement in more than one varsity sport, went to cross country and track & field standout Wes Reinhardt (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park).
 Tufts Award Winner Desire Almind |
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Football receiver Albert Marquardt (Girardsville, Pa./North Schuylkill) and field hockey defender Lindsey Gentel (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury) earned the Ronald J. "Pete" Pedrick Award, presented in recognition of demonstrated improvement and special contributions to Bucknell athletics over a four-year period.
The Robert A. Latour Award for extraordinary service to Bucknell and local communities went to Tim Johnson (Eight Mile, Ala./LeFlore), a rusher and receiver on the Bison football team, and women's soccer's Abbey Seaboyer (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendohowa).
In addition to the student-athlete awards, two alumni and one staff member received special awards. Laura Denbow, director of the Bucknell Career Development Center earned the ECAC Appreciation Award, which is presented to students, faculty, staff or friends of Bucknell for extraordinary contribution to the Bucknell department of athletics.
Laura Kinney '81 and Norm Garrity '63 were presented Alumni Athlete Achievement Awards, given to former Bucknell athletes who have achieved success in their chosen profession. Kinney played volleyball at Bucknell, went on to a 13-year career as a chemist at DuPont, then became co-owner and CEO of the Workrite Uniform Company, the nation's leading manufacturer of flame-resistant uniforms. Garrity was a defensive back and quarterback on the Bison football team. He worked for 35 year at Corning, Inc., including stints as Co-Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman. A consistent and generous donor to Bucknell, Garrity funded the Garrity Family Scholarship, endowed the football head coaching position in honor of his own former head coach, Bob Odell, and funded the new FieldTurf playing surface in Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
Bucknell Senior Athletic Awards Summary
Christy Mathewson Award: Noel Powell (track and field), Meghan Freese (swimming)
Brad Tufts Award: Blaise Fletcher (lacrosse), Desire Almind (basketball)
Bison Club Award: Greg Costello (cross country, track and field), Brandi Trapasso (volleyball)
Jackson Award (academic): Ben Stoll (baseball), Breean Trapasso (volleyball)
Pangburn Award: Michael Willats (swimming), Sam Berthod (tennis)
Ranck Award: Peter Garvin (swimming), Maria Garcia (track and field)
Bryan Award: Daniela Faas (swimming, water polo)
Humphreys Award: Wes Reinhardt (cross country, track and field)
Pedrick Award: Al Marquardt (football), Lindsey Gentel (field hockey)
Latour Award: Tim Johnson (football), Abbey Seaboyer (soccer)
ECAC Appreciation Award: Laura Denbow, Director of Career Development
Alumni Athlete Achievement Award: Laura Kinney '81 (volleyball) and Norm Garrity '63 (football)
