Bucknell Senior Student-Athletes Honored at Annual Awards Dinner

5/1/2016 9:53:00 PM | General

By: TBD

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Twenty outstanding Bucknell senior student-athletes were presented awards at the 55th Annual Department of Athletics & Recreation Senior Recognition Dinner, held Sunday evening in the Terrace Room on campus. The outstanding careers of 148 senior athletes were honored at the dinner, and record-setting swimmer Emma Levendoski (Mandeville, La./Mandeville) and tennis standout Nick Bybel (Lancaster, Pa./Hilton Head Christian Academy (S.C.)) claimed the evening's top honor, the Christy Mathewson Award, which goes to the outstanding male and female senior athletes.

Emma Levendoski Levendoski is one of the most dominant swimmers in Patriot League history. She won both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events at all four Patriot League Championships, a first in league history. Levendoski in 2015 became the first Bison woman to qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships, gaining entry in both backstroke races. She graduates with two league records and four school records.

Nick Bybel Bybel is one of the finest tennis players in Bucknell and Patriot League history. He was named Patriot League Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior, and will be in the running for a third straight Player of the Year honor this season. Bybel, who was ranked in the top-100 nationally earlier this year, has 111 career singles victories, 35 more than any other player in school history. He also ranks No. 1 in program history in combined singles and doubles victories with 189.

Elsewhere, The 'Ray Bucknell Diversity Award went to four student-athletes: volleyball's Katie Price (Los Angeles, Calif./Harvard-Westlake), softball's Amanda Fazio (Chatham, N.J./Chatham), basketball's Ryan Frazier (Silver Spring, Md./Salisbury School (Conn.)) and soccer's Jesse Klug (Sammamish, Wash./Overlake School). All four took on leadership roles in major diversity events across campus.

Patriot League shot put champion Sophia Nnadi (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) and four-time NCAA Wrestling Championship qualifier Joe Stolfi (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) received the Bison Club Award, presented to the senior athletes who best exemplify the winning spirit of the University's athletic program.

Nnadi holds the Bucknell and Patriot League records in the outdoor shot put, and she captured the shot put at the 2016 Patriot League Indoor Championships. She also swept the indoor and outdoor titles in 2013. An NCAA Regional qualifier last season, Nnadi is the reigning Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Stolfi is just the third four-time NCAA qualifier in Bucknell wrestling history. He was also a four-time EIWA placewinner, including a league championship at 285 pounds in 2014. He ranks third in program history with 120 wins, and he obliterated the school record for pins with 65. He won six career matches in the NCAA Championships, but injuries impacted his chase for a national title in each of the last two seasons.

Sprinter/hurdler Jen Silvestri (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) and basketball sharpshooter Chris Hass (Pellston, Mich./Pellston) were awarded the Lee S. “Bud” Ranck Memorial Award, presented for outstanding spirit and contributions to the Bucknell athletic program.

Silvestri is a five-time All-Patriot League selection and a league champion in the 500-meter dash and 4x100 relay in 2015. She owns top-five school marks in the outdoor 100-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles, as well as the indoor 60 and 500. Silvestri is also a member of the school-record-setting 4x400 relay.

Hass scored 1,402 points – 11th-most in Bucknell history – and was a three-time All-Patriot League selection for the Bison men's basketball team. He was a First Team All-Patriot League choice as a junior and senior and was also a First Team All-Region pick in 2016. Hass scored 20 or more points in a game 20 times in his career, including a memorable 40-point game at Army this season.

The Bradley N. Tufts Award was presented to tennis standout Maria Cioffi (South Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport) and soccer star Chris Thorsheim (Manalapan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy). The Tufts Award is given in recognition of exceptional athletic achievement and contribution to Bucknell athletics.

Cioffi is the winningest player in Bucknell women's tennis history. She has posted 88 career singles wins and will almost certainly claim her fourth All-Patriot League honor next week. Cioffi went 21-2 in Patriot League dual matches, including a run of 20 straight wins, and she was also the 2015 Patriot League Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Thorsheim was a smooth midfielder for the Bison men's soccer team. He is one of only nine four-time All-Patriot League selections in league history and the only one from Bucknell. He is also a three-time All-Region selection and was on the watch list for the Hermann Trophy, given to the national player of the year, as a senior. In 80 career matches he posted 58 points on 20 goals and 18 assists. He ranks ninth on Bucknell's all-time assists chart.

The John F. Zeller Award was presented to a senior student-athlete for outstanding contributions to Bison Athletics, while exemplifying the best of Bucknell in the manner that John Zeller did in his 68 years of service to the University. This year's Zeller Award recipients were Price and Frazier.

Price was a rare three-year captain and a defensive specialist on the Bison volleyball squad. She overcame injuries to play in 80 career matches, and she was also one of the most-involved students on campus over the last four years. Price volunteered her time to numerous causes and campus governance organizations. She was one of three student-athletes, along with Frazier and Fazio, who organized last month's successful Community Dinner, which brought together various campus constituents to discuss issues related to diversity and inclusion.

Frazier has also lent his voice to many important causes. A two-year basketball team captain, Frazier was recently a panelist at the Bucknell Diversity Summit, and last year he was one of the speakers at the student-led solidarity rally in the wake of a racial incident on the campus radio station. The recipient of the 2015 Patriot League Award of Leadership and Character, Frazier played in all but one game of the Bison basketball team over the last four years and was a member of the Patriot League All-Academic Team and All-Defensive Team in 2016.

The Alvin F. Jackson Jr. Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award was presented to field hockey's Abby Watson (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) and football running back Matt DelMauro (Nutley, N.J./Nutley).

Watson carries a 3.93 GPA as a civil engineering major. A Dean's List student every semester, she has twice been named to the NFHCA Division I Scholars of Distinction List for posting a perfect 4.0 GPA during the competition season. She was a member of the Patriot League All-Academic Team this season. Watson played in every game over her four years and finished with 57 career points.

DelMauro earned First Team Academic All-America honors following his senior season, and he was also the 2015 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year. On the field, DelMauro rushed for 1,730 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career. He led the team in rushing as a senior and was named to the All-Patriot League Second Team.

The Robert A. Latour Service Award, presented for extraordinary service to Bucknell and local communities, went to swimmer Leanne Archer (Glenville, N.Y./Niskayuna) and lacrosse's Zach Henkhaus (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Palos Verdes).

Archer was heavily involved in campus and community organizations at Bucknell, including Relay for Life Captain, Reunion Ambassador, Publicity Committee, Campus Catholic Ministry, Bucknell Bison Leadership Academy and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. A team co-captain, Archer improved her swimming performances throughout her career and scored points with a 15th-place finish in the 1,650-year freestyle at the 2016 Patriot League Championships.

Henkhaus has been an underrated member of the Bucknell men's lacrosse team, playing all four years as one of the squad's top short-stick defensive midfielders. A team captain as a senior, Henkhaus has also participated in the Bison Pals program, where he serves as “Best Buddy” to J.J., a developmentally challenged man from the local area.

The Bryan-Humphreys Award, presented to an individual for outstanding versatility, went to softball's Fazio and and men's lacrosse standout Alex Spring (New York, N.Y./Western Reserve Academy (Ohio)).

Fazio is one of the Patriot League's most dynamic softball players, where she has been both a dominant pitcher as well as a left fielder and leadoff hitter. In the circle, she is Bucknell's career strikeout leader while ranking No. 2 all-time in wins. Last year she set the single-season school record with 26 stolen bases, and this year she has fashioned a batting average over .370 while again reaching the 20-stolen base plateau. Fazio has earned All-Patriot League and Academic All-Patriot League honors, while also staying heavily involved in community and diversity efforts.

Spring is one of the nation's best long-stick defensive midfielders, excelling as both a one-on-one defender and as a terrific ground-ball artist. Spring recently earned his second career All-Patriot League certificate, and he was a Preseason Honorable Mention All-American coming into his senior year. Spring is only the second Bison ever to record 200 ground balls, and he will graduate No. 2 on Bucknell's all-time list.

The Edward W. Pangburn Award, presented for sportsmanship, fellowship and contribution to the University, went to Tyler Craig (Columbus, Ohio/St. Francis DeSales) of the women's basketball team and men's soccer's Klug.

Craig helped captain the Bison women's basketball squad to a share of the 2016 Patriot League regular-season title. She was one of the league's strongest defenders and also finished the year ranked No. 2 on the team with 86 assists. She scored 11 points in Bucknell's WNIT win over Akron.

Klug was a two-time All-Patriot League and All-Mid-Atlantic Region forward who will graduate ranked No. 5 on Bucknell's career scoring list with 77 points. He scored 29 career goals, 11 of them coming in 2014 when he helped lead the Bison to a league championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. He was a two-time Academic All-American and the 2015 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Klug also has been one of college athletics' leading advocates for LGBTQ rights and inclusion. He recently served as a panelist at the NCAA Diversity Forum.

Record-setting sprinter Jess Bridle (Tewksbury, Mass./Tewksbury) and All-America defensive back Clayton Ewell (Springfield, Pa./Springfield Township) were the winners of the Ronald J. “Pete” Pedrick Award, presented in recognition of demonstrated improvement and special contributions to Bucknell Athletics over a four-year period.

Bridle is enjoying a breakout senior year. She had one of the finest indoor track seasons in program history when she shattered school records in the 60, 200, 300 and 400-meter dashes, and she was also part of the record-setting distance medley relay. Bridle has already broken school records in the 200 and 400 meters during the outdoor season.

Ewell this fall became the fifth Bucknell football player to earn Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors. A two-time All-Patriot League selection, Ewell was named an All-American by STATS and the Associated press in 2015. He played in all 44 games over the last four seasons and totaled 184 career tackles.

In addition to the student-athlete awards, Department of Athletics and Recreation administrative assistant Kelly Pastuszek received the ECAC Appreciation Award, which is presented to students, faculty, staff or friends of Bucknell for extraordinary contribution to the Bucknell department of athletics.