The Chestnut Hill College Department of Athletics and Recreation held their Second Annual Griffins Awards Reception Monday night in Sorgenti Arena as the 2022-2023 athletics season is nearing its completion.

Director of Athletics, Jesse Balcer opened the event with a quick recap of the accomplishments and success of student athletes throughout the year.

The annual Chi Alpha Sigma, National Student Athlete honor society Induction Ceremony followed as Assistant Director of Athletics for Academic Success and Community Engagement Sarah Machcinski was proud to announce the induction of 29 student-athletes into Alpha Epsilon chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma.

Following the ceremony was the presentation of the awards for academic accomplishment.  Student-Athlete representatives from each team again served as presenters for this year's awards. The highest team grade point average award went to the women's Basketball team who had a cumulative team g.p.a. of 3.8.  The highest Female and Male G.P.A. awards went to Trinity Simmons of the women's soccer team and Calvin Turner of the sprint football team.  Simmons has a 3.92 g.p.a. and will be graduating with dual degrees in political science and international affairs.  Turner has a 3.81 g.p.a. and is pursuing a degree in exercise science

Presentation of milestone honors and first victory awards followed with Balcer presented awards to men's basketball player Amir Warrick, women's basketball player Lauren Crim for scoring their 1,000^th career point this season and to volleyball player Mia Caporellie for reaching 1,000 career assists

Four coaches earned their first wins with their respective programs in 2022-23 with Head Cross Country Coach Ian Hankins earning his first win with both the men's and women's programs this fall.  Eric Gibson earned his first win with the women's tennis program and Patrice Coleman her first win with the women's lacrosse team.  Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Jim DeCarlo '17 was the final coach to earn his first win at Chestnut Hill in 2022-23.

The Newcomer of the Year award which recognizes a first-year student athlete who has excelled in their first season with the Griffins followed the first win presentation.  Women's Bowling team member Kayleina McGonigal was chosen as the award winner.

Chestnut Hill's Comeback Player of the Year Award went to Will Duddy of the men's lacrosse team. The Comeback Player of the Year recognizes the student-athlete who has overcome either injury or personal circumstance to play a role in their respective team's success.  According to coach DeCarlo, "After going down with a significant knee injury last season and not being able to play the rest of the season, Will was able to recover from surgery and be a valuable asset to the team.  He was a fantastic teammate while rehabbing and brought the energy that helped lead the team to the playoffs this week!
 
The Unsung Hero Award went to Men's Basketball player Lucas Dunn.  The Unsung Hero Award recognizes a student-athlete who embodies the spirit of the word "teammate." The winner of this award uses their leadership, personality, and determination to play an integral role in their team's success. Coach J.J. Butler say, "Lucas sets the bar high for both the men's basketball team and the athletic department.  He is an everyday guy on and off the court.  Regardless of what his role is each day, he sets the standard on the court with a relentless work ethic."  Last month Dunn was named to the CACC all-Academic team.

Machcinski then introduced the new officer of our Student athletic Advisory committee (SAAC).  For the 2023-24 academic year, the SAAC president will be Luke Slavin from the Men's Lacrosse Team and the Vice President will be Bri Rider from the women's Basketball team. 

The Female and Male Athletes of the Year Awards were presented to the student-athletes who exhibited extraordinary skill on the playing field, court, etc.  The award is based on statistics in their respective sport.   The winner of the Female Athlete of the Year Award winner is three-sport athlete Kaitlyn Carter.  Carter is a member of the women's soccer, women's basketball and women's lacrosse teams.  The Male Athlete of the Year Award winner is Noah Cutting of the men's tennis team.

The Coach of the Year Award went to Women's Soccer Head Coach Jonathan Geist.  The Coach of the Year award recognizes the head coach who has performed outstanding services as a coach and mentor to their respective program.
 
The Female and Male Team of the Year awards recognize the team and coaching staff who have excelled on both the playing surface as well as in the classroom and community through service.  The Female Team of the Year award winner was the Women's Soccer Team while the Male Team of the Year was the Men's Basketball Team.

New awards being presented this year for the first time were the Game of the Year and the Play of the Year.  The Game of the Year Award went to the Men's Basketball team's CACC quarterfinal playoff game.  The Play of the Year went to the Women's Soccer team and Madeline Jimenez's victory-clinching penalty kick in the CACC tournament Semi-Finals.
 
 The Griffin Award recognizes the student-athlete who embodies the spirit of Chestnut Hill College through a combination of academics, athletics and service with an emphasis on leadership.  This year's winner was Anastasia Watson from the Women's Track and Field team
 
The Sandy Dickson Award is presented in memory of Sandy Dickson, the Griffins head women's soccer coach and Director of Fitness and Recreation from 2011 until 2019 when she passed away from a battle with Ovarian Cancer. The award identifies one male and one female student-athlete who shows dedication to their bodies in the Fitness Center. While all our athletes take care of their bodies, the winners of this award have been recognized by Coach Egan as "exceptionally dedicated."   This year's winners were Mikayla Grimes from the Women's Volleyball team and Nigel Haughton from the Men's Basketball team.

Another new award presented Monday night was the Sister Jean Faustman Leadership Award. The award was started in honor of our number one fan, sister Jean Faustman.  The award is presented to the person who has shown a great amount of growth, leadership and service, not only through the athletics department but also to the student body.   This year's winner was Cole Stanchina of the Men's Cross Country and Track and Field teams.
 
Capping off the awards portion of the night was the annual presentation of the Athletic Director Awards.  The Athletic Director Awards are given to a senior male and female athlete who have demonstrated exceptional performance on their respective fields of play while also being solid stewards of the college's mission through service and good work in the classroom.   This year's winners were Maddie Gannon from the Women's Bowling team and Diego Cabrera from the Men's Soccer team.
 
The program ended with a thank you from Athletics Director Balcer to all the athletes for their time and dedication to their respective programs.