The Chestnut Hill College Department of Athletics and Recreation held their Fourth Annual Griffins Awards Reception Sunday night in Sorgenti Arena as the 2024-2025 athletics season reached its conclusion this past weekend.

Director of Athletics, Jesse Balcer delivered the opening remarks and thanks all the full time staff, coaches and athletic trainers for their dedication to the student-athletes and the sport programs they represented.

Following Balcer's opening remarks 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 Tennis team who had a cumulative team g.p.a. of 3.75.  The highest Female and Male G.P.A. awards went to Emily Sekerak of the Women's Basketball team and Rudy Del Prete of the men's cross country and track and field teams. Sekerak has a 3.90 g.p.a. and will be graduating with dual degrees in early education and special education. Del Prete has a 3.96 g.p.a. and will graduate in December with a degree in psychology.

Balcer then presented milestone honors, first victory awards and coaching milestone honors. Volleyball players Erika Dubosky (1,000 kills, 1000 digs) and Mia Caporellie (3,000 assists, 1,000 digs; all-time assist leader at 3,846) were honored along with baseball players Justin Geiger (150 hits, 100 RBI, 100 runs scored) and Jake Schweiker (150 strikeouts); and men's lacrosse player Sam Slater (100 points).

Coaches earning their first win during the 2024-25 season included Jesse Zafiratos (Men's Soccer); Brandon Johnson (Volleyball); Megan Fox (Women's Basketball); Liz Martin (Women's Lacrosse) and Michael McCarraher (Golf)

The Newcomer of the Year award followed. The Newcomer of the Year Award recognizes a student athlete that has excelled on the field of play while participating in his/her first season at Chestnut Hill. This year's winner is a two-sport athlete, Kendall Gayton. Gayton is a member of the women's soccer and lacrosse teams.

Chestnut Hill's Comeback Player of the Year Award went to Cam Goldsmith of the sprint football team. The Comeback Player of the Year recognizes the student-athlete who has overcome either injury or personal circumstances to play a role in their respective team's success. Cam missed the entire 2023 season due to injuries but returned in 2024 to lead the team with 4.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss while recording 34 total tackles.

The Unsung Hero Award went to Women's Tennis player Romi Meirovich. 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. Head Tennis Coach Bruce Konyak had this to say about Romi: "Romi was a team captain and was very instrumental behind the scenes with leadership both on and off the court. She relished her role as the liaison between coach and players. Her continuous and uplifting optimism among our younger Male and Female players has been noticed by me to help others to make a positive impact."

The annual Chi Alpha Sigma, National College Athlete Honor Society Induction Ceremony followed as Jordan Campbell, Athletic Mental Health and Wellness Counselor presided over this year's  induction ceremony which saw 33 student-athletes inducted into Chestnut Hill's Chi Alpha Sigma chapter. 

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(s).   The winner of the Female Athlete of the Year Award winner is women's Tennis player Alison Isaac. The Male Athlete of the Year Award winner is baseball player Justin Geiger.

The Coach of the Year Award went to Sprint Football Head Coach Gio Thomas. 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 Tennis Team while the Male Team of the Year was the Men's Basketball Team.

Awards for Game of the Year, Play of the Year, and Performance of the Year followed. The Game of the Year Award went to the Men's Basketball  team's double overtime win over Seton Hill. The Play of the Year  was IV Pettit's shot at the buzzer in the seton Hill game that sent the contest into overtime. season. Performance of the Year honors went to men's cross country runner Ryan O'Hara who after getting pushed into a pole which opened a long gash on his face in the first half mile of the CACC Championship race, went on to complete the remaining 4+ miles, finishing in a personal-best time of 30:55.18.

The Griffin Award recognizes a male and female 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's were Abby Galazka (women's soccer/lacrosse) and Kyree Griffin (sprint football).
 
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 Anastasia Watson from the Women's track and field and softball teams and Anthony Cancellare from the Sprint Football team. Watson is the first two-time winner of the award, having won it in 2022.

The Sister Jean Faustman Leadership Award was then presented. 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 Lucas Dunn from the Men's Basketball team.
 
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 Sydney Watts from the Women's Cross Country/Track and Field teams and Sam Slater from the Men's Lacrosse team
 
The program concluded with a special recognition for the Griffins Athletic Training staff with tributes to each individual trainer written and read by a student athlete that participated in a sport that the respective trainer covered.