The Seattle University athletics department, along with some special guests, gathered together Wednesday night, May 28, at the ninth annual Athletics Awards Show, held on campus at the Pigott Auditorium.
Before the final award was presented, it was announced that it would be known as the Eddie O’Brien Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award, in honor of the Seattle U Athletics Hall of Famer who passed away last February. Ed’s wife Terry O’Brien was on hand to witness the renaming of the award, and the presentation was met with a rousing standing ovation in recognition of the contributions Ed O’Brien made to the Seattle U athletics department.
Seniors Julia Besagno (Maple Valley, Wash.) of the women’s soccer team and Kevin Lynch (Colorado Springs, Colo.) of the men’s tennis team received the Eddie O’Brien Student-Athletes of the Year Award. Besagno was a First Team All-WAC and Third Team All-Region honoree, plus she received Second Team Academic All-America honors and was invited to join the Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society of Nursing at Seattle University. Lynch also earned First Team All-WAC honors in singles as well as Second Team All-WAC recognition in doubles, plus he served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during the 2013-14 academic year and improved his academic performance throughout the year.
The WAC Offensive Players of the Year in soccer, Miguel Gonzalez (Yelm, Wash.) and Stephanie Verdoia (Salt Lake City, Utah), received the Bill Fenton 101 Club Athletes of the Year Award. Gonzalez finished the year fourth in the country in total goals (15) and total points (35), including both goals in Seattle U’s 2-1 victory over Creighton in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament. At the end of the 2013 women’s soccer season, Verdoia was in the top 25 in the country in total goals (23rd – 15), total assists (11th – 12), and total points (13th – 42) as she helped the Redhawk women win the WAC regular season and tournament titles.
Senior tennis player Corinne Wurden (Poulsbo, Wash.) received the individual Mission Award for her work with organizations such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Susan G. Komen For The Cure. The team Mission Award was given to the women’s rowing team for its efforts during the annual Dance Marathon, where the entire team participated for the entire 16-hour period, as well as partnering with local elementary schools as part of the Girls on the Run 5K.
For the second consecutive year, the Mark Escandon University Sports Service Award was handed out to someone within the athletics department and an entity outside athletics but within the University community. Erin Engelhardt, assistant athletics director for student-athlete support, received the award for her continued excellence in working with student-athletes on a wide array of issues throughout her time in the Redhawk athletics department. The Seattle U grounds crew also received the award in recognition of their exemplary work in keeping Championship Field and Logan Field in playable shape despite the rainy conditions of Seattle.
The men’s soccer team’s 2-1 victory over Creighton in the NCAA Tournament was voted as the Competition of the Year, beating out the baseball team’s two victories over Washington, the men’s swim team’s comeback win over Simon Fraser, and the women’s tennis team’s historic victory over Gonzaga. A member of the men’s soccer program, senior Bobby Segal (Portland, Ore.), received the Athletic Director’s Comeback Student-Athlete of the Year Award, as he first decided to leave the soccer program before, following a series of soul-searching events, returning to the squad and helping them win the WAC regular season and tournament titles.
The Freshman 15 Award honors the top freshman student-athlete in each sport as recommended by their coach. This year’s recipients were: baseball player Brock Carpenter (Milton, Wash.), basketball players Wilma Afunugo (Plano, Texas) and William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.), cross country runners Tyler Flannery (Auburn, Wash.) and Lila Rice (Redmond, Wash.), golfers Dorsey Addicks (Big Sky, Mont.) and Ahren Young (Renton, Wash.), rower Kailyn Zimmer (Anchorage, Alaska), soccer players Kyle Bjornethun (Snohomish, Wash.) and Mariah O’Neil (Tumwater, Wash.), softball player Lindsay Davis (Palo Cedro, Calif.), swimmers Tanner Schelling (Boise, Idaho) and Blaise Wittenauer-Lee (Portland, Ore.), tennis players Connor Leahy (Portland, Ore.) and Kelli Woodman (Denver, Colo.), track and field athletes Joe Charbonneau (Bellingham, Wash.) and Alessandra Gonzales (Pasadena, Calif.), volleyball player Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia), cheerleader Tyler Christopher, and dance team member Natalie Lucey.
The women’s rowing team also won the inaugural Redhawk Pride Cup, a competition among the Redhawk teams that awarded points based on athletic and academic performance, community service hours, and attendance at athletics and other University events. The rowing squad received $1,000 from the department to use in whichever way they want to, as long as they remain in compliance when using the funds.
Lynch and softball student-athlete Karina Smyth (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) served as hosts of the awards show, keeping the event moving smoothly while mixing humor into the night. The audience was treated to several comedy videos spoofing popular commercials as well as the end-of-the-year highlight video. In what has become an annual tradition, the seniors were recognized in a presentation in which they received embroidered blankets as their senior gifts.
The Seattle University athletics department sponsors 20 NCAA Division I sports, 19 of which compete within the Western Athletic Conference.