May 12, 2006

Moraga, CA - The Six Annual Gael Award Show was a great night for Saint Mary's Athletics, as seniors and top performers from this past athletic year were honored. The event was held in the LeFevre Theatre on campus on Thursday night. The Athletic Department, which hosted the event, also named the Coach of the Year, Performance of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, to name a few awards.

The award show began with 2005-06 team moderators and mentors being honored for all 14 intercollegiate sports at SMC, followed by the presentation of the top 10 grade point averages by Gael student-athletes, with softball standout Bronwyn Russell earning the highest at 3.95. For the third consecutive year, the women's tennis team was awarded the top GPA in the department, earning a cumulative 3.409 GPA.

Taking home the first award of the night was the 2005 women's volleyball team, winning the Gael Cup Award for second consecutive year by posting the highest winning percentage among all SMC teams. The volleyball team finished the season 19-10 and reached the NCAA Tournament for a record setting third consecutive year.

The Performance of the Year Award was next up and it was given to senior men's basketball player, Daniel Kickert for his record-setting performance, in which he broke the school's all-time scoring record in a win at the University of Portland on February 4, 2006. In the game, Kickert scored 17 points, eclipsing a record that stood for 24 years at 1,863 points.

Eran Ganot, a volunteer assistant with the men's basketball team won the Mike Gibbons Volunteer of the Year award, and John Leykam won the Bryan Vargas Gael Spirit Award for the second time in three years. The Newcomer of the Year awards were swept by the men's and women's basketball programs, as Diamon Simpson and Jontelle Smith were both honored for the tremendous contributions they provided their teams this past season.

For the second year is a row, the Male Player of the Year went to Daniel Kickert of the men's basketball team and the Female Player of the Year to Mandy Bible of the women's volleyball team. Both have played huge roles in their team's successes.

The most prestigious awards of the night, the Male and Female George R. McKeon Senior Awards went to Michael Johnson and Kaui Salzman. Johnson helped lead the men's soccer team to one of their best seasons in school history, while anchoring the defense for the Gaels. He is a pre-med major who plans on attending medical school after graduation. Salzman was the catalyst behind the team's three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, finishing her career first all-time in digs and second in kills. She was a two-time WCC Honorable Mention Honoree and a first team All-WCC selection in 2004.

Wrapping up the evening was the recognition of the Coach of the Year, which went to head volleyball coach Rob Browning. Browning just completed his first year with the program, leading the team to a 19-10 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance.