May 13, 2004
Moraga, CA - The Saint Mary's athletic department recognized Saint Mary's student athletes for numerous academic and athletic accomplishments over the past year at the Fifth Annual Gael Awards show held at Lefevre Theater on the Saint Mary's campus on May 11.
Several awards and recognition were given out with over 200 student-athletes, families and fans in attendance at the ESPY style awards ceremony. Among the awards given out were the highest team GPA, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Volunteer of the Year, Gael Spirit Award, Male and Female Newcomer of the Year, Male and Female McKeon Award, and Coach of the Year.
Here is a list of winners and nominees of each award:
Highest Team GPA:
Women's Tennis
Athletic Director's Honor Roll:
Named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll were: Justine Larson, softball, Tonja Cabatana, women's soccer, Ryan Alexander, football, Strada Morris, cross country, Jen Belzer, women's soccer, Katie Ludwick, women's basketball, Lindsay Lopez, women's basketball, Allison Kop, women's soccer, Kristin Hurst, cross country and lacrosse, and taking home top honor was Caleb Sanford, men's tennis.
Mike Gibbons Volunteer of the Year:
The winner was: John James, Sports Psychologist. John is an internationally known educator and psychotherapist. He has written several books and is a sports psychology consultant who has worked with student-athletes from several of Saint Mary's teams over the past year.
The nominees were: Lauren Dunnigan, Women's Basketball Administrative Assistant, Russ Harrison, Regent and Chair of the Athletics Review Task Force, Meg Hauser, Marketing - Tickets Intern, and Isaiah Walfred, Men's Basketball Administrative Assistant.
Gael Spirit Award:
The winner was: John Leykam, Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics. John is a 20-year employee of the College and has been an avid supporter of Gael Athletics during his career. Most recently he has served as the Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics, helping schedule speaking engagements for our coaches, researching and promoting story ideas to the media, and has been an ambassador of the athletic department to many groups off campus.
The nominees were: Matt Carroll, General Manager, Sodexho Food Service, Manuell Dominguez, Buildings and Grounds, Br. Ron Gallagher, Men's Tennis Team Moderator, Joe Kehoe, Director of the Physical Plant Office, Father Tom McElligott, Women's Basketball Team Moderator, and Greg Smith, Women's Soccer Team Moderator.
Male Newcomer of the Year:
The winner was: Matt Fitzgerald, men's soccer. Matt, from Castro Valley, was named WCC Freshman of the Year and First Team-All WCC after leading the team in three statistical categories. He was second in the WCC in scoring in conference games and was named MVP of the Rutgers Tournament.
The nominees were: Chad Cocco, men's golf, Adam Fauvre, men's tennis, and Bryan Oland, baseball.
Female Newcomer of the Year:
The winner was: Mandy Bible, volleyball. This Santa Barbara native set the school's single season assist record as a true freshman. Mandy started 32 of 33 matches played a key role in leading the team to a 20-13 record and the program's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The nominees were: Lindsey Anderson, women's crew, McKenna Belzer, women's soccer, Lauren Mello, softball, Lauren Shaughnessy, women's basketball, and Jackie Spencer, women's lacrosse.
Female McKeon Award
The winner was: Allegra Porter, cross country. An English major from McLoud, Allegra is the best runner in the history of the program. She captured the WCC title in 2002 - the first individual title in any sport in school history - was a three-time First Team WCC and WCC All-Academic honoree. She is the school record holder in both 5K and 6K races.
The nominees were: Jennifer Arnold, softball, Jen Belzer, women's soccer, Breezy Jackson, women's crew, Lindsay Lopez, women's basketball, Jill Parmele, softball, and Colette Spencer, lacrosse.
Male McKeon Award
The winner was: Clint Wilson, football. A Business Administration major from Thousand Oaks, Wilson is the school's single-season rushing record holder with 1,110 yards in 2002. Wilson rushed for 420 yards and two touchdowns in nine games this year and is fifth all-time in rushing yards with 2,114 and attempts with 439. Wilson was named to the Division I-AA Independent All Star team in 2002, and was a First Team Verizon District 8 All-Academic selection in 2003.
The nominees were: Dane Dobrinich, baseball, Rafael Lopez, men's tennis, and Diego Rovira, men's soccer.
Coach of the Year
The winner was: Scott Hardy, golf. Scott was named the WCC Coach of the Year after leading the team to a second place finish at the WCC Championships - their highest finish in school history. He helped the Gaels achieve a national ranking of 67 - the highest in school history. Scott led the team to a school-record three tournament victories this year and six consecutive top three finishes. Hardy was also named the WCC Coach of the Year in 2002 and recruited and coached the WCC Freshman of the Year and three First Team All-WCC players.
The nominees were: Randy Bennett, men's basketball, Michelle Jacoby, women's basketball, Jon Stevenson, volleyball, and Michael Wayman, men's tennis.
