PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Manhattanville Athletic Department held its annual Athletics Awards Banquet on Monday night inside Reid Castle's Ophir Room, as the department celebrated the achievements of all its 330-plus student-athletes and recognized 11 outstanding student-athletes and key contributors to the success of athletics at Manhattanville.
The department handed out the customary 10 awards on Monday night, including Male and Female Athlete, Rookie and Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, as well as the Humanitarian of the Year, the Sports Medicine Award, the Athletic Director's Award and the Valiant Plaque. The recipients were recognized in front of a banquet setting that included honored student-athletes, athletic department and college staff and faculty, as well as friends of the department.
The complete list of winners are listed below:
Male Athlete of the Year
Morrison Boateng, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field
Boateng has been the unquestioned leader of the Valiant track & field program during its early years, having set or been a part of at least nine program-record times during his first three indoor and outdoor track seasons and leading the team toward becoming a consistent conference contender. The junior became the first Valiant to place first in a meet event as a sophomore and also this season became the first Valiant runner to earn Middle Atlantic Conference Men's Track Athlete of the Week honors.
Female Athlete of the Year
Holly Nonis, Women's Soccer/Women's Hockey
One of the most decorated two-sport athletes in department history, Nonis is the first and only player in Manhattanville history to be named conference Player of the Year in two different sports (women's hockey, 2008-09; women's soccer, 2009). A 100-point scorer in both venues, she was named an AHCA First-Team All-American on the ice as a sophomore and followed up with NSCAA All-Region selections in each of the last two years on the soccer field. She leaves ranked third in points, fourth in goals and seventh in points in soccer; as well as seventh in both goals and points and eighth in assists in hockey.
Male Rookie of the Year
Alex Basso, Baseball
Basso stepped into a key role in the Valiant starting rotation as a freshman, serving as the team's conference-opening starter all season long and anchoring a staff that lost three starters from a year ago. Basso currently ranks second in the Freedom Conference (and tops among full-time starters) with a 2.89 ERA and a .265 opponents' batting average to go with three wins and 40 strikeouts.
Female Rookie of the Year
Haleigh Hutchinson, Women's Hockey
Hutchinson made an immediate impact in her first collegiate season, joining the Valiants' top line and ranking second on the team in goals (14) and fourth in points (21). A three-time ECAC East Rookie of the Week and one-time ECAC East Player of the Week honoree, she also led the team with three game-winning goals and helped Manhattanville to its eighth ECAC East Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth.
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Alex Braverman, Baseball
Braverman has been a leader in the classroom and on the field for the Valiant baseball team this season. A two-time MAC Academic Honor Roll honoree, the senior second baseman boasts a 3.85 GPA as a biochemistry major and also ranks second on the team with a .356 batting average and 23 runs scored.
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Kirstin Betsill, Women's Lacrosse
Betsill is another Valiant who has excelled both on and off the field for Manhattanville, beginning with her 3.47 cumulative GPA as a biology major. A four-time MAC Academic Honor Roll honoree between field hockey and women's lacrosse, she also holds women's lacrosse program records for saves (706) and wins (30) for a career and started all 67 games over the last four seasons.
Humanitarian of the Year
Michael Capozzi, Men's Tennis
Capozzi is as selfless off the court as he is dominant on it, as the Duchesne Scholar has developed a program in his native Dominican Republic called “Café con Leche”. The program, which includes 80 children ages 6-13, is a two-week summer camp that combines sports with educational and cultural experiences so that the children may become not only a more skilled athlete but also a more confident and compassionate human being. On the court, he also is a two-time Freedom Conference Player of the Year and a three-time All-Conference first-team honoree.
Sports Medicine Award
Sasha Romanenko, Men's Hockey
After playing in just 15 games in his first three seasons, Romanenko overcame a pair of injury-plagued campaigns to have a career year for the men's hockey team as a senior. The Ukraine native scored once and easily set new career highs with 12 assists and 13 points from the Valiant blue line as one of the team's best defensemen.
Athletic Director's Award (co-recipients)
Kelli Hyjek and Darby Webber
Hyjek has been instrumental to the implementation and expansion of Manhattanville's successful GoValiants.TV video streaming service, serving as the assistant director and assisting in all aspects of the broadcasts, while also producing highlight reels and video previews for GoValiants.com. In addition, Hyjek also finds time to play on the Valiant women's basketball team and is a MAC Academic Honor Roll recipient as well.
Webber has served as a key member of the Manhattanville student worker game-day staff over the last four seasons, including serving as the primary stat caller during home basketball games and working all men's and women's hockey home games as well, and also played an integral role in the daily workings of the department by working weekly office hours. Webber also was a four-year starter on the women's lacrosse team and played three seasons of field hockey as well.
Valiant Plaque
Dr. Rhonda Clements, Ed.D., Director of MAT in Physical Education
Dr. Clements continues to be a great supporter of athletics at Manhattanville during her time at the school, integrating the department into her master's of physical education classes and curriculum. As our co-habitant of Kennedy Gym, Dr. Clements and her program are tremendous assets to the Athletic Department.
