Everyone loves to win awards. So, with another athletic year gone by, it’s time to look back at the best of the best during the 2001-2002 scholastic year:
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The Golden Microphone (Best Interview):††††
Ivan Lee, Fencing
One of the better interviews I have ever done. Every single answer could be used in a story, and he came up with great quotes such as, “If you beat me, you beat me. No one is going to get any freebies out of me.” and “No one in this country has yet shown that they can top me.”
Runners-up: Donald Emanuel, Men’s Basketball. Kelly Houghton, Softball.
The Bulls-t Award (Best Argument with an Official):† †††
Melody Cope, Softball
Against Hofstra, Cope felt strike zone was the size of a dime. She jumped out of the dugout and proclaimed the umpire was “an embarrassment. Everyone here knows that was a strike. I’ll show you the tape after the game.” Amazingly, she didn’t get thrown out.
Runner-up: Mike Jarvis, Men’s Basketball.
The Soldier (Someone You’d Want to Go to Battle With):†††
Courtney Rett, Women’s Soccer
Rett wins for a single action and an action that didn’t happen. As a defender, her job is to protect the net, but she did a pretty good job protecting her teammates in a game against Manhattan. The Jaspers were playing a little too rough, and Rett almost came to blows with an opponent.
Runners-up: Chris Posillico, Football. Sharif Fordham, Men’s Basketball.
The Secretariat (Biggest Heart):†††
Curtis Johnson, Men’s Basketball
What Johnson has gone through is amazing. He sat out all of last year and surgery kept him out the entire first semester. He basically learned how to walk again after doctors broke and reset his toes. Yet there he was, coming up huge in a crucial game against Notre Dame late in the season.
Runners-up: Chrissy Wellington, Softball. Telisha Warner, Women’s Basketball.
The Forgotten One (Best Athlete You’ve Never Heard of):†††
Jen Taylor, Women’s Soccer
Jen Taylor always gets overlooked. Yet she’s the glue that holds the Red Storm defense together. What she does can’t be measured in goals or assists – one has to watch to see how effective she is. Rarely does she make a mistake, and when she does, the junior is able to recover in time.
Runners-up: Jaak Saavi, Swimming. Mischara Saunders, Volleyball.
The Carnesecca Award (Coach of the Year): †††
Ed Blankmeyer, Baseball
Before the season started, Blankmeyer lost his two best pitchers for the year. The team started out 1-8, and lost another hurler for the year. Throwing in the towel could have been an option. It wasn’t, and the team turned it around, going 22 for their last 33, and a possible Big East Tournament berth.
Runners-up: Dave Masur, Men’s Soccer. Yuri Gelman, Fencing.
The Savior (Most Valuable Player):† †††
Marcus Hatten, Men’s Basketball
Without Hatten, the men’s basketball team certainly would not have won 20 games or made the NCAA Tournament. Hatten led the conference in scoring and his nightly performances not only kept the Red Storm in games, but usually won them as well.
Runners-up: Meghan Allman, Softball. Erin Zambelli, Women’s Soccer.
The God (Best Male Athlete):† †††
Shalrie Joseph, Men’s Soccer
Joseph moved from his natural forward position to sweeper midway through the season, and excelled wherever he was on the field. The two-time All-Big East selection and third-team All-America helped anchor a defense that posted 12 shutouts and still scored five game-winners.
Runners-up: Charlie Bilezikjian, Baseball. Eric King, Men’s Basketball.
The Goddess (Best Female Athlete):†††
Sheba George, Track and Field
George was a double threat in both the shot put and weight all season long. The senior earned All-East honors at the ECAC Championships, setting a meet record, finished in second place at the Big East Championships and 13th at the NCAAs. She set the school record in the weight. All this was in the indoor season alone.
Runners-up: Robyn Kurasaki, Volleyball. Arlene Stevens, Fencing.
The Cr√®me de le Cr√®me (Team of the Year):†††
Fencing
After being a man down and finishing just five points behind champion Penn State, the fencing team showed they were still among the best, ending with two individual winners, a runner-up and a third place finish along with several top 10 finishes.
Runners-up: Men’s Soccer. Men’s Golf.
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And for the most coveted awards, as voted on by their athletic peers:
The GQ Award (Best-Looking Male Athlete):†††
Chris Wingert, Men’s Soccer
Wingert won in a landslide, thanks to “Dawson’s Creek” viewers who think he looks like James Van Der Beek. On the field, the sophomore scored four goals and anchored one of the top defenses in the country.
Runners-up: Matt Millheiser, Football. Jake Maxwell, Men’s Tennis.
The Victoria Secret Award (Best-Looking Female Athlete): †††
Rosalyn Dang, Volleyball
The Hawaiian native’s exotic look helped her nab this award. In what was one of the closer races, Dang pulled ahead of a very competitive field. On the court, she was second on the team with 242 kills, 34 service aces and 72 assists.
Runners-up: Dominica Reina, Women’s Soccer. Michelle Kurtz, Swimming.
Jason Della Rosa is a junior journalism major who thanks the athletes who voted. You saved me from voting for best-looking male athlete. God bless you. Send any comments to [email protected].
