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Dominican University of California’s 2009-2010 Athletics Awards Banquet, which recognizes the accomplishments of Dominican student-athletes, was held on Saturday, May 1 in the Shield Room on the Dominican campus.
The 200 attendees included members of the 10 Athletics teams, Athletics coaches and staff, President Joseph R. Fink and his family, Vice President for Student Life John F. Kennedy, Vice President for Enrollment Management Patricia Coleman, Assistant Vice President for Academic Services Marianne Stickel, Director of Financial Aid Shanon Little, and Associate Director of Public Relations Dave Albee, and the parents of senior student-athletes.
Director of Athletics Terry Tumey served as emcee for the night. Tumey and Fink spoke and addressed the challenges that the University has faced in transitioning from NAIA Division II to NCAA Division II but that everything has exceeded expectations. They pointed to the great staff and support system in place, the introduction of a new website (www.dominicanathletics.com) and live broadcasting of games online via B2 Networks, increased attendance and participation, and a stronger sense of campus community.
Tumey recognized six volunteers who have given their time to help make the program better - gameday volunteer Mark Alexander, men’s basketball announcer Mark Carlson, men’s basketball scorekeeper Linda Christensen, cheerleader coordinator Gabrielle Gillard, the radio voice of the Penguins Stuart Horne, and organizer of the Mr. Penguin event, student Alex Slatoff.
Each coach then came to the stage and spoke about their teams, then honored three student-athletes who made contributions to their respective programs. The Newcomer of the Year recognizes either a freshman, redshirt freshman, or transfer student who has made the most impact on the team. The Coach’s Award recognizes a player who has been a leader on and off the field of play and has stepped up to the challenge presented by their coach. The Most Outstanding Player is given to the student-athlete who has made the most impact in game situations.
Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Christopher Leeds then came to the stage to induct the inaugural members of Athletics Honor Society Chi Alpha Sigma. Leeds then awarded men’s soccer player Esera Vegas and women’s soccer player Christine Coleman as the male and female scholar-athletes of the year. The honor is given to one male and one female upper classman student-athlete with the highest GPA. Leeds also noted that the GPA of Dominican Athletics is higher than that of the general student body.
Tumey announced the 2009-2010 Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year. This season, the men’s honor went to soccer player Pedro Guevara. Guevara started in all 20 of the Penguins’ matches. He scored a team-high seven goals, tying him for third most in the PacWest, and had four assists. He netted three game winners. The sophomore was tied for the sixth most points in the PacWest with 18.
The 2010 Dominican female student-athlete of the year was awarded to two players this season, standout senior soccer player and last year’s student-athlete of the season, Eleanna Mendez; and women’s volleyball player and women’s golfer senior Gabby Pecora. Mendez started in all 19 games for the Lady Penguins in 2009 scored six goals, including a game winner, and added three assists. She was sixth in the PacWest in scoring. Pecora led the team with 401 kills and started in all 30 matches in her senior campaign. She also joined the women’s golf team and participated in all of the Lady Penguins’ tournament appearances, finishing with a birdie in her final tournament.
The season’s 20 seniors were then called to the stage and presented with gold varsity blankets with a black block D. “Here’s something to keep you warm as you enter the cold, cold world out there,” joked Tumey. The night concluded with a slideshow highlighting the memories from the 2009-2010 season.
TEAM AWARDS
Women’s Volleyball
Newcomer of the Year: Tianna Tuatagaloa
Coach’s Award: Lorel Grande
Most Outstanding Player: Gabby Pecora
Men’s Soccer
Newcomer of the Year: Rafael Garcia
Coach’s Award: Casey Gibson
Most Outstanding Player: Pedro Guevara
Women’s Soccer
Newcomer of the Year: Stephanie Malone
Coach’s Award: Bridget Folan
Most Outstanding Player: Eleanna Mendez
Women’s Basketball
Newcomer of the Year: Kimi Nakamura
Coach’s Award: Michaelia Baskerville
Most Outstanding Player: Alisha Flaaten
Men’s Basketball
Newcomer of the Year: Xander McNally
Coach’s Award: Xavier Muldrow
Most Outstanding Player: Austin Bryan
Women’s Tennis
Newcomer of the Year: Jessica Curlett
Coach’s Award: Michele Freitas
Most Outstanding Player: Stephanie Lemp
Women’s Golf
Newcomer of the Year: Lorel Grande and Gabby Pecora
Coach’s Award: Ashley Rubin
Most Outstanding Player: Kari Young
Men’s Golf
Newcomer of the Year: Garrett Mitchell
Coach’s Award: Scotty Holdridge and Ian Ignacio
Most Outstanding Player: Sean Nadir
Women’s Softball
Newcomer of the Year: Alisha McKnight
Coach’s Award: Kellie Hislop
Most Outstanding Player: Robyn Ridpath
Men’s Lacrosse
Newcomer of the Year: Corey Whelan
Coach’s Award: Joey Sullivan
Most Outstanding Player: Jim Little