Gallaudet University student-athletes recognized at annual awards ceremony

WASHINGTON – The 2016-17 Gallaudet University athletics year officially came to a close on Tuesday, May 2, in the Field House gym as the GU athletics department held its annual awards ceremony. Student-athletes and team managers were supplied a catered dinner from Three Brothers Italian Restaurant that was served by Gallaudet's head coaches and athletic staff.

Bison student-athletes from 14 varsity teams were recognized before a capacity crowd. Women's volleyball junior Darriyan Thomas (Vallejo, Calif.) and men's swimming and diving junior Jonathan Tikhonoff (Folsom, Calif.) were named the Student-Athletes of the Year.

Gallaudet Director of Athletics Michael Weinstock served as the host as the ceremony. Several special awards were handed out on the night. Dean of Student Affairs Dwight Benedict was selected as Fan of the Year. Dr. Kathleen Wood received the Outstanding Faculty Member Award. In total, over 100 student-athletes were honored with team and department awards. Fourteen seniors earned the Four-Year Athlete Award after participating all four years in GU athletics.

Junior women's swimmer Faye Frez-Albrecht (Canton, Conn.) was presented a special Appreciation Award for her perseverance and actions that positively impacted Gallaudet Athletics and its Student-Athletes, Coaches and Staff. Her 2016 vlog about equal access for deaf and hard of hearing swimmers helped change the way swim meets were handled this past school year with a new light starting system. A brief video was shown about Faye's plight for "A Fair Start" at all swim meets for deaf and hard of hearing swimmers.

In addition, Earl Mikell was given an Appreciation Award for his tireless work running the Bison Zone, Bison Crew and game operations work. Lastly, Kris Gould was honored with his 30 Years of Service award from the University.

The ceremony highlighted the national and conference awards obtained and championships won and conference tournament appearances this past year. Weinstock concluded the ceremony by thanking all of the student-athletes for their hard work in the classroom and on the field of play this past season and he wished everyone a safe and fun summer.

Below is a list of all award winners. The winners and awards are listed in alphabetical order.

2016-17 GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS AWARDS CEREMONY

AL VAN NEVEL MEMORIAL AWARD
A senior athlete who holds a GPA of 3.5 or better, demonstrates positive leadership on and off the court/field and consistently exhibits good sportsmanship on and off the court/field

Conrad Baer (Men's Soccer)

BISON COMEBACK AWARD
Overcame a significant injury or obstacle and returned to competition

Daequan Taylor (Football)

BISONSTRONG AWARD
Strong commitment to training in the off-season

Kelli Barnes (Women's Basketball)
Andy Cruz (Men's Basketball)
Michael Ehlers (Baseball)
Kori Koss (Women's Basketball)
Shellane McKitty (Women's Track & Field)
Solomon Worthey (Football)

COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM AWARD
Award honors athletic team with the most community service hours during the school year

Women's Basketball

OUTSTANDING FACULTY MEMBER AWARD
Dr. Kathleen Wood

FAN OF THE YEAR
Gallaudet faculty, staff member(s), or friends of the program that show great Bison spirit, attend athletic events

Dwight Benedict

FOUR-YEAR ATHLETE AWARD
A student-athlete who has participated all four years at Gallaudet

OUTSTANDING TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD
Award honors athletic team with great success on the playing field and in the community and classroom

Men's Basketball

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
First-year athlete that exceeds coaches’ expectations

Dalton Attanasi (Men's Cross Country)
Tiffany Anderson (Women's Basketball, Track & Field)
Adele Daniels (Women's Volleyball)
Mason Gooch (Football)
Nick Jones (Men's Track & Field)
Silvya Levesque (Women's Soccer)
Chris Martinez (Men's Swimming & Diving)
Noah Means-Simonsen (Men's Soccer)
Ben Meyer (Baseball)
Jakkisha Smith (Women's Basketball)
Julia Miller-Notestone (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Rudy Sewell (Women's Cross Country)
Noah Valencia (Men's Basketball)

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD
Top 10 Cumulative GPA - Seniors only - Alphabetical Order

Conrad Baer (Men's Soccer)
Katherine Bigelow (Women's Swimming & Diving, Track & Field)
Abby Courtemanche (Women's Soccer, Track & Field)
Ian Evans (Baseball)
Adele Fass (Softball)
John Isaacson (Men's Cross Country, Track & Field)
Taylor Mickelson (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Naomi Schofield (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Ashleigh Warden (Women's Soccer)

SPIELBERGER AWARD
Top Team Managers and Student Assistants

Fatuma Ali (Women's Basketball)
Jomar Figueroa (Football, Men's Basketball)
Jeremy Franz (Softball)
Brandon Rouley (Football)
Daniel Tanielu (Football)
CJ Upchurch (Women's Volleyball)
Dante Washington (Men's Basketball)
Debbie Wheatley (Women's Basketball)

STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Darriyan Thomas (Women's Volleyball)
Jonathan Tikhonoff (Men's Swimming & Diving)

UNSUNG HERO AWARD
Conrad Baer (Men's Soccer)
Kelli Barnes (Women's Basketball)
Katherine Benz (Women's Soccer)
Jaylen Chaney (Baseball)
Adele Fass (Softball)
Tony Libit (Football)
Jessica Monroe (Women's Swimming & Diving)
Setthawut Snow (Men's Swimming & Diving)

2016-17 Gallaudet University Team Awards

• Photo Gallery: 2016-17 Athletics Banquet (Photos By David Sinclair)