Highest Honors

BRYANT MARKS AMAZING YEAR IN SPORTS AT ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET WEDNESDAY

Cristian Balestrieri, 2011 Male Athlete of the Year
Casey Ostrander, 2011 Female Athlete of the Year

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University Department of Athletics celebrated an incredible year in sports Wednesday, May 4 at the annual Athletic Awards Banquet hosted on campus at the Chace Athletic Center.

Following a night full of awards and recognitions, the evening concluded with the announcement of the most coveted annual honor, the naming of the 2010-11 Female and Male Athletes of the Year. This year’s accolades went to women’s swimming sophomore standout Casey Ostrander (Yarmouthport, Mass.) and senior men’s tennis star Cristian Balestrieri (Mar Del Plata, Argentina).

Ostrander capped off a tremendous sophomore season this past winter, setting five new school records and two pool marks, as well as swimming to a new Northeast Conference record in the 100-yard backstroke at the conference championships in February. For the second year in a row, Ostrander was named the NEC Swimmer of the Year, winning four events – three as an individual and one as part of a conference record-setting relay team – at the NEC Championship meet. She would go on to win yet another title at the ECAC Championships in Pittsburgh.

Balestrieri capped off his brilliant four-year career this spring as perhaps one of the top tennis players in program history. The senior won 54 career matches, posting a 17-8 record this spring in leading the Bulldogs to their most successful men’s tennis season since moving to Division I. Bryant went 15-6 on the 2010-11 campaign, including taking a perfect 6-0 mark against Northeast Conference opponents. Balestrieri was named First Team All-NEC after earning wins over the top players from such tennis-savvy programs as Stony Brook, Villanova, Boston University, Quinnipiac, Monmouth, Hofstra and NEC Tournament champion Sacred Heart.

In addition to his success on the court, Balestrieri was named Vice President of the Beta Gama Business Honor Society – the highest award available for accounting majors – and recently received the Jim Thorpe Award from the Bryant Intercultural Center. He also served as an ICC Lead Counselor and was a member of the Bryant Senior Advisory Council, the Accounting Association and the Student Senate.

Supporters, administrators and players from teams across Bryant’s spectrum of sports received the 10 additional major awards given out on the night.

Senior players from women’s tennis and men’s cross country/track and field were recognized as the Female and Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year, as marketing major Morganne Downing (Cherry Hills Village, Colo.) and Actuarial Mathematics major (and business and psychology double minor) Scott Twardowski (Rehoboth, Mass.) graduated with the highest cumulative grade point average among all female and male student-athletes, respectively.

Recipients of the Dr. William T. O’Hara Leadership Award came from men’s lacrosse and women’s basketball in senior captains Anthony Iannello (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) and Siamone Bennett (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.).

Iannello, one of most prolific longstick midfielders in the game over the last four seasons, was a First Team All-NEC pick a year ago and this season is a finalist for the prestigious Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, one of only 10 players nationwide selected for the honor. Bennett, after walking on to the team as a freshman four years ago, has turned into one of the program’s top post players. Cracking the starting lineup during her rookie season, Bennett was one of the conference’s best inside players this year, averaging 6.0 rebounds per game and blocking 33 shots.

Receiving the NCAA Woman of the Year Award was senior softball standout Samantha Houseal (Mount Joy, Pa.). A Dean’s List student, Houseal graduates as the all-time leader in innings pitched and ranks second all-time in career strikeouts. A volunteer on campus and in the community, she is also an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is a two-year captain. 

The RIAIAW Distinguished Female Athlete of the Year Award was handed out to track and field standout Sherika Nicholas (East Patchogue, N.Y.). Nicholas, a senior and active member of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority, serves as the Chair of the Finer Womanhood Committee on campus as well as assisting in the Hochberg Women’s Center. She also received the prestigious Jim Thorpe Award from the Bryant Intercultural Center in 2011.

The head coaches handed out their annual Coaches’ Award this year to Associate Athletic Director, Compliance Director and Senior Woman’s Administrator Beth Wandyes (’96) and Director of Operations Deborah Levine.

Wandyes took on the enormous task of coordinating Round Three of NCAA certification this past year. Working long and tireless hours, Wandyes almost single-handedly wrote and coordinated Bryant’s 197-page NCAA self-study report, all while chairing numerous committees and acting as the school’s liaison with the NCAA. In addition, her outstanding work in maintaining eligibility and oversight of Bryant’s 22 intercollegiate varsity teams, keeping the staff at the forefront of NCAA compliance and legislation, and serving as the department’s representative on the Northeast Conference Rules and Regulations Committee did not go unnoticed, as she was recognized for all her efforts above and beyond the call of duty by the Bryant coaching staffs, administration and university officials.

Levine, who is completing her second year at Bryant, ran perhaps the most efficient and flawless game management operation in the entire Northeast Conference at all of the Bulldogs’ multiple athletic facilities. Her outstanding organizational and management skills have helped create a first-class, Division I game-day atmosphere for each and every Bryant home event.

Outside of the athletic department, the Bulldogs honored two individuals for their outstanding contributions and commitment to the Black and Gold. Sodexo’s Assistant Director of Food Services Kim Layne received the 12th Man Award for all of her hard work in preparing and coordinating teams’ pregame meals, bagged lunches and Senior Day BBQs, to name just a few of the things she does to make the department among the best in the NEC. In addition, Layne serves a key role in making sure all Black and Gold pregame receptions, team banquets – including Wednesday’s Awards Banquet – are done in a first-class manner.

Receiving the Peter Sullivan Award, named after a long-time contributor, supporter and alumnus who passed away two years ago, was Steve Berman (’68), who has been a valued member of the Black & Gold Club over the years and shows his pride throughout the year by attending many home events, as well as several road contests.

Earlier in the evening, Bryant recognized retiring head men’s golf coach Archie Boulet, who received a standing ovation for his incredible 47-year career at the helm of one of New England’s most successful and prestigious programs, guiding the Bulldogs to numerous NCAA championships and regional titles throughout his storied career. In honor of Boulet’s many years of service as both coach and former chair of the university’s science department, a new annual award – the Boulet Award for Academic Excellence – will be handed out to those student-athletes achieving a 4.0 GPA during the academic year.

Other award winners included Omar Shareef Spirit Award winner and multiple honoree on the night Cristian Balestrieri, as well as President’s Cup winners football (fall), men’s swimming (winter) and men’s tennis (spring), and Bulldog Award winners from each of Bryant’s 22 varsity sports.

Here’s a rundown of the evening’s awards:

Male and Female Athletes of the Year
Cristian Balestrieri, Men’s Tennis
Casey Ostrander, Women’s Swimming

Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Scott Twardowski, Cross Country/Track & Field
Morganne Downing, Women’s Tennis

Male and Female William T. O’Hara Awards
Anthony Iannello, Men’s Lacrosse
Siamone Bennett, Women’s Basketball

Coaches’ Awards
Beth Wandyes ‘96, Associate AD/SWA/Compliance Director
Deb Levine, Director of Operations

12th Man Award
Kim Layne, Assistant Director of Food Services, Sodexo

Peter Sullivan Award
Steve Berman ‘68

NCAA Woman of the Year
Samantha Houseal, Softball

RIAIAW Distinguished Female Athlete of the Year
Sherika Nicholas, Track & Field

Omar Shareef Spirit Award
Cristian Balestrieri, Men’s Tennis

Bulldog Awards (presented by each head coach)
David Hurley, Men’s Cross Country
Martha Reynolds, Women’s Cross Country
Stephanie Del Mistro, Women’s Soccer
Brittany Glenn, Field Hockey
Jordan Martin, Men’s Soccer
Jadith Lorenzo, Women’s Volleyball
Michael Canfora, Football
Alex Kosenski, Men’s Swimming
Amy Howell, Women’s Swimming
Cecil Gresham, Men’s Basketball
Siamone Bennett, Women’s Basketball
Valeria Couto Cuervo, Women’s Tennis
Dana Parziale, Men’s Tennis
Brent Besch, Golf
Mark Andrews, Baseball
Samantha Houseal, Softball
Mary Green, Women’s Lacrosse
Gary Crowley, Men’s Lacrosse
Sherika Nicholas, Women’s Track & Field
Anthony Monteiro, Men’s Track & Field