Athletics hosts year-end Awards Banquet
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University Department of Athletics celebrated another outstanding year on Tuesday, April 29 at its annual Awards Banquet hosted on campus at the Chace Athletic Center.
With so many outstanding accomplishments this season, five senior athletes were recognized as the best of the best this past year. Naana Ankoma-Mensa (Brampton, Ont.) and Eimear Black (Glengormley, Ireland) were named the Female Athletes of the Year, while Alex Francis (Harlem, N.Y.), Jordan Harris (Lincoln University, Pa.) and Dana Parziale (Pinehurst, N.C.) were named the Male Athletes of the Year.
Ankoma-Mensa put herself into elite company as a senior and will leave Smithfield as one of the greatest players to ever don the Black and Gold. She averaged a double-double on the season with 12.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, helping her team to the NEC tournament for the second-straight season and its first-ever postseason victory at the Division I level. Ankoma-Mensa became just the third player in program history to record over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, finishing 10th all-time at Bryant with 1,282 points and seventh all-time in NEC history with 1,137 boards. She went on to earn All-NEC honors for the second-straight season and was recognized as the Division I Rhode Island Women’s Player of the Year.
Eimear Black cemented herself as one of the greatest runners in program history this past fall, as she won her second-straight Northeast Conference individual championship with a dominating performance. She won the conference meet by over a minute, helping the Bulldogs to a program-best second-place finish. She went on to finish 21st at the NCAA Northeast Regional meet, earning All-Northeast Region honors and missing out on a trip to the NCAA Championship by two spots. She also excelled in the classroom and was named the NEC Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second-straight season while appearing on the NEC Commissioner’s honor roll for the fourth time in her career.
Francis wrapped up his storybook career this past winter. By season’s end, he left no doubt that he is not only one of the best to ever play at Bryant, but one of the greatest basketball players in Northeast Conference history. He averaged 18.6 points per game, becoming just the third player in program history and the sixth in league history to score over 2,000 points. Francis also added 8.2 rebounds per game, finishing his career with 990 boards, good enough for third on the all-time Bryant list. Even more special, Francis is currently the only player in NEC history to rank in the top five in both career scoring and career rebounding.
Harris put the finishing touches on a remarkable career this past fall on the gridiron. The greatest receiver in program history, Harris capped his career with his second-straight 1,000 yard season. He caught a school-record 64 passes and hauled in five touchdowns, becoming the NEC’s all-time leader in receiving yards on October 26 against Duquesne. He leaves Smithfield with eight school records, including most receiving yards in a game and in a season, the most receptions in a career and the most touchdown receptions in a career.
Parziale emerged as one of the greatest tennis players the Bulldogs have ever seen. His senior season was outstanding, as he went 25-13 in singles competition, winning 14 times at number one singles en route to becoming the first-ever Bryant tennis player to be ranked in the Northeast Region. He went on to be named NEC Player of the Month three times, NEC Player of the Week twice and became the first Bryant tennis player to earn ECAC Player of the Week honors. Parziale’s domination on the court earned his team the number one seed in this year’s conference championships, where the Bulldogs claimed their first-ever NEC title with a 4-3 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson.
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Niko Dutra, men’s lacrosse
Female Scholar Athlete of the Year: Mikayla LaRosa, volleyball
Nassaney Bulldog Cup: Softball
FAR Award for Academic Improvement: Men’s Cross Country
Academic Excellence Award: Women’s Cross Country
Boulet Award for Academic Achievement (4.0s): Regan Marin, Mikayla LaRosa (2), Brittany Sarza (2), Jessica May Vickers (2), Eimear Black, Olivia DeRogatis, Kendall Gaffney, Chris Knaub, Morgan Olander, Joe Paparelli.
RIAIAW Distinguished Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Lisa Vendel, women’s lacrosse
Coaches’ Award: Mike Hawley, Assistant Equipment Manager
12th Man Award: Dr. David Ketcham, Faculty Representative
Peter Sullivan Award: Kevin and Bryce Lavalla
NCAA Woman of the Year: Aubrey Mable
Omar Shareef Spirit Award: Kristen Carter, softball
William T. O’Hara Leadership Award: Olivia Jankins (field hockey), JK Poirier (men’s lacrosse)
BULLDOG AWARD WINNERS
Women’s Cross Country: Eimear Black
Men’s Cross Country: Francis Foley
Field Hockey: MaKayla Hancock
Men’s Soccer: Joseph DiMauro
Women’s Soccer: Alyssa Kozlowski
Volleyball: Elena Lohr
Football: Jordan Harris
Men’s Swimming and Diving: Joshua Bjornberg
Women’s Swimming and Diving: Kaitlin Buckley
Men’s Track and Field: Nick Todman
Women’s Track and Field: Martha Reynolds
Men’s Basketball: Tim McKinney
Women’s Basketball: Meredith Soper
Men’s Tennis: Ernesto Arguello
Women’s Tennis: Ryan Brown
Golf: Zach Garbacik
Baseball: Carl Anderson
Softball: Elle Madsen
Men’s Lacrosse: Colin Dunster
Women’s Lacrosse: Lisa Vendel