On Tuesday night the George Mason athletic department, its student-athletes, coaches and staff, gathered at the Patriot Center to recognize the 2015 senior class one last time and announce the recipients of the department's annual awards.
After George Mason University President Dr. Angel Cabrera and Director of Athletics Brad Edwards gave their opening remarks, Associate A.D., Academic Services Dr. Deborah Wilson recognized 33 Provost Scholar-Athletes. Following the recognition Edwards opened the awards portion of the evening, honoring junior Chandler Bishop with the Aimee Willard Commemorative Award. The award was established in 1997 and is presented to the Mason student-athlete who best exemplifies the standards of quality set by Aimee: intensity, consistency of purpose, achievement and teamwork. Nominees are selected by head coaches and the recipient is selected by Gail Willard, Aimee's mother, and the Willard family.
Bishop stroked the Varsity 8 at this season's Atlantic 10 Conference rowing championships, guiding the boat to an appearance in the Grand Final and helping the team secure a tie for fifth place. She also paced the Varsity 8 to a third place finish at Occoquan Sprints this spring and fifth place at the Head of the Charles regatta in the fall.
75 seniors from 17 sports and the cheerleading and dance teams were then honored with the George Mason Award. The award was commissioned in January of 1997 in an effort to recognize the culmination of a student-athlete's participation in intercollegiate athletics. The hand-sculpted artwork of George Mason was designed as a permanent remembrance of both the institution and the student-athlete's legacy.
Last but not least, the evening's final awards were presented to the winners of the Dr. Frank Pettrone Student-Athletes of the Year. The winners of this award were selected by the student-athletes and staff members of the athletic department based on the following standards: be a team player on and off the field, demonstrate motivated qualities and good sportsmanship and maintain good academic standing.
Women's basketball junior guard Taylor Brown was announced as the Female Student-Athlete of the Year while men's soccer senior forward Timi Mulgrew was voted the Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Track & Field had previously swept the male and female awards the past two seasons.
After leading the Atlantic 10 in points per game with 21.4 and setting a single-season Mason women's basketball scoring record with 643 points, Brown was named Second Team All-Conference and First Team All-State. She ended the season at 13th on Mason's all-time list for scoring with 1,229 points, reaching the 1,000 point mark in just 50 games; faster than anyone in Mason women's basketball history. Brown hit the game-winning, tying or go-ahead shot four times this past season resulting in three wins, including back-to-back buzzer beaters against La Salle and St. Bonaventure.
Mulgrew capped off a stellar career at George Mason with a career-high 13 goals and 28 points in his senior season, both of which led the team and the Atlantic 10 Conference. For his efforts he earned Atlantic 10 and All-Midwest First Team honors. Mulgrew was also named a NSCAA/Continental Tire Third Team All-American and a College Soccer News Second Team All-American in addition to earning All-State Co-Player of the Year honors. Mulgrew signed a professional contract with the New England Revolution following his time at Mason.
Also nominated for the student-athlete of the year awards were Brooke Blankenship (softball), Sydney Fisher (swimming & diving), Stephi Matsushima (women's volleyball), Sydney Mitchell (women's soccer), Bethany Sachtleben (track and field), Jake Kettler (wrestling), Travis Lauri (swimming & diving), Anthony Williams (track & field) and Luke Willis (baseball).
33 student-athletes were recognized for their efforts in the classroom with the Provost Scholar-Athlete honor for carrying a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher. A complete list of the student-athletes recognized is below with those that were three-time Provost Scholar-Athletes indicated with an asterisk.
Provost Scholar-Athletes
Elizabeth Agiato* – Women's Soccer
Madison Baker - Swimming & Diving
Kelli Beard - Lacrosse
Aaron Capitel - Men's Tennis
Brenna Connell - Women's Soccer
Melissa Davis – Swimming & Diving
Roger Dean - Coed Cheer
Lynne Eisenberg - Track & Field
Christina Gabriele - Softball
Jessie Greenslade - Women's Volleyball
Paul Helfgott - Swimming & Diving
Taylor Hunt - Baseball
Taylor Iobst - Swimming & Diving
Megann Kaiser* - Track & Field
Elizabeth Kearns - Rowing
Youssef Khalafallah - Men's Tennis
Stuart Lampen-Crowell - Track & Field
Melissa Lobaccaro - Lacrosse
Brooke Lorber - Lacrosse
Angela Maioran - Softball
Conor Moran - Men's Tennis
Jennifer Nakamura - Track & Field
Mary O'Connor - Softball
Kelly Pizzingrilli* - Women's Soccer
Kirstin Russell* - Lacrosse
Kelsey Ryan* - Swimming & Diving
Erin Schulte - Swimming & Diving
Heather Selheimer* - Track & Field
Sarah Solano - Softball
Jacquelyn Spalding - Lacrosse
Mariah Sutton - Masonettes
Hayley Walczer* - Rowing
Tyler Zombro - Baseball
