May 1, 2009
George Mason University will hold the Senior Salute at Dewberry Hall in the Johnson Center on Tuesday, May 5 at 6:00 p.m. All senior student-athletes will gather together as they come to an end of their Mason careers to commemorate accomplishments, both in the classroom and on the field. Joining the seniors will be the nominees for the male and female Student-Athlete of the Year Awards and the winner of the prestigious Aimee Willard Award.
The seniors will be presented their George Mason Award, which 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. A total of 79 seniors from 18 sports and the cheerleading and dance teams will be honored with the award.
The 13th Aimee Willard commemorative award will be awarded 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.
The Dr. Frank Pettrone Student-Athlete of the Year Award will also be announced at the Senior Salute. The winners of this award are selected by the student-athletes based on the following standards: be a team player on and off the field, demonstrate motivational qualities and good sportsmanship and maintain good academic standing.
The female student-athlete nominees for this award include Maggie Bridges (lacrosse), Ashley Danner (swimming), Ryann Hendricks (track and field) and Chelsea Kropp (volleyball).
Senior defender Maggie Bridges earned her third consecutive First-Team All-CAA selection in 2009. Bridges, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year last season, wrapped up her senior season third in the nation and first in the CAA in ground balls per game with an average of 3.81 per contest. Bridges led the Patriots in caused turnovers with a total of 24.
Danner was the CAA champion in the 100 breaststroke (59.78), the 200 breaststroke (2:10.21) and the 200 individual medley (1:59.99). The freshman set new George Mason, meet and CAA records in all three events and was selected as the Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet. The Springfield, Va., native advanced to the NCAA Swimming Championship where she earned honorable mention All-America honors after a 15th-place finish in the 100 breast. She also finished 19th in the 200 breast and 31st in the 200 IM at the NCAA's. Danner set a new school record in the 400 IM this season as well.
During the 2009 indoor track and field season, Ryann Hendricks qualified for the ECAC Championships in both the long jump and the triple jump, finishing as the runner-up in both events at the championship meet. During the outdoor season, Hendricks was named the CAA Championships Most Outstanding Performer of the Field Events for the second straight season after capturing the conference's triple jump title. She has qualified for the NCAA East Regional Championships in both the long and triple jump.
Chelsea Kropp finished her career with a strong season, starting every match and appearing in each of Mason's 101 sets during the 2008 season. She finished third on the team with 25 service aces and was fifth in digs, averaging 1.23 per set. The Papillion, Neb., native was also sixth in assists and ended the year with 27.5 points.
The men's nominees are Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe (soccer), Cayle Byers (wrestling), Scott Krieger (baseball) and Preston Wolter (swimming). All nominees regardless of class have been invited to the event.
After a spectacular senior season, forward Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe was selected by the Colorado Rapids in the second round (28th overall pick) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Adjeman-Pamboe earned First-Team All-CAA honors during his senior season after leading George Mason and ranking among the top-10 in the CAA in goals (9), assists (7) and points (25). The Bowie, Md. native was instrumental in helping the Patriots' capture their first CAA Championship since the 1989 season.
Cayle Byers won the CAA Championship at 197 pounds to advance to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for the second consecutive season in 2008-09. Byers wrapped up the season ranked 10th in the nation by InterMat with a 30-7 overall record.
Scott Krieger is Mason's all-time leader in home runs, hits, runs, RBI and total bases. He was named a preseason first-team All-American by Louisville Slugger and he is the CAA's all-time leader in career RBI. No active Division I player has more career homers, RBI or total bases.
Wolter was chosen the Most Outstanding Male Swimmer of the 2009 CAA Championships after earning three CAA titles. He won the 400 IM in 3:49.73, setting new school and meet records while recording an NCAA B-cut. Wolter also recorded a B-cut in the 1,650 free with a CAA-title winning time of 15:08.80. The Clarksville, Md., native also won the 500 free in 4:26.06.
The Scholar-Athletes will also be recognized as well during the ceremony. In order to earn the Scholar-Athlete Award, seniors must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.4 or greater.
