On Monday night, members of the George Mason athletic
department, student-athletes and head coaches gathered at the Mason Inn to
recognize the 2011 senior class and announce the winners of its annual awards
during the 2011 Senior Salute. The student-athletes were recognized for their
accomplishments during the academic year both on the field and in the
classroom.
Director of Athletics Tom O'Connor opened the awards portion
of the evening presenting two-sport athlete Kimmy Moss 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.
Moss, a defender on the women's soccer team who hails from
South Riding, Va.,
appeared in 71 matches in her four-year career and started 56. The senior
started all 20 games for the Patriots this season and finished the year with
two goals and three assists. She is the second women's soccer player to win the
award; Lisa Berra received the award in 1998. Moss has also been a part of the
Patriots' track and field program for three seasons.
A total of 79 senior student-athletes from 17 sports and the
cheerleading and dance teams received the George Mason Award before the night concluded.
The award, a hand-sculpted statue of George Mason, was commissioned in January
of 1997 in an effort to recognize the culmination of a student-athlete's
participation in intercollegiate athletics. The statue, engraved with each
student-athlete's name, was designed as a permanent remembrance of both the
institution and the student-athlete's legacy.
The evening's final awards were presented to the winners of
the Dr. Frank Pettrone Student-Athlete of the Year. The winners of this award
are selected by the student-athletes and staff members of the athletics department 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.
Three-time All-American Ashley Danner, a junior on the
women's swimming & diving team, repeated as the Female Student-Athlete of
the Year, while senior Cam Long of the men's basketball team took home the Male
Student-Athlete of the Year award.
Danner, who received the award last year as well, finished
tied for first as the top overall point scorer at the CAA Championships and has
competed in the NCAA Championships all three years of her career. She earned
All-CAA honors after finishing first in three events at the CAA Championships this
season and took home third-place in the 100-yard breaststroke, 7th
in the 200-yard breaststroke and 12th
in the 200-yard IM in the NCAA
Tournament. Danner was named the CAA Women's Swimmer of the Week on three
separate occasions and becomes the third member of the women's swimming and
diving team to earn the Student-Athlete of the Year award.
Long, an All-CAA First Team honoree along with earning All-State
and All-District plaudits, ranked 10th in the conference in scoring (15.1 ppg),
sixth in steals (1.4 spg), 11th in field goal percentage (47.9%) and 14th in
assists (2.9 apg). He shot 43.2 percent from three-point range, the third
highest mark in the league, and scored double figures in 30 of Mason's 34
contests. He completed his career with Mason ranked fifth in career assists
(354), sixth in steals (147) 14th in career scoring (1,400 points), ninth in
field goal percentage (.383), and 16th in rebounds (512). He appeared in 132
games for the Green and Gold, more than any other player in program history.
Also nominated for the student-athlete of the year awards
were Omolyn Davis (soccer), Tori Dudley (softball), Noelle Fanella
(volleyball), Chelsea Gamble (lacrosse), Lindsay Gray (tennis), Maureen
McAuliffe (rowing), Josh Apple (golf), Chris Carrington (track), Shane Davis
(baseball) and Preston Wolter (swimming).
Seniors were also recognized for their efforts in the
classroom as 20 student-athletes received the Scholar-Athlete Award for
carrying a cumulative grade point average of 3.4 or greater. In addition, five
also received the Provost's Scholar Student-Athlete Award for carrying a 3.75
cumulative GPA or higher. A complete list of the student-athletes receiving the
Scholar-Athlete Award is below with those earning the Provost's award indicated
with an asterisk.
Brittany Eley Women's
Basketball
Angelee LaTouche*
Women's Basketball
Maureen Onda Lacrosse
Amy Yatsuk* Lacrosse
Simone Gaulman Rowing
Nadia Skolnitsky* Rowing
Marilyn Waddell Rowing
Mike Foss Men's
Soccer
Evan Feldman Women's
Soccer
Kimberly Moss Women's
Soccer/Track & Field
Zachary Hamlin Men's
Swim/Dive
Ali Marie Murphy Women's
Swim/Dive
Aryn Christman Women's
Tennis
Lindsay Gray Women's
Tennis
Robert Krause Men's
Track & Field
David Wellington* Men's
Track & Field
Eric Lucas Men's
Volleyball
Fernanda Bartels Ferreira Women's
Volleyball
Brandon Bucher Wrestling
Aaron Keeton* Wrestling
