VIDEO OF APRIL 28 ATHLETICS AWARDS PRESENTATION
WESTON, Mass. - The Regis College athletics department gathered together Friday night, April 28, on campus at Casey Theatre to celebrate the accomplishments from the 2022-23 academic year and recognize several student-athletes for their exemplary performances during the Athletics Awards Presentation.
For the third consecutive year, a member of the Regis College women's swimming and diving team received the prestigious Regis-Casserly Award, the highest honor given out by the Regis Department of Athletics recognizing excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, and service. Cashman Murphy (Westwood, Mass.) is a three-time Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) champion who qualified for the NCAA Diving Regionals this past season. A nursing major with a 3.87 grade point average, Murphy is a member of the Regis Student Nurses Association and has volunteered with the Regis Children's Center on several occasions.
Santiago Pedraza Novak (Bogota, Colombia) received the Male Regis-Casserly Award after a stellar four-year career both with the men's soccer team and as an involved member of the campus community. Over the past four years, he served as a senior resident assistant, Pride Guide, and orientation leader coordinator. He currently carries a 3.85 grade point average as a biology major on a pre-medical track with a minor in lab operations management, taking part in an innovative research study on the detection of ovarian cancer.
Brett Kiesel (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and Tia Zanardi (Haverhill, Mass.) received the Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards for their outstanding achievement in academics while participating on a varsity team. Kiesel, a six-time All-GNAC performer at the 2022 GNAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, has set school records in the decathlon (5,354 points) and javelin throw (57.93 meters) this year. Majoring in psychology and secondary education, he currently carries a grade point average of 3.978.
Zanardi was the backbone for the women's soccer team as it notched eight shutouts during the fall 2022 season. She earned First Team All-GNAC honors and is believed to be the first Regis player to collect All-Region recognition from United Soccer Coaches. Majoring in therapeutic recreation with a minor in psychology, she is currently carrying a 3.955 grade point average and earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors last fall.
Marcello Cappuccio (Scotch Plains, N.J.) and Pam Gonzalez (Revere, Mass.) received the Outstanding Senior Student-Athletes of the Year Award. Cappuccio became the first player in the history of the men's volleyball program to receive AVCA All-Region recognition after his selection as GNAC Libero of the Year and First Team All-GNAC. One of this year's team captains, he became the first player in program history to collect at least 300 digs in a single season, breaking his own school record with 311 digs in 2023.
Gonzalez became the eighth player in the history of the women's basketball program to score at least 1,000 career points within three competition seasons, ending the year with 1,119 career points. A First Team All-GNAC selection for the second straight year, she added Third Team All-Region honors from both the NEWBA and D3Hoops.com. Her name is all over the Pride record books, including fourth in career made three-pointers with 122 and sixth in career scoring average at 15.54 points per game.
Anastazia Copeland (West Hartford, Conn.), Ahnasia Mckinney (Chelmsford, Mass.), and Joseph Perez (Miami, Fla.) were named the Outstanding Junior Student-Athletes of the Year. Copeland was named GNAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Field Athlete of the Year after winning the weight throw at the GNAC Indoor Championships in February. Mckinney notched three triple-doubles during the volleyball season as she was called upon to serve as both a hitter and a setter, finishing with 587 assists and 224 kills. Perez earned First Team All-GNAC honors after ending the season with 303 kills, including a school-record 27 kills against Emerson April 1.
Bianca Burke (Cambridge, Mass.), Olivia Luhnau (Denver, Colo.), and Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) received the Outstanding Sophomore Student-Athletes of the Year Award. Burke set the single-season school records for most hits with 49 and most runs scored with 33 as she led the Pride softball team to more victories than the previous year. Luhnau was a two-time All-GNAC performer at the 2023 GNAC Swimming and Diving Championships, finishing second in both the 50 breaststroke and the 100 individual medley. Rau led the Pride men's basketball team with 16.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, earning Second Team All-GNAC honors as he totaled 407 points and 214 rebounds, third-most in program history in both categories.
Based on the talent of the four student-athletes named Outstanding First-Year Student-Athletes of the Year, the future of several Pride programs is solid. Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) ended the men's basketball season averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as he was named GNAC Rookie of the Week four times as well as to the GNAC All-Rookie Team. Justin Thuotte (Lebanon, Conn.) won the triple jump at the GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, set the indoor school record in the heptathlon, and set the outdoor school record in the long jump.
Kiana Thompson (Boynton Beach, Fla.) completed a perfect 10-0 season in singles and posted a 10-1 record in doubles, earning GNAC Player of the Year and GNAC Rookie of the Year honors as she led the Pride women's tennis team to the championship match of the conference tournament. Madi Zancan (Cumberland, R.I.) earned GNAC Rookie of the Year recognition in women's basketball after averaging 13.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game, plus she worked her way into the starting lineup at shortstop for the softball team in the spring.
For the second straight year, an Outstanding Graduate Student-Athlete of the Year was awarded, this time to Ashleigh Kelley (Stoneham, Mass.). Kelley finished third at the GNAC Cross Country Championships and 21st at the NCAA East Regional for her second straight All-Region recognition. She then won the 800 meter run, one mile run, and 3000 meter run at the GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championships, plus she anchored the victorious distance medley relay that clinched the conference title for the Pride women.
The Dean's Awards were given to seniors Michael Carroll (Lynn, Mass.) and Hailey Lovell (Wakefield, Mass.) for "the outstanding perseverance that the recipients showed in the face of adversity and injury throughout their careers as well as the positive attitude and work ethic that they've exhibited to continue to play the sports they love." Chris Margiatto (Suffield, Conn.) received the inaugural Outstanding Student Worker of the Year Award for "possessing all the attributes that elevate the profile of the program, enhance the student-athlete experience, and provide a professional and workman-like attitude that propels Regis Athletics beyond our GNAC competition in whatever role they are working in."
By a slim margin over three other teams with GPAs above 3.5, the women's tennis team received the Judith W. Burling Team Award for Academic Excellence with a weighted team cumulative grade point average of 3.5615 spanning the spring 2022 and fall 2022 semesters.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Executive Board, led by Novak, vice-president Zak Latifi (Holliston, Mass.), treasurer Kayla Morrill (Lynn, Mass.), secretary Morgan Pero (Hartford, Vt.), and social media representatives Toni Ondris (Mineola, N.Y.) and Valerie Whalen (Stoughton, Mass.), presented Jason Behenna, Sports Information Director, with the SAAC Faculty/Staff Appreciation Award for his efforts in documenting and publicizing all 20 Pride programs.
In addition, SAAC spearheaded the Reggie Awards, a series of six awards voted on by student-athletes. The women's lacrosse team received Best Comeback Win for the come-from-behind 11-9 victory over the University of Saint Joseph March 18. Cappuccio picked up Best Record-Breaking Performance for breaking the single season school record for digs with 311, the first player in Regis men's volleyball history to accumulate at least 300 defensive digs.
The men's basketball team received Best Upset honors after defeating eventual GNAC Tournament champion Albertus Magnus for the first time in program history on Senior Day Feb. 11, 93-91. The Best Playoff Victory went to the women's track and field team for winning the 2023 GNAC Indoor Track and Field Championship, while the field hockey team picked up Best Overtime Win for its 2-1 victory in double overtime over Elms Oct. 1. Finally, the softball team was voted Most Supportive Team for its continued support of fellow student-athletes.
Before the awards ceremony, graduating seniors and their families were invited to a reception where they received stoles signifying their status as student-athletes which they will wear at Commencement Saturday, May 6.
Regis College is a Division III member of the NCAA competing within the Great Northeast Athletic Conference in 20 intercollegiate sports.