AMHERST, N.Y. – Junior Jamie Boyar (Williamsville, N.Y.) of the women’s soccer team and sophomore Ali Greenwood (North Aurora, Ill.) of the women’s volleyball team have been named the Daemen College Student-Athletes of the Month presented by Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC for October, 2018.
Boyar, who collects the honor for the second-straight month, scored 10 of Daemen’s 19 goals during the month of October and led the Wildcats to a 3-4-1 month. After going scoreless in the first two games of the month, she registered her second three-goal “hat trick” of the year during a 3-0 win over Queens College on Oct. 10. The highlight of the month came a week later when she scored a career-high five goals and added two assists in just 30 minutes of action during a 9-1 win over East Coast Conference newcomer Lincoln University. That effort set the mark for most goals and points (12) in a game by a Division II player this season, and also earned her ECC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second time this season.
She entered the final regular-season game at Chestnut Hill College just two goals shy of breaking the program-record for goals in a season (19) set by Kim Walker in 2005. Boyar fired 13 shots at the CHC net, but was held off of the scoresheet until the 81:59 when she tied the record. She would score again just 44 seconds later to break the record.
Boyar scored a goal in 10 of Daemen’s 17 games this year and led the Wildcats to an 8-8–1 overall record (5-4-0 ECC) and the program’s first-ever appearance in the four-team ECC Championship Tournament. She ranks second in the ECC in goals (20), game-winning goals (5) and points (43). On the national level, she ranks seventh in goals and 11th in points. She netted 11 goals as a sophomore and is just the second player in team history to record double-digit goals in back-to-back seasons, joining Walker who did so in three straight seasons (2003, 2004, 2005).
A third-team All-ECC selection last fall, Boyar has started all 50 games over her career and has led the team in goals and points the past three seasons. She has totaled 37 career goals, 10 career assists and 84 career points, and ranks second in career goals and third in career points among Daemen’s all-time leaders. She has also totaled 12 career game-winning goals, and the Wildcats are 17-5-1 since she joined the program when she scores at least one goal.
Greenwood, a defensive specialist, totaled 149 digs (5.14 per set) while leading the regionally-ranked women’s volleyball team to a 6-2 month. She also added 24 assists and 10 service aces during the month.
She opened the month with 15 digs during a 3-1 win over the University of Bridgeport on Oct. 5 and a week later totaled a team-high 19 digs in a 3-1 win over long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan College. The highlight of the month came during a 3-2 loss at New York Institute of Technology when she registered a career-high 33 digs. That effort earned her ECC Defensive Player of the Week honors. She closed out the month with 28 digs in a key 3-0 win over Molloy Colege, a win that clinched the top seed in the ECC Tournament for the Wildcats.
Greenwood has played in all 29 matches and all 103 sets this year. She ranks fifth among the ECC leaders in total digs (454) and fourth in digs per set (4.41). She has registered 10 or more digs in 26 of Daemen’s 29 matches and has reached 20 or more digs seven times. She also ranks third on the team in both service aces (69) and assists (26).
Daemen, which is ranked third in the latest NCAA Division II East Region poll, closed out the regular-season with a 19-10 overall record and a 13-1 mark in the ECC. The Wildcats claimed the ECC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming ECC Championship Tournament. Daemen will host the four-team tournament this weekend (Nov. 9-10) at Lumsden Gymnasium.
Additional student-athletes considered for Athlete of the Month honors included Sarah Golas (Alden, N.Y.) of the women’s cross country team, Allison Post (Windsor, Calif) of the women’s volleyball team, Kevin Halpern (East Amherst, N.Y.) of the men’s golf team, Mike Swiniarski (Akron, N.Y.) of the men’s cross country team, Zackery Elliott (Bolton, Ont.) of the men’s soccer team and Erik Matthews (Galway, N.Y.) of the men’s soccer team.
