AMHERST, N.Y. – The cheerleading team and
Jahari Winkfield (Oswego, Ill.) of the men'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 March, 2019.
The cheerleading squad earned the honor after registering their third first-place finish of the season at the Epic Athlete Tour Competition. The event was hosted by SUNY Albany on March 30.
The Wildcats' performance drew a score of 90.97, and they earned the title of grand champions for the entire college division, beating out six total teams for the crown. As a grand champion team, the Wildcats, under the direction of head coach
Brianna Aichinger, have earned a qualifying bid to the Epic Athlete Tour U.S. Finals.
Daemen also earned first-place finishes in February at the Angel Cheer and Dance Championship and the Rock the Falls International Championship. The 2018-19 season marks their first as a varsity team in Daemen's stable, following a long history as a club team at the college.
It marks just the fourth time that an entire team has collected the honor of Athlete of the Month. The women's volleyball team was also chosen in November of 2016 after it became the first program from Daemen to earn a bid to a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship event. Last month the men's and women's basketball teams were also selected for the honor after they posted a combined 12-2 record during the month of February and garnered recognition at the regional and national level.
Winkfield enjoyed an outstanding March for another one of Daemen's new sports, men's volleyball. A 6-foot-4 freshman, he totaled 86 kills (2.97 per set), 33 digs (1.14 per set) and 14 blocks over eight matches. He registered double-digit kills in four of the eight matches, including a season-high 21 kills in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Misericordia University during the Wells College Classic on March 2. Additional highlights of the month included a 17 kill effort during a 3-1 win over cross-town rival D'Youville College and 10 kills, six digs and three blocks in a 3-0 win over Vassar College.
Winkfield has played in all 19 matches this year and has totaled a team-high 206 kills (3.03 per set). He also ranks fifth in total digs (77) and fourth in total blocks (25). His six solo blocks are tied for the team lead.
Daemen has posted a 6-13 record in its inaugural season, and the Wildcats return to action this weekend (April 6) when they take part in a tri-match at Vassar College. The Wildcats will face nationally-ranked Springfield College first, before taking on Vassar. Springfield has claimed the last two—and five of the first seven—NCAA Division III national championships. The NCAA first sponsored a Division III national championship for men's volleyball in 2012.
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