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davis mckrell 2017-18 claw award

General By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

Davis, McKrell Named Co-Recipients of the 2017-18 C.L.A.W. Award

AMHERST, N.Y. – Giambattista Davis (Buffalo, N.Y.) of the Daemen College men's basketball team and Katie McKrell (Webster, N.Y.) of the Daemen College women's volleyball team were named co-recipients of the 2017-18 C.L.A.W. Award at the Daemen ESPY's, the Athletic Department's annual awards gala which was held at Lumsden Gymnasium this evening. The C.L.A.W. Award, which is presented annually to the graduating student-athlete who best exhibits excellence in the traits of character, leadership, academic achievement and work ethic, was announced near the end of the event and was presented by alumnus and former women's basketball player Natalie Galus '17. It marks the first time in the six-year history of the award that there's been co-recipients. 

"Both Giambattista and Katie are truly deserving of this award," said Brandi Guerinot, Daemen's interim athletics director. "This is the first year that we are awarding the C.L.A.W. award to both a male and female student-athlete and these are two of our best. They each truly embody the characteristics of an NCAA Division II student-athlete through their academic, athletic and community engagement accomplishments. We are so proud of their dedication to being a student-athlete."
 
Davis, a 6-foot-4 guard/forward, has been a member of the men's basketball team for the last three seasons, appearing in 48 contests while helping Daemen to a 60-27 record. For as much as he contributed on the court, it's Davis' work away from basketball that will leave a lasting mark at Daemen. He's been an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee throughout his tenure, serving the 2017-18 academic year as the organization's president. In that role, he's led the planning and participation of several on-campus events that have raised money for charitable organizations such as Team IMPACT and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He was also selected to be one of four student-athlete representatives from Daemen to attend the APPLE Training Institute last fall, where the group received education and training to implement an action plan focused on the prevention of student-athlete substance abuse and the promotion of overall health and wellness.

Academically, Davis was a past honoree as one the top 10 achieving students following his freshman year. A consistent presence on the Dean's List and an East Coast Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll selection, Davis will graduate after just three years of study, leaving with dual degrees in Mathematics and Liberal Studies. He's also minored in Psychology, Philosophy and Art History. 

McKrell, who also earned her share of Dean's List and Commissioner's Honor Roll accolades, has been a setter with the women's volleyball team for the last four seasons. Over the course of her career, she appeared in 91 matches and is one of only four players in team history with more than 2,500 assists.  

In addition to exploits on the volleyball court, McKrell has been heavily involved as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, Flower City Work Camp, and as an emergency medical technician. She founded Daemen's chapter of Athletes in Action, a ministry for student-athletes. It was with that organization that McKrell traveled to Southeast Asia last month to provide leadership and volleyball clinics for children. She was also honored as one of 25 semifinalists for the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, a prestigious award bestowed upon one intercollegiate student-athlete each year by the Athletes for a Better World organization.

McKrell will move into the graduate level of her Physician Assistant program next fall. 
 
In accepting their awards tonight, Davis and McKrell join an exclusive group of past recipients. Instituted in 2012, previous winners of the award include the women's volleyball player Joanna Fretthold (2011-12), women's basketball player Courtney Donovan (2012-13), men's basketball player Mark Coppola (2013-14), men's soccer/track and field athlete Sam Rugg (2014-15), men's tennis player Gregory Lowe (2015-16) and women's basketball player Rachel Pawlak (2016-17).

Nominations for the award are made by Athletic Department staff members and nominees are then voted on by the department's head coaches and other staffers. Additional nominees this year included Mark Veitengruber (Rockford, Mich.) from the men's tennis team and Taylor Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) from the women's basketball team. 



 
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Players Mentioned

Katie McKrell

#11 Katie McKrell

S
5' 8"
Senior
Giambattista Davis

#33 Giambattista Davis

G/F
6' 4"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Katie McKrell

#11 Katie McKrell

5' 8"
Senior
S
Giambattista Davis

#33 Giambattista Davis

6' 4"
Junior
G/F