Maerkl and Beyer Honored By The East Coast Conference

Maerkl Collects The E.C.C. Award and Beyer Named a John Smillie, Jr. Award Winner

6/29/2023 12:20:00 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. - Two Daemen University student-athletes were among the recipients of major awards doled out by the East Coast Conference today. Marina Maerkl (Binghamton, N.Y.) of the women's basketball team was selected for the prestigious Excellence in Community and Character Award (E.C.C. Award), while Gretchen Beyer (Williamsville, N.Y.) was a recipient of the John Smillie, Jr. Award.

In addition, three Daemen student-athletes were selected the ECC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for their respective sport, recognizing their combined achievements in athletics and academics. Erik Matthews (Galway, N.Y.) was named the ECC Scholar Athlete of the Year for Men's Outdoor Track & Field for the third-straight year. Maggie Burns (Louisville, Ky.) was selected the Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's volleyball, while Camryn Bailey (Geneva, N.Y.) earned Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Women's Outdoor Track & Field.

The Excellence in Community and Character Award is the ECC's most prestigious honor and is awarded to student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through positive actions and behaviors that are consistent with the NCAA Division II attributes of learning, service, passion, sportsmanship, balance, and resourcefulness.

Maerkl demonstrated high character and distinguish herself as a responsible student-athlete who made the most of her four years ar Daemen. Over her collegiate career she has served as Vice President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a Team IMPACT Fellow, a Social Committee member for Student Physical Therapy Association, a Peer Mentor, an Physical Therapy Academic Coach and she is a graduate of the Wildcats Will Lead program.

Maerkl was a four-year member of the Daemen women's basketball team. During the course of her career, she helped the Wildcats to 79 wins, four-straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, four ECC regular-season titles and three ECC Tournament championships. She also helped the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA Tournament regional championship and "Elite Eight" berth as a sophomore. She earned her bachelor of science degree in physical therapy this past May.

The John Smillie, Jr. Award is named in honor of John Smillie, Jr., Athletic Trainer at former ECC member New York Tech, who passed away after battling cancer. It is given annually to a student-athlete or student-athletes who have overcome personal or physical challenges and hardships to pursue their intercollegiate athletic careers.

Beyer arrived on the Daemen campus in the fall of 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 crisis. Later that year she noticed some weight loss as well as inflammation and unexplained joint pain. After undergoing a series of tests, she was diagnosed with Lupus. Lupus is an "auto-immune disease" in which the immune system starts to attack itself resulting in system-wide inflammation among other symptoms that can lead to potential organ damage. After the Lupus diagnosis, she was unsure if she would be able to play contact sports again because there was some resulting kidney damage. In the summer 2021 she was medically cleared to return to working out in an effort to build back strength and endurance. She worked with a personal trainer/coach and progressed toward a full return to soccer for the 2021 season. However, the unthinkable happened. During her last summer training session she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, which would require surgical reconstruction. Due to the Lupus medication the surgery had to be delayed and eventually took place in October of 2021.

This past fall, as a junior, Beyer took the field for the first time as a collegiate soccer player--playing 51 minutes in a 0-0 overtime tie with Le Moyne College on August 30. She ended up playing in 16 of 17 games during the 2022 season. Beyer's work ethic and dedication has been an inspiration to her teammates and it was recently announced that she will be one of the team captains for the 2023 season.

"Through all of this Gretchen has always pushed herself and never felt bad for herself – always stayed positive," said Jeff Sage, the Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine & Performance at Daemen. "She never questioned quitting soccer and with each setback was determined to find her way back to the field."

Maerkl and Beyer were also major award winners during Daemen's 2023 Wildcat Night Of Honors, a annual event held on campus to recognize the achievements of the university's intercollegiate teams and student-athletes. Maerkl was awarded the C.L.A.W. Award, which is given to the graduating student-athlete who best exemplifies the traits of character, leadership, academic achievement and work ethic. Beyer was named the winner of the Sports Medicine P.R.I.D.E. Award, which is presented to the student-athlete who best exemplifies perseverance, resilience, integrity, determination and expectations of excellence during an injury rehabilitation process.

Matthews concluded his outstanding three-year career with the Daemen Track & Field program this past spring. At the conference championship meet in early May, Matthews placed first out of seven entrants in the 110-meter hurdles with a program-record time of 15.94 seconds. He would place second out of seven entrants in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.23 seconds, which ranks as the second fastest time in program history. Matthews capped his day by placing fifth out of 14 entrants in the long jump with a leap of 6.29 meters. An eight-time all-conference performer, Matthews posted four ECC individual titles over his career and owns four program record times. He owns the indoor records for the 60 meter hurdles (8.69 seconds) and the 400 meter dash (51.05 seconds) and the outdoor records for the 110 meter hurdles (15.94 seconds) and the 400 meter hurdles (56.08 seconds). A Physical Therapy major, Matthews maintained a 3.96 cumulative grade point average over his career.

Burns enjoyed an outstanding senior season while leading the women's volleyball team to its second-straight ECC Tournament title. She was named the 2022 East Coast Conference Player of the Year and earned First Team All-Region honors and First Team All-ECC honors as well. Burns ranked second on the team offensively, knocking down 233 kills to average 3.33 kills per set. The 5-foot-9 outside hitter also finished third on the team with 226 digs (3.23 digs per set). Burns tallied a career-high 21 kills against D'Youville on Oct. 22, and tallied nine double-doubles (kills-digs) on the season. A three-time ECC Player of the Week selection during the 2022 season, she was also one of four Daemen women's volleyball players to earn Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC), recognizing their combined achievements on the court and in the classroom. Majoring in Adolescence Education (Students with Disabilities/Special Education Generalist), Burns has maintained a 3.75 cumulative GPA.

Bailey capped off her junior season by posting two all-conference efforts at the 2023 ECC Outdoor Track & Filed Championships in early May. She earned first team honors in the 5,000 meters and second team honors in the 1,500 meters for the second-straight year. She placed second in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:35.98, which ranks as the second fastest time of her career. She was one of five Daemen runners to compete in the 1,500 meters and placed fourth out of 17 entrants with a time of 5:02.67. Also a member of the women's cross country team, she helped the Wildcats earn their first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships last fall. She has earned four all-conference honors this year, as she also collected second-team All-ECC honors in the mile and the 3,000 meters during the indoor season. A Physical Therapy major, Bailey has maintained a 3.98 cumulative grade point average over her career.

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.|

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