AMHERST, N.Y. - Sixty Daemen University student-athletes, representing 16 of the college's 17 intercollegiate athletic programs, have been named recipients of the Division 2 Athletic Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Awards, recognizing their accomplishments in the classroom during the 2022-23 academic year.
The D2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards are given to student-athletes who hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher, have attended a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level classes and been an active member of an intercollegiate team during the past academic year. This marks the fifth straight year that Daemen has had student-athletes selected for the award. It marks the second-straight year that 60 or more student-athletes from Daemen have earned the honor. Last year Daemen had a best-ever 62 honorees.
"We are extremely proud of the hard work and dedication our student-athletes put in throughout a very demanding academic year, and it is always nice to be able to recognize their efforts," said Director of Athletics Traci Murphy, who was recently named D2 ADA second vice president and will be entering her third year on the D2 ADA Board of Directors.
In total, there were a record breaking 19,646 student-athletes from 196 institutions recognized for the 2022-23 Academic Achievement Awards. This is the most student-athletes being recognized since the inception of the awards program 16 years ago. A total of 469 student-athletes from East Coast Conference institutions were recognized. The Daemen women's soccer team had 14 honorees to lead all Wildcat teams, followed closely by men's soccer (9) and women's cross country/track & field (7).
"This program continues to showcase the amazing student-athletes, and the impactful support of their coaches and staff, across our Division 2 landscape. I want to congratulate all the recipients for earning the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award," said Kirby Garry, director of athletics at Cal State Monterey Bay and current D2 ADA President. "While the number of deserving student-athletes continues to increase annually, the number of institutions recognizing these individuals on campus also continues to trend upwards. We look forward to eclipsing the 200-institution barrier next year."
Daemen's award recipients include:
Andrew Mason, Men's Basketball *
John Bruggman, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field **
Phil Ceccarelli, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field *
Laertes Cushing, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field
Jon Moote, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field
Derek Bartlo, Men's Soccer **
Carlos España, Men's Soccer
Michel Hölscher, Men's Soccer *
Alexander Khademi, Men's Soccer *
Christian Lewin, Men's Soccer **
Pontus Lundin, Men's Soccer **
Dennis Montero Guerrero, Men's Soccer *
Hilario Muñoz, Men's Soccer **
Ajan Rajamohan, Men's Soccer **
Zachary Laplante, Men's Tennis
Phillip Vance, Men's Tennis
Hessen Bahgat, Men's Track & Field
Erik Matthews, Men's Track & Field **
Jake Couzens, Men's Volleyball **
Cameron Milligan, Men's Volleyball *
Henry Moffitt, Men's Volleyball
Ryan Parker, Men's Volleyball **
Zach Schneider, Men's Volleyball **
Billy Wieberg, Men's Volleyball
Natalie Angeletti, Women's Basketball *
Alina Estrella, Women's Basketball **
Maddy Stearns, Women's Basketball **
Mollie Gizicki, Women's Bowling
Caitlyn Nowak, Women's Bowling **
Emma Smith, Women's Bowling *
Camryn Bailey, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field *
Marcy Colca, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Emma Grzebinski, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field *
Haley Hinds, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field *
Neissa Raymond, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Hannah Thomas, Women's Cross Country/Track & Field
Dana Bacher, Women's Lacrosse *
Briana Willick, Women's Lacrosse
Gretchen Beyer, Women's Soccer *
Lauren Cuisia, Women's Soccer *
Julia Eichel, Women's Soccer **
Madeline Emmi, Women's Soccer ***
Emily Mogavero, Women's Soccer *
Lily O'Lay, Women's Soccer
Faye Panagopoulos, Women's Soccer **
Brooke Radecki, Women's Soccer
Tatyjana Scalisi, Women's Soccer
Katelyn Sidoti, Women's Soccer ***
Grace Stranahan, Women's Soccer
Natalie Such, Women's Soccer **
Baylin Tighe, Women's Soccer
Madita Zeitz, Women's Soccer *
Frida Rubio, Women's Tennis *
Kitsa Scime, Women's Tennis
Alyssa Amirato, Women's Track & Field
Jasmine Brundage, Women's Volleyball *
Maggie Burns, Women's Volleyball **
Shelby Kersten, Women's Volleyball
Sam Logan, Women's Volleyball *
Mickaley Monahan, Women's Volleyball **
* denotes number of previous selections
Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 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.
