May 1, 2008
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist department of athletics honored its senior class Thursday evening in a banquet at Christo's Restaurant. Each senior student-athlete was recognized, and Lindsey Diener (Nanuet, N.Y.) and Mike Rolek (Maplewood, N.J.) were honored as Female and Male Sportspersons of the Year, respectively.
Diener holds the Marist women's lacrosse career records for goals, assists and points. She was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year this season, and she helped led the Red Foxes to their first MAAC Tournament title in program history last Sunday with a come-from-behind 10-9 win over Fairfield. As a freshman, Diener was named MAAC Rookie of the Year.
Rolek is a four-year member of the cross country and track and field programs. By placing 12th in the MAAC cross country championships this past fall, he earned all-conference honors. On April 6 at the Sam Howell Invitational, Rolek broke the school record in the 10,000 meters with a time of 30:36.66. He also became the first student-athlete in school history to earn an NCAA Postgraduate scholarship.
The recipients of the James Pizzani Award were Elizabeth Davis (Albuquerque, N.M.) of water polo and Devon O'Nalty (East Hartford, Conn.) of men's swimming and diving. The Pizzani Award is given to the male and female seniors who best embody the qualities of the late James Pizzani, which are consistent with the college's core ideals of excellence in education, pursuit of higher human values and dedication to the principle of service. James Pizzani was a 1964 Marist graduate who died in 1988 after a nine-month battle with cancer.
J.P. Glowatz (Lebanon, N.J.) of men's lacrosse and Pamela de la Llave (West Orange, N.J.) were honored with the Advantage Sports & Fitness Strength & Conditioning Awards. Those are presented to the male and female student-athletes who put forth the most time and exhibit the most effort in the weight room. The winners of this award have their names engraved on a major plaque in the McCann Fitness Center.
The President's Academic Achievement Award is presented to the male and female student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade-point average. The male winner was Greg Marks (Newburgh, N.Y.) of the tennis team, and the female winner of soccer's Melanie Ondrejik (Manalapan, N.J.). Marks is a Finance/Marketing major, and Ondrejik is a Psychology/Special Education major. The winners of this award have their names engraved on a major plaque which is housed in the lobby of the McCann Center.
Head Coach Pete Colaizzo's track team and head coach Tom Hanna's volleyball team were the recipients of the Athletic Director's award, presented to the male and female teams with highest cumulative grade-point average. The winning programs are inscribed on a major plaque in the lobby of the McCann Center.
