Ohio Wesleyan University senior Astrid Koek (Maastricht, the Netherlands/Erasmus) won the highest honor at the 18th annual Dale J. Bruce Scholar-Athlete Awards ceremony, held on Thursday in the Benes Rooms of the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center on the Ohio Wesleyan campus.
Koek, a member of the field hockey team, received the Presidential Award, recognizing the University's top athlete and person. The top honor awarded by the Ohio Wesleyan athletics department, the Presidential Award is based on athletics ability and achievement, academic excellence, character, leadership, activities, and inspiration.
Receiving Top Ten Awards were senior Joe Connor (Barrie, Ontario/Everest Academy), senior Molly Delaney (Delaware/Olentangy), senior Julia Dickman (Marysville), senior Taylor Floyd (Wilton, Conn.), senior Davis Graham (Canton/Massillon Jackson), senior Cierra Joiner (Centerburg), junior Levi Kilian (Ault, Colo./Heritage Christian Academy), Koek, senior Chase Patton (Delaware/Hayes), junior Eliza Richardson (Lakewood), and senior Kenny Streb (Willowick/Eastlake North).
The Top Ten Award is voted upon by the Ohio Wesleyan Athletics Council and is based upon the student-athlete's impact upon their family, their team, the University and the Delaware community. Connor is a member of the men's lacrosse team, Delaney is a member of the women's basketball team, Dickman is a member of the women's soccer and women's track & field teams, Floyd is a member of the women's soccer and women's lacrosse teams, Graham is a member of the baseball team, Joiner is a member of the women's basketball team, Kilian is a member of the men's cross country and women's track & field teams, Patton is a member of the women's track & field team, Richardson is a member of the volleyball team, and Streb is a member of the football team.
The Dr. Jay Martin Award, honoring the top male senior student-athlete, went to senior Hector Gomez (Columbus/St. Francis DeSales), a member of the men's soccer team.
The Nan Carney-DeBord Award, recognizing the top female senior student-athlete, went to Joiner.
The Dr. Richard Gordin Award, recognizing the highest cumulative grade point average among senior male student-athletes, went to Graham.
The Mary Parker Award, recognizing the highest cumulative grade point average among senior female student-athletes, went to senior Leigh Stavar (Perry), a member of the women's swimming & diving team.
The James DiBiasio Sportsmanship Award went to senior Brock Beier (Bellevue), a member of the football team, and the Mackenzie Conway Sportsmanship Award went to Delaney.
Also recognized were Ohio Wesleyan's top 50 student-athletes by cumulative grade point average. They were: senior Chase Agin (Blacklick/Columbus St. Francis DeSales), sophomore Lindsey Ashcraft (Coshocton/Warsaw River View), senior junior Max Beard (Palo Alto, Calif./Gunn), sophomore Bryan Benavente (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel), sophomore Ethan Berkovitz (Solon), senior Katelyn Bischoff (Marysville/Marysville Early College), sophomore Ben Buroker (Providence, R.I./Moses Brown School), sophomore Bo Buttermore (Granville), sophomore Josh Cabacungan (Medina), junior Audrey Calvin (Medina/Akron Our Lady of the Elms), sophomore Madi Cartnal (Newark), sophomore Sophia Cegledy (Pataskala/Bishop Hartley), sophomore Katie Chittum (Hebron/Lakewood), junior Nicholas Cianciola (Massillon/Canton Central Catholic), sophomore Hannah Cox (Orange, Calif./El Modena), junior Ella Cressy (Canal Winchester), senior Jack Damon (Portsmouth, R.I.), Delaney, sophomore Sophia DelGallo (Braintree, Mass.), sophomore Lauren Denison (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial), sophomore Katherine DiJulius (Strongsville), sophomore Alex Disbro (Guilford, Ind./East Central), sophomore Jamison Ellis (North Canton/Hoover), Graham, and junior Veronica Hardman (Blenheim, New Zealand/Ravenswood).
Also, sophomore Brooke Hoffman (Oregon/Toledo St. Ursula), sophomore Siarra Hoover (Frazeysburg/Newark Licking Valley), sophomore Payne Johnson (Barnesville), sophomore Nicole Klabus (Delaware/Hayes), sophomore Vincent Larente (LaSalle, Quebec/Desert Vista (Ariz.)), junior Phoebe Lightfoot (Houston, Texas/Cypress Cy-Fair Senior), sophomore Sammy Maglott (Fredericktown), sophomore Heath Manson (Massillon/Washington), junior Kellen Marshall (Delaware/Buckeye Valley), junior Trevar Meese (Wooster), sophomore Melissa Murray (Chardon/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), sophomore Anna Nacci (Wooster), senior Charlie Neel (Shaker Heights), senior Libby Norlander (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon), sophomore Kaitlyn Peters (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead), sophomore Brandon Planey (Mount Gilead/Northmor), senior Meredith Richters (Troy/Miami East), senior Luigi Russo (Kelowna, B.C./Rutland Senior), sophomore Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg), senior Ruthie Silberman (Deerfield, Ill.), sophomore Elliot Spicer (Newark), senior Leigh Stavar (Perry), sophomore Abby Thierauf (Cincinnati/Milford), junior Mikayla Watts (Geneva), and junior Wyatt Wells (Marion/Pleasant).
The Bob Strimer Director's Cup, awarded to the Ohio Wesleyan team with the highest cumulative grade point average, went to the softball team.
The Dale J. Bruce Scholar-Athlete Awards are named in honor of the late Dale Bruce '52, an All-America football end at Ohio Wesleyan who was a longtime supporter of Battling Bishop athletics.
