Ohio Wesleyan University senior Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg) won the highest honor at the 20th 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.
Schipfer, a member of the women's basketball 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 junior Tyler Bodovetz (Streetsboro), senior Ben Buroker (Providence, R.I./Moses Brown School), senior Katie Chittum (Hebron/Lakewood), senior Siarra Hoover (Frazeysburg/Newark Licking Valley), junior Wes Horton (Columbus/Worthington Kilbourne), senior Nicole Klabus (Delaware/Hayes), senior Addystin Lykins (Carey), senior Melissa Murray (Chardon/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), Schipfer, and senior Drew Thornton (Powell/Olentangy Liberty).
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. Bodovetz is a member of the wrestling team, Buroker is a member of the men's lacrosse team, Chittum is a member of the softball team, Hoover is a member of the women's cross country, women's swimming & diving, and women's track & field teams, Horton is a member of the men's cross country and men's track & field teams, Klabus is a member of the women's lacrosse team, Lykins is a member of the women's track & field team, Murray is a member of the volleyball team, and Thornton is a member of the football and men's golf teams.
The Dr. Jay Martin Award, honoring the top male senior student-athlete, went to senior Marquel Henry (Dayton/Chaminade Julienne), a member of the football and wrestling teams.
The Nan Carney-DeBord Award, recognizing the top female senior student-athlete, went to Schipfer.
The Dr. Richard Gordin Award, recognizing the highest cumulative grade point average among graduating male student-athletes, went to senior Josh Cabacungan (Medina), a member of the men's soccer team.
The Mary Parker Award, recognizing the highest cumulative grade point average among graduating female student-athletes, went to senior Anna Nacci (Wooster), a member of the women's lacrosse team.
The James DiBiasio Sportsmanship Award went to senior Liam Nash (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy), a member of the baseball team, and the Mackenzie Conway Sportsmanship Award went to senior Sara Bias (Sandusky/St. Mary's Central Catholic), a member of the softball team.
Also recognized were Ohio Wesleyan's top 50 student-athletes by cumulative grade point average. They were: sophomore Katie Adams (Lebanon), junior Spencer Amacher (Blacksburg, Va./Blue Ridge School), senior Bryan Benavente (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel), Buroker, Cabacungan, senior Sophia Cegledy (Pataskala/Bishop Hartley), Chittum, sophomore Noah Citek (Long Beach, Calif./St. John Bosco), sophomore Claire Coleman (Cincinnati/Ursuline Academy), sophomore Shae Cretu (Livonia, Mich./St. Catherine of Siena Academy), junior Gabi Dahllof (Bear, Del./Caravel Academy), sophomore Olivia Danley (Del Rio, Texas/Independence (Va.)), senior Sophia DelGallo (Braintree, Mass.), senior Lauren Denison (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial), sophomore Maisie Dugger (Dover), senior Jamison Ellis (North Canton/Hoover), junior Lauren Gerber (Worthington/Thomas Worthington), sophomore Anna Haines (Reynoldsburg), Hoover, Horton, sophomore Maddie Hoyt (Pataskala/Watkins Memorial), senior Zach Jasper (Hilliard/Darby), junior Blake Johnson (Centerburg), senior Payne Johnson (Barnesville), and Klabus.
Also, sophomore Athena Kolettis (Northfield/Nordonia), sophomore Elisabeth Madore (Lexington), senior Sammy Maglott (Fredericktown), senior Heath Manson (Massillon/Washington), sophomore Alyssa Markell (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County), junior Sarah Mazzei (Rocky River), sophomore Lukas Muench (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Preparatory), senior Melissa Murray (Chardon/Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin), Nacci, sophomore Paige Neal (Louisville, Ky./duPont Manual), sophomore Gabe O'Reilly (Westerville/Columbus St. Charles), junior Mike Ostertag (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East), junior Avery Panozzo (Denver, Colo./Mullen), senior Kaitlyn Peters (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead), sophomore Coral Pierson (Powell/Olentangy Liberty), Schipfer, sophomore Noah Schnoor (Blissfield, Mich.), junior Josephine Stark (Castalia/Margaretta), sophomore Celeste Swihart (Fredericktown), junior Trey Theobald (Archbold), Thornton, junior McKenna Tuttle (Richmond, Ky./Model Laboratory School), sophomore Isaac Ward (Circleville/Logan Elm), junior Gavin Wilson (Centerburg), and junior Kelsey Wolfe (Apple Creek/Waynedale).
The Bob Strimer Director's Cup, awarded to the Ohio Wesleyan team with the highest cumulative grade point average, went to the women's lacrosse team.
The Town-Gown Award, given by the Ohio Wesleyan athletics department in recognition of longstanding relationships with and outstanding support of Ohio Wesleyan student-athletes and athletics programs, went to Linda Mathews, who has worked as the official scorer and scoreboard operator for Battling Bishop men's and women's basketball.
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.
