BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (May 4, 2017) - On Monday, the LIU Post Department of Athletics hosted its 11th-annual Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony and Student-Athlete Recognition Banquet at the Tilles Center in Brookville.
Following a cocktail hour to open the evening, the 500-plus student-athletes filed in and gave a standing ovation to the four inductees to the Athletic Hall of Fame.
Those four inductees were
Michael Hammond (Men's Basketball, 1985-87),
Jim McCauley (Baseball, 1987-89),
Mallory Poole (Women's Lacrosse, 2005-08) and
Jeremiah Pope (Football, 2000-03).
The ceremony featured a presentation of two team awards by each of the 24 varsity head coaches, as well as the spirit team and club coaches.
The night concluded with the presentation of the department's major awards. The honors were Most Outstanding Male Athlete, Most Outstanding Female Athlete, Pioneer Excellence, Newcomer of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Make a Difference, the Christine Webb Award and the Dr. Roy Ilowit Sportsmanship Award.
In addition, Director of Athletics and Recreation
Bryan Collins closed the night by recognizing
Melissa Peet of the softball team and
Kelly Carey of the cheerleading team, who received the highest academic honor of being named the school's valedictorian and salutatorian of the 2017 graduating class, respectively.
The major awards were presented to:
Most Outstanding Male Athlete
Jeff Kidd, Football
In 11 games, Kidd led the Northeast-10 Conference in completion percentage (65.3), passing yards (2,825), passing yards per game (256.8) and passing touchdowns (28), en route to being named the league's Most Valuable Player.
He was also recognized to the AFCA All-America and Football Gazette All-Super Region I Second Team, while garnering CoSIDA Academic All-District and NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll distinction.
Most Outstanding Female Athlete
Connor Bird, Women's Lacrosse
During the regular season, Bird was the team's leading scorer with 55 points (37 goals, 18 assists) and won 52 draw controls. She currently ranks in the Top-15 in the East Coast Conference in goals, assists and points.
Male Pioneer Excellence Award
Jesper Malmstrom, Men's Soccer
Malmstrom, who carries a near-flawless 3.97 cumulative grade-point average in Finance, helped lead the Pioneers to their first-ever undefeated regular season and was recognized as the CoSIDA Division II Men's Soccer Academic All-American of the Year.
He was also named to the All-East Coast Conference and D2CCA All-East Region Second Team in 2016, after pacing the league in wins (16), shutouts (8), fewest goals allowed (11) and goals-against average (0.67).
Female Pioneer Excellence Award
Kristin Brandman, Women's Soccer
In 2016, Brandman, a 3.63 grade-point average student in Education, led a defensive unit that limited the opposition to the fewest goals allowed (12) in the East Coast Conference.
Her play earned her All-ECC, D2CCA All-East Region and ECAC All-Star first-team honors, in addition to a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team.
Male Newcomer of the Year Award
Anthony Sparacio, Wrestling
Sparacio became the second Pioneer in three years to qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championships and grapple to All-America honors.
He completed the 2016-17 season at 23-10 overall, including a 14-3 mark in duals. Additionally, he posted a record of 15-7 at the 133-lb. weight class.
Female Newcomer of the Year Award
Mikaiya Moore, Women's Basketball
Moore set the tone for scoring amongst all rookies in the East Coast Conference this season. She averaged an impressive 15.6 points per game on a team-best 46.9 percent (157-of-335) shooting from the field.
Moore, an All-ECC second-team honoree and three-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, also led the Pioneers in four other statistical categories and reached double figures in scoring in 22 of her 25 games.
Comeback Player of the Year Award
Dylan Cafarella, Football
Cafarella fought back from a malignant brain tumor to help the Pioneers to a Northeast-10 Conference Championship in 2016. He made eight tackles in 11 games for the green and gold.
Make a Difference Award
Men's Lacrosse
The Make a Difference Award is presented annually to the team that totals the most hours of community service.
The LIU Post men's lacrosse team involved themselves in numerous volunteer initiatives in 2016-17, including toy drives, Team Connor Day and the Tunnel to Towers Run.
Christine Webb Award
Melissa Peet, Softball
The Christine Webb Award is awarded annually to a deserving student-athlete, who displays the most Post Pride.
Peet was named the valedictorian of the 2017 graduating class, after posting an impressive 3.99 cumulative grade-point average in her four years at LIU Post.
Dr. Roy Ilowit Sportsmanship Award
Ashley Martin, Softball
The Dr. Roy Ilowit Sportsmanship Award is annually bestowed upon a deserving student-athlete for their achievements in the classroom and on the field, while also representing the spirit of Dr. Ilowit with an outstanding grade-point average and a high level of character on the playing field.
Despite suffering a season-ending injury midway through the season, Martin compiled a 2.85 earned-run average and 37 strikeouts in 2017. She has also worked hard in the classroom, sporting a stellar 3.99 cumulative grade-point average.