The 45th annual athletics awards banquet was held May 13 in Alumni Gym and recognized the accomplishments of student-athletes during the 2018-19 academic year.
The Elon University Department of Athletics recognized the outstanding achievements of student-athletes during the past year at its 45th annual athletics awards banquet held Monday, May 13, in Alumni Gym.
Senior linebacker Warren Messer and senior cross country standout Coralea Geraniotis were each named the Stein H. Basnight Outstanding Athlete of the Year. The Stein H. Basnight Outstanding Athlete Award has been presented annually since 1958 in memory of the late Stein H. Basnight of Chapel Hill, N.C. The award honors the most outstanding Phoenix male and female athletes of the year, as determined by the Elon Department of Athletics' administrative staff.
Messer proved to be a force in his sport for the second year in a row, leading the football team in tackles for the second year in a row while placing his name throughout our program’s record books. Earning First Team All-CAA honors each of the last two years, he’s the first player on the defensive side of the ball to do so since 2005 and 2006, and after the season he was named to a host of All-America teams. A Buck Buchanan Watch Lister and a STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honoree for his 14-tackle and 86-yard interception return for a touchdown performance against Rhode Island, Messer finished his career tied for first in sacks and seventh in career tackles during Elon’s FCS era while placing 10th for most tackles in a career in the 97 years of Elon football.
Geraniotis had an outstanding career and final season with the women's cross country and track and field teams. After qualifying for her first-ever trip to the NCAA East Preliminaries last May, she came back for the cross country season and earned two CAA Runner of the Week awards while setting new personal records in the 5K and 6K. Last October at the CAA Championships, she became Elon cross country’s first individual female conference champion at the Division I level and her performance at the meet helped her earn the CAA Most Outstanding Performer of the Meet and later the CAA Female Runner of the Year. As she transitioned to the track and field season, she earned a trip to the ECAC Indoor Championships and later garnered All-CAA honors in the 5,000 meters.
Men’s soccer’s Luke Matthews and women’s tennis’s Suzanne Zenoni were recognized as the recipients of the Robert C. Browne Memorial Sportsmanship Award. The Browne Award was established in 1972 in memory of Elon alumnus Robert C. Browne by his sister, Pretto Browne-Crumpton, and her husband, Dr. J.L. Crumpton, and is presented annually to the Elon male and female athletes who have best displayed exemplary qualities of sportsmanship as determined by the Elon Department of Athletics administrative staff.
Men's soccer's Marcel Fahrenholz and Zenoni were recipients of the A.L. Hook Scholar-Athlete awards this year. The Hook Award has been presented annually since 1975 in honor of Dr. A.L. Hook to the Phoenix male and female junior or senior athletes who possess the highest cumulative grade-point average with a minimum of two years of playing time at Elon. Fahrenholz is an accounting and statistics major with a 4.00 GPA and Schilling holds 3.95 cumulative GPA as an accounting major.
Team MVP Award Winners
- Volleyball – Maddie Jaudon
- Women's Soccer – Carson Jones
- Men's Soccer – Luke Matthews
- Women's Cross Country – Coralea Geraniotis
- Men's Cross Country – Nick Ciolkowski
- Football – Warren Messer
- All-Female Cheerleading – Stephanie Brown
- Coed Cheerleading – Patrick Carey
- Dance Team – Elly Dirks
- Men's Basketball – Tyler Seibring
- Women's Basketball – Brie Perpignan
- Women's Track and Field – Melissa Anastasakis
- Women's Lacrosse – Shannon Horan
- Women's Golf – Aurelia Hamm
- Men's Golf – William Harwood
- Women's Tennis – Maria Paraja
- Men's Tennis – Felipe Osses-Konig
- Softball – Abby Barker
- Baseball – Joe Satterfield
Athletic Department Award
- Service Award – Serena Archer
Football Awards
- Outstanding Offensive Front – CJ Toogood
- Outstanding Defensive Front – Matt Baker
- Outstanding Offensive Skill – Malcolm Summers
- Outstanding Defensive Skill – Tyler Campbell
- Coaches’ Award – Oli Udoh
- Leadership Award – Alex Higgins
Volleyball Awards
- Coaches' Award – Maddie Jaudon
- Most Improved – Natalie Cummins
- Top Newcomer – Kellyn Trowse
Women's Soccer Awards
- Scholar-Athlete – Nyah Spearman
- Most Improved – Samantha Dominguez
- Freshman of the Year – Makenzie DePriest-Kessler
Men's Soccer Awards
- Scholar-Athlete – Marcel Fahrenholz
Women's Cross Country Awards
- Coach's Award – Natacha Savioz
- Most Dedicated – Melissa Anastasakis
- Top Newcomer – Hannah Preeo
- Most Improved – Chelsea Smith
Men's Cross Country Awards
- Coach's Award – Michael Germinario
- Most Dedicated – Richie Kasper
- Most Improved – Cooper Jansson
- Top Newcomer – Andrew Miller
Cheerleading Awards
- All-Female Coach's Award – Colleen Crowley
- All-Female Rookie of the Year – McKenzie Boyer
- Co-Ed Coach's Award – Joshua Lim
- Co-Ed Rookie of the Year – Samantha Santos
Dance Team Awards
- Coach's Award – Kristin Sicari
- Rookie of the Year – Shannon Treacy
Men's Basketball Awards
- Coaches’ Award – Steven Santa Ana
Women's Basketball Awards
- Coaches' Award – Duru Tasman
Women's Track & Field Awards
- Outstanding Track – Melissa Anastasakis
- Outstanding Field – Alex Tudor
- Coaches’ Award – Jordan Haywood
Men's Tennis Awards
- Most Improved – Taylor Foote
- Coaches' Award – Kyle Frankel
- Courage Award – Camilo Ponce
Softball Awards
- Golden Glove Award – Erica Serafini
- Best Offensive Player – Ally Repko
- Pitcher of the Year – Abby Barker
- Hustle Award – Emma McCabe
- Best Newcomer Award – Megan White
Women's Tennis Awards
- Coaches’ Award – Suzanne Zenoni
- Most Improved – Nicole Shiau
- Heart & Hustle Award – Olivia Archer
Baseball Awards
- Pitcher of the Year – George Kirby
- Coaches' Award – Tyler Adcock
- Freshman of the Year – Anthony Galason
- Danieley Memorial Sportsmanship – Cam Devanney
Men's Golf Awards
- Most Improved Award – Graham Hutchinson
- Leadership Award – Steven Segrist
- Coach's Award – Philip Loeb
Women's Golf Awards
- Leadership Award – Katie Reilly
- Coach's Award – Adel Vadkerti
Women's Lacrosse Awards
- Scholar-Athlete – Palmer Voorhees