18th Annual Gael Award Show Highlights SMC’s Best
On May 10, Saint Mary's honored an impressive group of high-achieving student-athletes, faculty, and staff. From the volleyball court to the Legacy Garden, these Gaels made their mark.
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ABOVE: Walking the "student-athlete" talk. A group of Saint Mary’s student-athletes gather at the recent Gael Awards Show. Back row (L to R): Athletics Director Mike Matoso; Lucas Chung; Greg Brighton; Jack Vestberg; Madeline Fletcher; Molly Dreher. Front row (L to R): Stefanie Frias Da Silva; Sofia Cuevas Dorador; Gabriela Tevez. |
The Saint Mary's Athletic Department honored student-athletes on May 10 in the 18th Annual Gael Awards Show.
The event took place inside University Credit Union Pavilion and recognized the outstanding athletic and academic achievements by individuals and teams throughout the 2022–23 academic year. Some of the award winners from the evening are highlighted below:
TEAM PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR
The Team Performance of the Year award recognizes the best male and female team victories during the 2022-23 season. This season, Beach Volleyball and Men's Basketball were voted as winners based on their performances from late in the season.
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR
The Individual Performance of the Year award is presented to a male and female student-athlete who had an outstanding performance in any single competition during the 2022–23 school year. This year, Nayeli Diaz of Women's Soccer and Kristian Bressum of Golf took home hardware for big performances in the fall.
MIKE GIBBONS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
The Mike Gibbons Volunteer of the Year award recognizes an unpaid employee who has shown great dedication to the student-athletes of Saint Mary's College. This year's winner was Kasidy Nowakowski of the Baseball staff.
COMMON INTEREST TEAM COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
The Common Interest Team Community Service Award recognizes the efforts of a Saint Mary's Athletic Team who has made significant contributions to the Saint Mary's College Community, as well as the surrounding community. Men's Soccer volunteered with numerous organizations including the Saint Mary's Legacy Garden, Saint Vincent De Paul Homeless Shelter & Community Center, and the Blue Jean Mile in tandem with Denim Day, to name a few.
HIGHEST TEAM GPA
The Women's Tennis team recorded a 3.80 cumulative team GPA heading into the Spring 2023 semester.
NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR
The Newcomer of the Year award is presented to a male and female freshman or transfer student-athlete who has made a tremendous first-year impact on his or her team. Tessa Salvestrin of Women's Soccer and Aidan Mahaney of Men's Basketball were chosen as this year's recipients.
TODD OGORZELEC STUDENT-EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
The Todd Ogorzelec Student Employee of the Year Award is named after the SMC Alum and Athletics Staff Member who passed away in 2014 and recognizes a Saint Mary's student who shows great dedication to the student-athletes and coaching staff of Saint Mary's College. Fynn Allmon is this year's honoree; he assists the Men's Soccer team and the athletics department in a variety of roles, creating video and social media content for all varsity programs.
BRYAN VARGAS GAEL SPIRIT AWARD
The Bryan Vargas Gael Spirit Award recognizes the efforts of a college staff, or faculty member who has made significant contributions to the Saint Mary's Athletic Department. Stacey Nittler was this year’s honoree. An employee of Saint Mary's for over 20 years, Stacey is one of the most beloved members of the Gaels community. She oversees a number of functions in the athletics department and is the heart and soul of SMC Athletics.
BROTHER AGNON COACH OF THE YEAR
The Brother Agnon Coach of the Year award is given to the head coach that exceeded the expectations this season and is voted on by their peers and student-athletes. Randy Bennett was selected as this year's recipient.
ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
The Male and Female Athlete of the Year award is presented to a male and female student-athlete who has experience tremendous athletic success in his or her sport during the 2022-23 school year. Hawley Harrer of Gaels Volleyball and Logan Johnson of Men's Basketball were voted winners by their peers this season.
GAEL CUP
This year the Gael Cup returns to the awards lineup, with a revamped criteria...an award which encompasses not only academic, and athletic performance, but community service, sportsmanship, Galloping Gael games, WCC awards, as well as Bay Alarm Student-Athlete of the Week Awards. Men's Basketball posted their best-ever team GPA during the fall semester while volunteering in a number of different service events, including the Special Olympics field day and a Ronald McDonald House visit in Fort Worth.
Read more about the Gael Awards Show winners.
Just because the semester is ending, doesn't mean SMC Athletics will! Stay updated on Gaels Baseball and the West Coast Conference.
Story updated June 2, 2023.