Goucher Athletics Announces 2024-25 Award Winners
TOWSON, Md. - At the conclusion of the 2024-2025 academic year approaches, the Goucher Athletic Department is excited to announce the winners of their annual awards on Monday evening. The winners were announced during the award ceremony on Monday, May 12th as we take the time to recognize the accomplishments of our athletes this year.
Gabe Naftoly of men's tennis was awarded with 2024-25 Male Athlete of the Year. This comes after this Conference Championship clinching play on May 3rd to take down Drew in a third set tiebreaker. Following this win, he was awarded tournament MVP. Along with these accomplishments, Naftoly played a key part of the success of the Gophers this season. Moving to the No. 1 singles position, Naftoly earned First Team All-Conference in singles and doubles, and Landmark Player of the Year.
The 2024-25 Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Tanise Thornton-Fillyaw of track & field and cross country. Thornton-Fillyaw broke numerous records, including Landmark and her own school record. Throughout her time, she was awarded First Team All-Conference for Cross Country, First Team for 800m in Indoor Track & Field, and First Team in the 800m, and 4x400m. Along with these first team accolades, Thronton-Fillyaw earned Second Team in the 1500m. With her time in the 800m, she now sits 6th all-time in the 800m for Division III.
This year's Breakthrough Student-Athlete was awarded to Nancy Nyadongo from track & field who left her stamp at both the school and conference level. Nyadongo was awarded both indoor and outdoor rookie of the year. Nyadongo earned First Team All-Conference in the 60m and 200m during the indoor season, while adding First Team in the 100m, 200m and 4x400m to her impressive season. Nyadongo set multiple records, most recently setting the record for the Landmark 100m.
The Neena Tolley Ewing Memorial Fund is awarded to a student of the Goucher Equestrian Team, who demonstrates leadership scholarship, riding talent and teamwork. This year's recipient is Jocelyn Harris, who has been a four year member of the program, and a key part of the success.
The Rowdy Gopher Award recognizes a student-athlete who embodies what it means to be a Goucher College Gopher. They demonstrate commitment, passion and dedication to Goucher Athletic across all areas. The recipient of the award is Ava Cox from the women's basketball and track & field team. Cox has become a key figure in the SRC, with some coaches referring to her as "the voice of Goucher". This includes her commitment to working sporting events across all seasons, and efforts with SAAC, serving as President.
Women's Basketball head coach, Mike Ricks and graduate assistant, Caramina Tanedo, were awarded Coaching Staff of the Year. This comes after bringing the program to above .500 on the season, after winning just one game last year. Throughout the season, the team broke a plethora of records including points in a game, and three-pointers. The team led the NCAA in scoring offense, turnover margin, and steals per game.
Jackson Beam was awarded the Coaches Award. This is given to a senior athlete who has competitively represented Goucher throughout their athletic career. Factors that are involved in selection include accomplishments in their sport, awards and honors for athletic ability, and leadership skills towards their teammate.
CONVOCATION AWARDS
The Ruth Baird Thompson '31 Award was established in 2002 and has been presented annually to students who have demonstrated academic excellence throughout their program. This also includes their commitment to transforming the student experience. The recipients of this award was Calis Nguyen of Men's Tennis and Katie Bloom of Field Hockey and Women's Lacrosse.
The Neumann Award has been presented since 1973, and is presented to a student-athlete who has evolved into an effective leader, outstanding citizen, and distinguished athlete. The recipient of this award is Thornton-Fillyaw.
The Josephine E. Fiske Gopher Pride Award was established in 1986, and is presented annually to one male and female athlete who play an important role in the success of their team. Variables for this award includes sportsmanship, citizenship, positive attitude, and leadership and service to young adults of children. The recipients of this award included Athena Savick from Women's Volleyball and Nick Gambone from Men's Lacrosse.
The Scholar Athlete Award was presented to Tadeo Asprella from men's tennis who earned a 4.0 GPA throughout his time at Goucher while majoring in Economics and Business Management. This award has been presented annually since 1923, to a student who maintained high standards of academic achievement and admirable participation in athletics.
ADDITIONAL AWARDS
New for this year, was the "Play of the Year" in their season. The winners for each of the seasons are listed:
Fall Play of the Year: Mikolaj Pula for his hole in one during The Gauntlet at the Bucknell Golf Club. This marked the first hole-in-one in Goucher Golf history.
Winter Play of the Year: Nia Edens who made a half-court shot at the buzzer to tie the game and force overtime. This led the Gophers to win 97-94, and kept the playoff hopes alive for the Gophers.
Spring Play of the Year: Thornton-Fillyaw with her 800m win at Conference Championships, with a time of 2:05.28. This time is currently first in NCAA Division III, and led her to be 6th All-Time in NCAA Division III History.
CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS
At the conclusion of the ceremony, we took a moment to honor our championship teams of this year. Fist, Men's Tennis with their back-to-back Landmark Conference victories, clinching them a spot in the NCAA's. Next, we acknowledged Men's Lacrosse, who won the ECAC Championship yesterday against Westminster (Pa.). Finally, we recognized our Equestrian Program, who won Zone 4, Region I Championships for the 14th consecutive year.
Goucher Seniors will join their classmates in commencement next Friday, May 23rd at the Kraushaar Auditorium.