Newton, Mass. -- The Mount Ida Department of Athletics welcomed student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni, parents and guests to the Athletic Center on Saturday evening for the 2018 Forever Mustangs Athletics Award Ceremony to celebrate the Mustang Student-Athlete Class of 2018 and to honor the legacy of all of the College’s athletic programs.
Senior men’s basketball standout Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) and junior women’s lacrosse star Alyssa Kelly (Lee, Mass./Lee) were named as the respective 2017-18 Mustang Male and Female Athletes of the Year, as DeFillippi became the 11th member of Mount Ida’s 1000 Point Club this past season and Kelly has re-written the school’s record book with 298 career points to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
Senior basketball standouts Jacob Sartain (West Palm Beach, Fla./Avon) and Breanna Muir (Wareham, Mass./Wareham) were named as the respective 2017-18 Mustang Male and Female Scholar Athletes of the Year. Sartain is majoring in Business Administration while Muir, a Sport Management major, earned a spot on the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District team earlier this year.
Senior volleyball all-conference performer Mary Kate Reidy (Agawam, Mass./Agawam) and junior men’s soccer standout Julio Barroso (Central Falls, R.I./Moses Brown) were the respective recipients of the 2017-18 Mustang Merit Awards, which are bestowed upon student-athletes who have combined excellence on the fields of competition with excellence in the classroom or outstanding service to the institution. Reidy became the first player in school history to reach the 1,000 kill and 1,000 dig marks in a career while serving as President of Mount Ida’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and Barroso appeared in 14 matches this past season while serving in a leadership role in the Mustang and Great Northeast Athletic Conference SAAC.
Veteran Mustang Head Football Coach Mike Landers received the Michael Mazza Legacy Award, which is presented annually to a student-athlete, coach, faculty or staff member or a member of the Mount Ida family that leaves a lasting legacy and impact on the Mustang Athletics family. This can be through their love of Mustang athletes, their dedication to the college and their sport, their commitment to serving Mount Ida or simply being someone that the community should never forget. The award is named for Mustang football student-athlete Michael Mazza, who passed away suddenly in 2016.
Head Coach Katie Greene’s Mustang women’s basketball team was honored with the 2017-18 Sportsmanship Award, as Mount Ida was cited by fellow GNAC members Regis and Norwich for displaying great sportsmanship and consideration in two different contests played this past season.
The 2017-18 Mighty Awards were also presented during the event by Executive Director of Athletics Matt Burke, as those honors were voted upon by Mount Ida’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. This year’s Mighty Awards recipients are as follows:
*Best Game – Women’s Basketball’s 80-74 overtime victory over Norwich on February 8th at the Athletic Center that clinched a conference playoff spot for the first time in six years
*Best Moment – The Mount Ida community, family and friends of Mike Mazza gathering l;ast fall to dedicate the Mike Mazza Plaza at the entrance to Alumni Field
*Best Record Breaking Performance – Mary Kate Reidy becoming the first women’s volleyball player in school history to reach the 1,000 career kills mark
*Comeback Player of the Year – Men’s Lacrosse junior defender Shayne Rix (Westwood, Mass./Silver Lake) comes back to Mount Ida after having to take a year off for personal reasons and helps the Mustangs qualify for the post-season
*Best Individual Performance – Football junior defensive back DeSean Hart (Mays Landing, N.J./Holy Spirit) returns a fumble 90 yards for a touchdown and an interception 100 yards for a score while recording 10 tackles in a Senior Day victory over Anna Maria
*Breakthrough Athlete of the Year – Men’s Cross Country freshman Michael Flowers (Albany, N.Y./CBA) earns second-team all-GNAC honors
*Most Outstanding Team – Women’s Lacrosse posts 11 regular season victories and earns a GNAC post-season berth
Burke and longtime Associate Director of Athletics/Head Men’s Soccer Coach Joe Campbell were presented with the inaugural Steve D’Arcy Legacy Award in honor of their tireless service to the student-athletes of Mount Ida. The award is named for the late Mustang men’s soccer coach and Hall of Famer who lost a long battle with cancer earlier this spring.
The final recognition of the evening was the announcement of the respective team Most Valuable and Most Improved Players, which are listed below:
Team Most Valuable Player Most Improved Player
Men’s Cross Country Michael Flowers Joe Gengarelly
Women’s Cross Country Lizzy Baker Caity Oliver
Cheerleading Abigail Ruotolo Casandra Rodriguez
Equestrian Abby Brand Baylee Curley
Field Hockey Cregan Callahan Kerrianne Fagan
Football Josh David Kristen Moore
Men’s Soccer Chuckie Tenbusch Jared Barroso
Women’s Soccer Heather Pollock Skylah Caruso
Women’s Tennis Ginger Boodakian Amanda Garner
Women’s Volleyball Alexis Bell Ashley Campasano
Men’s Basketball Joey DeFillippi Kevin Vanderhorst
Women’s Basketball Valerie Martin Jaime Moscato
Men’s Lacrosse Marcus Donahue Roman Dennis
Women’s Lacrosse Eleanor Garvey Gabby Sanabria
Softball Hayley Microulis Jill Skalski
Men’s Volleyball Brett Southworth Tyler Dorfman