WALTHAM, Mass. — On Wednesday, May 2, the Brandeis University Department of Athletics handed out its annual end-of-season awards. The following senior student-athletes were all recognized at the department's awards dinner.
Four Athletic Director's Awards were presented to student-athletes who have displayed general excellence in representing Brandeis Athletics. They went to:
Brittany Grimm of Perkiomenville,
Pa, of the softball team, a three-time All-UAA selection
who ranks third in career hits and fourth in doubles. Grimm was
part of two ECAC tournament runners-up and the school’s
first-ever NCAA berth in softball in 2010. She also earned All-New
England and Academic All-District honors as a sophomore;
Vytas Kriskus of Kvedarna,
Lithuania, of the men’s basketball team, who
finished his career 28th on the career scoring list with
1,029 points and fifth with 156 3-pointers. He was a first-team
All-UAA selection as a senior and helped the team to two NCAA
tournament berths, including the Elite Eight as a sophomore, and an
ECAC title as a junior;
Fran Shin of Bayside, N.Y., of
the women’s soccer team, who was a two-time All-UAA defender
and part of two ECAC tournament squads and the 2010 team that
reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. Shin was also
involved in numerous on- and off-campus concerns, volunteering 300
hours of community service as a senior;
Theo Terris of Concord, Mass.,
of the men’s soccer team. A transfer who played two years of
central midfield for the Judges, Terris helped the team to
back-to-back ECAC tournament titles, earning All-UAA honors twice
and All-New England accolades as a senior.
The James McCully Award, presented to seniors who best exemplify the character, dedication and good sportsmanship that depicted soccer All-American and inaugural Hall of Famer Jim McCully’s career at Brandeis, went to Ari Silver of Princeton, N.J., of the men’s soccer team; and Kate Warwick of Boxborough, Mass., of the women’s cross country and track and field team.
Silver, a defender and senior captain, helped
anchor the Brandeis team to back-to-back ECAC Division III New
England championships. He earned three All-University Athletic
Association honors and was an All-New England selection this year.
According to coach Mike Coven, “Ari is one of the
hardest-working and most dedicated soccer players Brandeis has, but
he also plays the game the right way.”
Warwick, a captain of the cross country and track teams, is already a two-time qualifier for the NCAA Division III championships in 2011-12. She finished 48th at the cross country championships in the fall and 12th in the 5,000-meter run during the indoor track season. Warwick will try to reach the outdoor championship in either the 5,000- or 10,000-meter run during the outdoor season. She also won UAA titles in the 3,000-meters indoors and the 10K outdoors. According coach John Evans, “Kate has worked hard to go from an average high school runner to one who is capable of winning a championship in one of the top conferences in the nation and can contend for All-America honors.”
The Morris Sepinuck Award, presented to the varsity athlete who not only displays outstanding sportsmanship but also makes a significant contribution to the athletic program and to campus life at Brandeis, went to Alex Tynan of Barnegat, N.J., tri-captain of the baseball team. Tynan is a lefty reliever who has been among the top performers out of the bullpen for the Judges over the past four years. Called “one of the best leaders among our student-athletes”, Tynan served two years on the board of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, including a stint as president in 2011-12. He was also a senior supervisor in the intramural department and was active in Brandeis’s Big Brother/Big Sister program.
The Sid Goldfader Award of Valor, presented to a member of the Brandeis athletics community who has overcome great adversity by exhibiting strength, grace and determination, went to Alex Powell of Upper Montclair, N.J., captain of the men’s fencing team. Powell overcame punctured lungs twice early in his career to become the team’s top epee fencer in each of the past two seasons. Powell qualified for the NCAA National Collegiate Fencing championships as a junior, finishing in 23rd place against Division I, II and III competitors.
The Morry Stein Award of Valor, presented to a student-athlete who has demonstrated courage both on and off the playing fields and/or intervened to better the lives of others, went to Ed Senibaldi of Everett, Mass., of the men’s soccer team. During his sophomore year, Senibaldi was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. After undergoing months of radiation and stepping away from soccer, missing the 2010 season, he returned to the pitch in 2011, playing in five games and serving as a role model for his teammates and the entire department.
The Charlie Napoli '58 Scholar-Athlete Award, presented to an outstanding student athlete who has excelled in the classroom and on the athletic field, went to Marianne Specker of South Windsor, Conn., of the softball team. An All-University Athletic Association honoree as a junior and senior, Specker is fourth on Brandeis’s career list in RBI (109), hits (178) and fifth in games played (189). In the classroom, Specker, a 2011 CoSIDA Academic All-American, boasts a 3.917 grade-point average as a psychology major with minors in women’s studies and politics. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Psi Chi psychology honor society, Specker will start work towards a Ph.D in sports psychology at Boston University in the fall.
The Harry, Joseph and Ida Stein Award, presented to the outstanding male athlete, was given to Chris Brown of North Chelmsford, Mass., captain of the men’s track and cross country teams. Brown earned his first career All-America honor in 2012, when he finished third in the nation in the mile run at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field championships in March. He earned UAA titles this season in the mile run indoors and in the 800- and 1,500-meter runs outdoors. His best time of the season in the mile of 4:05.98 was the ninth-fastest time in Division III history. Brown also was a four-time All-New England runner in cross country and was part of three NCAA championship teams, including the squad that finished 16th in the nation in 2011.
The Max I. Silber Award, presented to the outstanding female student-athlete, was given to Morgan Kendrew of Barnstable, Mass., a captain of the women’s basketball team. Kendrew finished 10th on Brandeis’s career scoring list with 974 points, just missing out on reaching the 1,000-point club when she sat out the first five games of her senior season due to injury. She also ranks second in career free-throw percentage (81.3%) and fourth in 3-pointers made (114). Kendrew was a three-time All-UAA selection, adding ECAC and D3hoops.com All-New England honors a junior. She was part of the Judges’ best-ever season in 2008-09, when they made a run to the Elite Eight as a freshman.