Old Westbury Celebrates 12th Annual Athletic Awards Night
May 11, 2006 - The Old Westbury Athletic Department celebrated the success its student-athletes with the 12th Annual Athletic Awards Dinner this evening. The event, which included dinner and an awards ceremony, was held on campus and was emceed by Director of Athletics John Lonardo.
In addition to the award recipients, the dinner serves as a celebration for the all of the Panthers accomplishments throughout the school year. Among those outstanding accomplishments are the success of the women's volleyball program, the success of the softball program and seven All-Skyline honorees.
The women's volleyball team won 21 matches and qualified for it's first-ever Skyline Postseason Tournament. Head Coach Marjahna Vickers, who was previously honored as the Nassau County Sports Commission's Female College Coach of the Year, received, along with Assistant Coach Tom Shean, the Coaching Staff of the Year Award.
The Panther of the Year Award, presented to the student-athlete who exhibits the most school spirit and sportsmanship throughout the year, was given to two-sport athlete Nihal Boz. Boz, a member of the women's volleyball and softball teams, has proven herself as one of the most reliable student assistants in the department and plays a key role in fundraising and promotional efforts for the department. In the classroom, she produced a 3.5 GPA last semester and is an active member of SAAC.
Men's soccer goalkeeper Brian Hicks was named the Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Hicks led the Skyline Conference and finished ninth in the nation in saves per game. The sophomore averaged 8.38 saves per game and posted two shutouts on the season, finishing with double-digit saves on six occasions, including a season-high 14 in three-straight games against Regional powers Stevens, USMMA and Ramapo. Hicks also excelled in the classroom, posting a 3.3 GPA during the fall.
Katora Russell, a rookie on the softball team, was named the Female Student-Athlete of the Year after leading the Panthers in all offensive categories and finishing in the top-five in the conference in batting average (.413). She was fourth in the league with 13 stolen bases in 13 attempts and posted team bests with 38 hits, including eight doubles, four triples and two homeruns. Russell led the Panthers with 24 runs scored and drove in 20 runs from the plate, front lining Old Westbury's turnaround season.
Another two-sport athlete, Jennifer Ragone, received the Athletic Director's Award, presented to an individual who exhibits a life commitment to excellence and has excelled in the classroom as well as on the playing field. Ragone, who was an All-Skyline Second Team selection for volleyball and is the starting shortstop on the softball team, receives the award for the second-straight year. A Chancellor's Scholar-Athlete Award recipient, she boasts a 3.72 GPA as a childhood education major and can be seen throughout the year promoting Panther athletics and spearheading fundraising efforts for the volleyball and softball teams.
The Ted Panteles Award, presented to the individual who has added to the everyday experience of the student-athlete and has gone above and beyond the call of duty, was presented to staff member John Garrett. Garrett, whose titles include Head Cross Country Coach, Equipment Manager and Assistant Men's Basketball Coach, was chosen after being dubbed the "go-to guy" in the department.
Below is a quicktime video that commemorates the 2005-06 year. It is an 8 MB file and it does take awhile to load. Please be patient and enjoy the video.