The 2022 Bonnies Choice Awards were held Tuesday, May 3 back inside the Reilly Center for the first time since 2019.

As in recent years, the Bonnies Choice portion of the awards was comprised of awards that were nominated by the St. Bonaventure Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and coaches and voted on by all Bonnies student-athletes through an online vote.

The Athletics Department's major awards were also announced to several student-athletes.

DEPARTMENT AWARD WINNERS
RAY DEE LEADERSHIP AWARD
The Ray Dee Leadership Award is named for the 1964 Bona graduate who was the Chair of the University's Board of Trustees, as well as a generous donor to our athletic programs. Sadly, Mr. Dee passed away in January 2021 – and we remember him and his family tonight.

The Ray Dee Leadership award is presented to the senior who, through his or her leadership skills, sets a positive example for others to follow and builds pride for St. Bonaventure Athletics.  The person will have maintained the highest standards of performance, integrity, sportsmanship, and respect.

This year we have two winners.

The first recipient was a captain on the women's lacrosse team. She appeared in 22 games, and has been named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll every year. She has been an active member of SAAC over her career, serving as president for the past 2 years and vice president her sophomore year. She is a member of the Atlantic 10 Commission for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Last summer she served as an intern with the US House of Representatives, and will return to Capitol Hill, again, this summer to intern with Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey. Graduating with a degree in Psychology, she will be attending Penn State University in the fall to begin work on a master's degree in public policy.

The first winner of the Ray Dee Leadership Award is Caroline Paterno.

The second recipient is captain of the baseball team, and has battled his way back onto the mound after dealing with injury. This season he has recorded 7 strikeouts in 6 innings. He is an Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll Honoree. This student-athlete serves as the vice president of the Student Government Association and vice president of SAAC. He's not just involved on campus, though. He is also the chair of the Atlantic 10's SAAC and serves as the A-10's SAAC Representative at the national level. He is a double major in Adolescence Education and History, and will be returning to Bonas next year to pursue a master's degree in Sports Administration.

The second winner of the Ray Dee Leadership Award is Cody Shimp.

BRIAN MORETTI SERVICE AWARD
This is presented for outstanding service, dedication, and commitment to the Department of Athletics.  It may be awarded to a student-athlete or a non-athlete. This award is dedicated to the memory of assistant sports information director Brian Moretti who passed away unexpectedly on March 5, 2014.  Brian was only here for a short time, but he left an unforgettable impression through his work ethic, enthusiasm, and love of his craft, in particular the work he did with the women's basketball team. We are thrilled to present this award in his name.

This year we have two winners.

The first has spent much of this year helping around the department, and has gone above and beyond to help, especially, the swim team. He has been active and enthusiastic member of SAAC, serving on numerous committees. He is also a member of the Student-Athlete Wellness Club. He was named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll twice. And in the pool, during his junior season, he earned a bronze medal in the 400-freestyle relay. At this year's A-10 Championships he was a part of the 800-freestyle relay team that captured a silver medal.

The first winner of the Brian Moretti Service Award, Jake Ruffolo.

The second winner, a men's lacrosse player, demonstrates commitment and dedication to what it means to be a St. Bonaventure student-athlete every single day. He has found success both on the field and in the classroom. He was named to the 2021 MAAC All-Academic Team, and, though, he suffered a season ending injury this year, he continues to be selfless in his journey as a supporting teammate. Off the field, he is committed to service. He is a lead promoter and very engaged in the Headstrong cancer fundraising initiative which has raised around $60,000 for cancer research in 3 years. Locally, he has given his time and effort to the Warming House and prides himself on giving back to the community with other charitable opportunities in his hometown.

Our second winner of the Brian Moretti Service Award, Ben Garcia.

MERIT AWARD
This goes to one senior female and one senior male student-athlete for outstanding academic achievement, significant athletic achievement, and meaningful contribution to the St. Bonaventure community.

A member of the women's swimming team, our women's Merit Award recipient has balanced the student-athlete life tremendously, excelling in the classroom through the academic rigor of her Biochemistry course load. She's a Dean's List recipient who has been named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll every year. In 2019 she broke the program records in the 1000-freestyle and 1650-freestyle at the A-10 Championships. After graduating with a Biochemistry degree, she will continue her studies next year at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

The winner of the Female Merit Award, Claire Schaef.

The men's merit award winner has been a success on the field and in the classroom. A captain of the men's lacrosse team, he is a three-time MAAC Academic Honor Roll honoree, and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team in 2021. In 2019 he was selected to the MAAC All-Rookie team. In 2021, he set a program single-game record by scoring six goals in a game. This season he has been recognized three times as the MAAC Offensive Player of the Week. He leads the team in points and assists, and leads the conference in points scored this season. He is the first player in Bona men's lacrosse history to record over 100 career points. Graduating with a degree in finance.

This year's Male Merit Award winner, Sean Westley.

LETTERWINNER AWARD
The Letterwinner Award is presented every year to one senior female and one senior male student-athlete. These student-athletes have assembled outstanding records of athletic accomplishments over their careers and have proven instrumental to their teams' success.

For the women's award, this year we have two winners.

Our first women's recipient has been a four-year starter for the women's basketball team, and has been an integral part in the lineup since stepping on campus. She has played in 107 out of 108 games since her first season, starting in 106. She has led the team in scoring the last three seasons, averaging 18 points per game in her senior campaign. This season she set a program record with eight straight games scoring 20 or more points. She currently ranks 9th on the Bonnies all-time scoring list with 1,444 points, becoming the 23rd player in St. Bonaventure history to score 1,000 points. She also ranks seventh all-time with 339 made free throws and 78 double-figure scoring performances. She finished the season ranked first in scoring and second in made free throws in the A-10. She was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference third Team in 2021 and earned a spot on the second team this past season. After graduating from Bonaventure with a degree in International Studies, she will attend Mississippi State.

The first winner of the women's Letterwinner Award is Asianae Johnson.

Our second recipient has led the women's swimming team, setting multiple records, even breaking and rebreaking her own records, in her 4 years here. She holds the Bona records for the 100 and 200 breaststrokes, and, actually, holds the top 3 times in the record books for those events. She was also a part of the record-breaking 200-medlay relay team. At the 2018-2019 A-10 Championships she won bronze medals in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke, breaking the school record for the first time. At the 2019-2020 championships she won silver in both the same events, breaking her previous record-setting times, and her 200-medlay relay team took bronze. In 2020-2021 she won a gold medal in the 100-breaststroke, again, breaking her own record and a silver in the 200 breaststroke at the A-10 Championships. This year she earned silver in the 100-breastroke. She has been on the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll every year and was named a CSCAA Scholar All-American for the 2018-2019 season. She is also a multi-time selection to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team. After graduating with her degree in Journalism, she will attend Rutgers University.

The second winner of the women's Letterwinner Award is Rachel Kimmel.

Our men's Letterwinner Award recipient has been an instrumental player for the men's lacrosse team. Earning the starting goalie position as a sophomore, he has become a force to be reckoned with, not just in the MAAC, but in the entire country. This season alone, he has garnered MAAC Defensive Player of the Week 6 times, and was named to the mid-season All-American second team. He sits at No. 1 in the nation for save percentage, second in saves per game, and fourth for goals against. This season he was named to the Tewaraaton Watchlist, which recognizes the top lacrosse player in the country. This season he also earned a spot on the USILA National Team of the Week and was named a national Player of the Week by US Lacrosse Magazine. In 2021 he led the nation in save percentage and was named to the All-MAAC second Team and the MAAC All-Championship Team. He will graduate with a degree in Sports Studies, and has entered into the 2022 Premier Lacrosse League Draft.

The winner of the men's Letterwinner Award is Brett Dobson.

BONNIES CHOICE AWARDS

WOMEN'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Cristina Torres, Soccer – San Juan, Puerto Rico

• Helped the Bonnies to a 7-8-4 record overall and 5-4-1 in Atlantic 10, earning a berth in the A-10 Tournament for the first time since 2013
• Earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team honors after leading the A-10 in goals (13) and was second in points (26)
• Also earned Atlantic 10 All-Academic honors as well as CoSIDA Academic All-District Accolades

MEN'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Brett Dobson, Lacrosse – Oshawa, Ontario

• Seven-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Week this season
• National leader in save percentage (.671)
• Top-five nationally in saves per game (17) and goals against average (8.74)

WOMEN'S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Chiara Gottinger, Soccer – Pirching am Traubenberg, Austria

• Earned Atlantic 10 Second Team goalkeeper honors as well as All-Rookie Team honors
• Led the Atlantic 10 and was sixth in the NCAA with 119 saves. Also led the A-10 in minutes played (1811:03) and saves per game (6.26)
• Ranked third in the A-10 with six shutouts

Bridget Kennedy, Soccer/Track – Cleveland Heights, Ohio

• Played every minute on the defensive back line during first season with the soccer program, helping the Bonnies to six shutouts and an A-10 Tournament spot
• Set the SBU indoor track program records in the 200m and 400m races and the outdoor 200m

MEN'S ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Zyad Morsy, Diving – Cairo, Egypt

• Atlantic 10 Diver of the Year
• Gold medals in 1-meter and 3-meter dive at A-10 Championships
• Broke school record that had stood since 2012 in the 1-meter dive

WOMEN'S RISING STAR
Olivia Moon, Softball – Perry, Ohio

• Started 39 out of 44 games played this season, leading the team in batting average (.290), hits (36), RBIs (18) and doubles (8)
• Raised batting average 200 points from last season

MEN'S RISING STAR
Zach Buckner, Cross Country/Track – Fairview, Pa.

• Set five SBU track records this spring
• Owns Bona's outdoor records in 800 meters and 5000 meters; indoor records in 800 and 5000 as well as 4000-meter distance medley relay

WOMEN'S BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Amanda Baird, Diving – Henderson, Nev.

• Won a pair of bronze medals in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives at Atlantic 10 Championships
• Grabbed six individual victories during the regular meet season after transferring from Northern Michigan in January

MEN'S BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER
Jackson Rose, Lacrosse – Lakeway, Texas

• Set program record with 34 goals
• Leads all MAAC players in goals this year
• National leader in shot percentage

WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Abby Hiltz, Lacrosse – Peterborough, Ontario

• Led the Bonnies with 37 points and 22 assists while ranking second on the team with 15 goals
• Registered multiple-goal performances in five contests, including a hat trick vs. Saint Joseph's
• Played in all 15 games, making 14 starts

MEN'S INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Sean Westley, Lacrosse – Whitby, Ontario

• Leads MAAC in points (51), is second in goals (29) and second in assists (22)
• First SBU player to 100 career points
• Three-time MAAC Offensive Player of the Week

WOMEN'S UNSUNG HERO
Maddie Dziezgowski, Basketball – Bethel Park, Pa.

• Averaged 6.3 points in 23 minutes per game 
• Second on the team with 39 three-pointers made

Emily Lewandowski, Softball – East Aurora, N.Y.

• Started 31 of 32 games played
• Drove in two runs in a win at Buffalo (4/26)

MEN'S UNSUNG HERO
Cody Shimp, Baseball – Williamsport, Pa.

• Returned this season after dealing with injury, throwing scoreless innings against Rhode Island (4/8) and Davidson (4/15).
• So far this year he has recorded nine strikeouts in six innings.

WOMEN'S REILLY AWARD
Caroline Paterno, Lacrosse – State College, Pa.

• Named a team captain for the 2022 season
• Serves as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee while taking part in many volunteer efforts to support the campus and surrounding communities

MEN'S REILLY AWARD
Ben Garcia, Lacrosse – Springfield, Pa.

•    Regular contributor to team prior to season-ending injury in fourth game of the season

WOMEN'S COURAGE AWARD
Paula Velilla, Tennis – Asuncion, Paraguay

• Returned to team in spring semester after mother passed away during the fall; played in 20 singles matches

MEN'S COURAGE AWARD
Christian Szablewski, Baseball – Lancaster, N.Y.

• Fought cancer diagnosis earlier this season to return to play
• Recorded a two-RBI double at Canisius (4/26)