ST. AUGUSTINE – The Flagler College Department of Athletics held its second annual Saints Choice Awards Wednesday night at the Lewis Auditorium.
Flagler student-athletes were able to vote for their own teammates and friends for various awards. A red carpet was draped over the front steps of the auditorium to give the attendees a celebrity feel like one would see at the Oscars.
The Male Athlete of the Year went to Gage Voorhees of the baseball team. The senior from Springfield, Ohio was a first-team All-Peach Belt Conference selection last spring after posting a 7-2 record with a 3.41 earned run average. This year, Voorhees is 2-4 with a staff-best 2.87 ERA. He was selected as the PBC Pitcher of the Week twice, once this year and once last year.
The Female Athlete of the Year went to Lexie Morton of the women's lacrosse team. The Milton, Georgia native leads the team with 62 goals and 12 assists for 74 total points. She shattered the single-season goals record and broke the single-game record when she scored seven at Lander University to end the regular season. She has been named the Gulf South Conference's Player of the Week five times this year.
The Male Team of the Year went to the men's tennis team. The Saints finished last season with a 20-6 overall record and a 6-0 mark in the PBC, the first regular season title for Flagler in the NCAA Division II era. The team went on to win the NCAA Division II Southeast Region No. 2 and advanced to the national championships for the first time. The Saints won their first two matches, the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals, before falling to the eventual national champion in the national semifinals.
The Female Team of the Year went to the women's lacrosse team. The Saints are currently 15-1 overall record and went through the Gulf South Conference schedule unblemished, all in just the second year of the program. The is ranked No. 10 in the nation and will host the conference tournament this weekend.
The Athletics Director's Award recipients were Jared Marsano of the men's soccer team and Kennedy Muff of the women's volleyball team. Marsano holds a 3.75 cumulative grade point average and is a double-major in accounting and political science while Muff has a 3.96 GPA and is a marketing major with concentrations in business administration and advertising.
The Golden Saint Awards went to Nikita Tatyanin of the men's tennis team and Paige Maseda of the softball team.
The SAAC Member of the Year went to Michael Hayeck of the men's cross country and indoor/outdoor track teams.
The Spirit Award was presented to freshman cheerleader Abby Strother.
The Play of the Year went to the volleyball team and their winning match point to claim another Peach Belt Conference Tournament title.
Nadja Meier's spectacular run of 27 consecutive singles match victories, which is still in progress, was the Best Record-Breaking Performance.
The Athlete of Character award was presented to Caroline Blaha of the women's lacrosse team. The sophomore from Outer Banks, North Carolina servers as a Young Life St. Augustine middle school and high school leader. Caroline also spends time volunteering with Special Olympics in Jacksonville, at local hospitals, and the ALS Association Florida Chapter. She also serves as a mentor for kids with special needs at Crookshank Elementary School in St. Augustine. Caroline is one of the women's lacrosse team's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative.
The Top Tier Award, presented by Flagler director of sports performance Connor Gettemy, went to baseball senior pitcher Gage Voorhees.
Antanas Mikuzis of the men's lacrosse team won the Male Newcomer of the Year award. The Western Springs, Illinois native is currently tied for the team-lead in goals with 29 and was the first-ever Flagler player to receive PBC Player of the Week honors and he was selected to the USILA Team of the Week.
Monique Whiteman of the women's cross country and track teams won the Female Newcomer of the Year award. The Bulls, New Zealand native earned All-Southeast Region and All-PBC honors as well as being selected as the PBC Runner of the Year in cross country. She broke the program's 5000-meter record in outdoor track.
The Male Freshman of the Year went to Trace McDonald of the men's lacrosse team. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida native leads the team in points with 87. He has scored 24 goals and tallied a team-high 25 assists.
The Female Freshman of the Year went to Ella Pinder of the women's lacrosse team. The Millington, Maryland native has been named the Gulf South Conference's Freshman of the Week three times. She has scored 24 goals with 11 assists and leads the club with 62 draw controls.
The Male Breakthrough Athlete of the Year went to Jacopo Denitto of the men's tennis team. The sophomore from Lecce, Italy finished last year with an overall record of 23-5 in singles and has carried that over to this year with a 20-11 record thus far.
Monika Kubai of the women's cross country and track teams was the recipient of the Female Breakthrough Athlete of the Year. She earned All-PBC honors on cross country for the second year in a row and took home all-conference honors in outdoor track as she won the 5000-meter run.
The Game of the Year was men's tennis' win over Hawai'i Pacific University in the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals.
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