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21ST ANNUAL ATHLETIC BANQUET CLOSES OUT 2009-2010
The Mount Ida College Athletic Banquet, now in its 21st year, was held on May 6th 2010 to honor all the accomplishments of every student-athlete that participated in sport this season with 475 people in attendance including athletes, parents, administration, family, and friends of Mustang athletics.
Dr. Jacqueline Palmer, in her 22nd year as Mount Ida College Athletic Director, was honored by Mount Ida President Dr. Carol Matteson and Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Elizabeth True for her contributions to the department of athletics during her tenure as she will step down at the end of this year.
The Jackie Palmer Award was created this year and will be awarded annually to a male and female graduating student – athletes who exemplify the qualities of Dr.Palmer - to proud Mount Ida senior athletes who have shown steadfast courage during their seasons of play, demonstrated the highest ideals of sportsmanship and scholarship while attending the college and also show a commitment to life-long wellness. Nominations will be solicited from coaches and a selection committee will determine the recipients each year. The first awards will be given at the Athletic Banquet in 2011.
The Jacqueline Palmer Fund provide capital to provide a cash stipend to each award recipient to assist him or her with educational expenses either from undergraduate loans or for graduate study. This fund will allow the College to honor Dr. Palmer in the future by recognizing excellence in athletics. Dr. Palmer’s foremost commitment has always been to support her athletes in every way possible.
Dr. Palmer will stay on as Director and professor of the Sport Management program within the School of Business after she vacates her position as Athletic Director over the summer.
1996 graduate and men’s basketball player Ralph Auriantal (West Simsbury, CT) was the 2010 inductee to the Mount Ida College Athletic Hall-of-Fame for his outstanding accomplishments and contributions as a student-athlete throughout his two year stint at Mount Ida during its junior college years.
Auriantal is currently a Physical Education Instructor and Head Varsity Boys Basketball Coach at The Master’s School in West Simsbury, Connecticut. Auriantal guided his team to three consecutive Connecticut Independent School Athletic Conference (CISAC) championships and has qualified for the New England Prep School Athletic Conference (NEPSAC) tournament once. Several of Ralph’s players, including current Mount Ida men’s basketball sophomore guard Isiah Benjamin (Windsor, CT/The Masters School), have gone on to play Division I, II, III basketball.
Auriantal earned an associate degree in Individualized Studies from Mount Ida College in 1996. During his time as a student, Auriantal was a member of the Mount Ida men’s basketball program for two seasons under the direction of current head coach Rico Cabral. Auriantal ended his two year stint at Mount Ida with an impressive 868 career points in a short period of time, just shy of 1,000. In the two years he competed with the men’s basketball program his team turned in an impressive 53-8 overall record.
As a Mustang, Auriantal was honored as a two time first team All-New England player along with a pre-season All-American selection his final season. Upon graduation from Mount Ida College, Auriantal received a bachelor of science in Physical Education at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York. Auriantal went onto complete his MA in Clinical Nutrition at the New York Institute of Technology while an assistant coach with the men’s basketball team. It was at NYIT as an assistant that Ralph had the unique opportunity to coach two of his own brothers, who were undergraduate students and played on the team.
The ECAC Merit Award is distributed yearly and was established for the purpose of honoring a male and female student-athlete who both are members of a varsity program governed by the ECAC rules of eligibility. It is bestowed upon a student-athlete who combines excellence on the fields of competition and outstanding work in the classroom and in the community.
Mount Ida College men’s lacrosse senior captain Matthew Vernik (Bethany, CT/Amity Regional) was the male recipient this year. Vernik has been a member of the men’s lacrosse program for the past four years. The 2008 team Most Valuable Player and a 2007 North Atlantic Conference All-Tournament team selection, Vernik entered his senior season as one of the most prolific shot-stoppers in Mount Ida history. His 368 career saves are the most ever in school history.
A switch to midfield this season has been equally successful for Vernik, who leads the Mustangs in faceoff wins and groundballs and is additionally ranked in the top 50 in the country in both categories. Vernik is an unselfish team player who is a true leader in the highest sense. Excelling in the classroom, Matt was named to the 2009 NAC All-Academic Team with a 4.0 GPA. Vernik will graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice.
Mount Ida College sophomore three-sport athlete (Women’s Cross Country, Women’s Basketball, Women’s Lacrosse) Jeileen Rivera (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central) was the female recipient of this award. Rivera is one of the hardest working athlete’s the coaches know. She showcases what it means to be an all around student-athlete. Rivera was named Most Improved Player (MIP) in 2009 for women’s basketball and Most Valuable Runner last year for women’s cross country. She is also a Resident Assistant on campus and maintains a 3.74 GPA. She is a Veterinary Technology major.
The Scholar-Athlete Award is the department’s highest award, as it represents the complete scholar-athlete in man or woman of both wisdom and action. The award is given to a student-athlete who has participated in varsity athletics for three years, has a junior class standing or higher, and a minimal cumulative grade point average of 3.6. This athlete must demonstrate citizenship and leadership in all regards, from family, to community, to college life.
The Scholar-Athlete Award was given to junior Equine Management major Jessica Lindquist (Killingworth, CT/Haddam-Killingworth). Lindquist has been a member of the Mount Ida College women’s tennis program for the past year and has also been a member of the women’s equestrian team for the past three seasons while earning a cumulative GPA of 3.83. Lindquist led the Mount Ida College tennis team to two conference victories this season and also qualified for the Regional championship for equestrian this past spring for the first time in her career as a rider.
The Sportsmanship Award is also distributed yearly as Mount Ida, the conferences, affiliations, and NCAA recognize the value of sportsmanship as a key ingredient in all competitive programs. It represents a player’s conduct that respects one’s competitors, officials, and fans and promotes fairness, civility, and competitive restraint. It is one of our most honorable awards and is given this evening to Kira Feeter, a junior business administration major.
Mount Ida College junior two-sport athlete Kira Feeter (Keene, NH/Keene) was the 2010 Sportsmanship Award recipient. Feeter has been a member of the Mount Ida College women’s volleyball program for the past three seasons and of the women’s lacrosse program two years. Kira was a 2009 women’s volleyball third team all-conference selection. She has also been honored with the Great Northeast Athletic Conference sportsmanship award for the past two seasons in women’s volleyball. Kira plays the game with the highest integrity of any player on the playing field and in the community. She is an example to be followed by all student-athletes.
The Coach-of-the-Year Award is given to a coach who is an unselfish educator who dedicates time to the welfare of the student-athletes, while enriching the reputation of the institution through quality competitive programs. The Coach-of-the-Year is voted on by the coaching staff and athletic administration in recognition of contributions to the personal growth of our student-athletes through athletic excellence.
In his 18th season, head coach Rico Cabral (Walpole, MA) directed the Mount Ida College men’s basketball team to an impressive 15-11 overall record going 10-8 in his third year as a member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC). Cabral and the Mustangs gained their first ever berth into the conference post-season tournament with a fourth place regular season finish good enough to host an opening round GNAC tournament game against visiting Johnson & Wales University in quarterfinal action. Cabral directed two third team all-conference players this season in senior Darren Martinez (Dorchester, MA/Brookline) and sophomore Keith Jones (Boston, MA/Cathedral). This was one of the most successful seasons for the Mount Ida College men’s basketball program since joining Division III with 15 victories, their highest winning total since the 2000/2001 season (18).
The Award of Valor was instituted in 2001 in honor of former guest speaker Travis Roy, a young hopeful in the world of Boston University Hockey who tragically cracked his fourth vertebrae 11 seconds into his first game and was left paralyzed from the neck down. This award is given annually to “a brave heart” – an athlete or coach, a college community participate who represents heroism and unselfish qualities when the chips are down. The Award of Valor recipient in 2010 was senior cheerleading captain Amber Nadeau.
Most Valuable Player/Most Improved Player Recipients (By Team and Season)
Fall
Football
MVP – Johrone Bunch
MIP – Michael Horn
Men’s Soccer
MVP – Will Daniels
MIP – Andrew Clark
Women’s Soccer
MVP – Tracy Koukol
MIP _ Megan Moriarty
Women’s Volleyball
MVP – Rachelle Gilbert
MIP – Devyn Frank
Women’s Cross Country
MVP – Jeileen Rivera
MIP – Erin Dufficy
Women’s Tennis
MVP – Amy Warner
MIP – Melissa Smith
Women’s Equestrian
MVP – Lila Pemberton
MIP – Danielle Magner
Winter
Men’s Basketball
MVP – Travis Hillery
MIP – Joseph Cabral
Women’s Basketball
MVP – Katie Morvan
MIP – Missy Collins
Men’s Volleyball
MVP – Thomas Belton
MIP – Ryan Faer
Spring
Women’s Lacrosse
MVP – Devyn Frank
MIP – Kira Feeter
Men’s Lacrosse
MVP – Kevin Mulvey
MIP – Riley O’Brien
Softball
MVP – Devan Meeker
MIP – Tiffany Hamann
