La Salle Athletics Announces Finalists for End of Season Awards

General | May 3, 2022

PHILADELPHIA – La Salle Athletics has announced finalists for its end-of-year awards, that will be handed out prior to a brand-new Student-Athlete Festival that will be held on Friday, May 6 at 3:00 p.m. 

This year, the public is invited to vote on the award winners! Click this link to vote. Awards will be announced to the public through social media following the event on Friday.

Male Rookie of the Year 

Joel Bevenour, Men’s Rowing

• Raced in bow of the Freshman 4+ boat on the debut race of the season at the Murphy Cup Regatta, finishing in first. 
• Raced in bow of the Freshman 4+ boat that won at the Knecht Cup 
• Moved with the Freshman 4+ team to the Varsity 4 “B” boat that got second behind the “A” boat at the Kerr Cup.

Logan Flores, Men’s Golf

• Second at the South Jersey Spring Kickoff, which marked the first team title in program history.
• Shot lowest tournament scores in two of the four spring events.
• Average round score of 77.77.

James Ptack, Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field  

• Placed top 20 in the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships to help lead the Explorers to their 11^th title. Finished 16^th with a time of 25:22.8.  
• His time of 8:09.56 in the 3K at the IC4A/ECAC Indoor Championships ranked seventh all-time at La Salle and fourth in the A-10.  
• Claimed sixth place at the Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships in the mile with a time of 4:14.28. 

Female Rookie of the Year 

Francesca Co’, Women’s Water Polo 

• Three-time MAAC Rookie of the Week  
• Totaled 94 points on 49 goals and 45 assists in 36 games. Ranked third in points, fifth in goals and second in assists.  
• Set single-game program records in goals (7) against St. Francis Brooklyn and steals against Marist (7).  

Clare Cornish, Women’s Rowing

• Has been a mainstay on the Women’s Varsity 8+ boat in all three spring regattas this season 
• Helped her Varsity 8+ boat race to their first Grand Finals appearance in the Murphy Cup in nine years 
• Was part of the Varsity 8+ boat that made grand finals at the Kerr Cup, joining all other five La Salle boats in qualifying 

Lauren Costello, Women’s Soccer

• Scored two goals and two assists from her center back position 
• Tied for the second-most points on the team (6) 
• Atlantic 10 All Freshman Team selection 
• Played in all 17 games, started all but the season-opener in defense 

Sofia Pla, Field Hockey

• Named Atlantic 10 All-Conference, Atlantic 10 All-Rookie, and NFHCA All-Region in her debut season.  
• Awarded Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week with three goals in her first two games.  
• Ended with 18 points, second most on her team, while anchoring a La Salle defense that recorded three shutout victories.  
• Scored five goals in her first three collegiate games, and tallied the game-winning goals against Bryant, Merrimack, and Wagner.  

Male Rising Star Award (Sophomore or Junior Eligible) 

Josh Nickelberry, Men’s Basketball

• Ranked third on the team in scoring, tallying 11.2 points per game in his first year as an Explorer.
• Shot 36.1 percent from the three-point line 
• Scored 20+ points on four separate occasions, including a career-high 28 points against Holy Cross 

Liam Rivard, Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field

• Currently ranks second in the A-10 in both the 800M (1:48.66) and 1500M (3:45.96).  
• His performance in the 800M at the Sam Howell Invitational placed him ninth in the nation.   
• Earned the individual title in the 1K at the A-10 Indoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 2:26.00. 

Nikita Romanov, Men’s Golf

• Averaged the lowest score on the team entering the A-10 Championships (75.63) 
• Tallied the lowest round score, shooting a 66 (-4) at the par 70 Nassau Invitational 
• Was part of the team that grabbed the first Division I team title in program history at the South Jersey Spring Kickoff 

Isak Sedin, Men’s Soccer

• Started in nine of 13 games during the 2021 season.  
• Had a .500 shot on goal percentage on 10 shots total.  
• Capped off the season with a two-assist effort in the 4-1 victory over George Mason on 10/30.  

Female Rising Star Award (Sophomore or Junior Eligible) 

Hannah Basler, Women’s Golf

• Set the second-lowest single season scoring average in program history, finishing the year with an average score of 82.44 
• Has had all 26 finished counted towards the team score in her career 
• Had the team’s lowest round in 12 of her 26 rounds in her career 
• Sits third all-time in career scoring average 

Maddie Henderson, Women’s Lacrosse

• Finished the season top-two on her team in goals (25), points (31), ground balls (32), draw controls (42) and caused turnovers (24).  
• Recorded hat tricks in victories over Mount St. Mary’s and St. Bonaventure while scoring multiple goals in nine games.  
• Secured season-high marks in draw controls (7), ground balls (6), and caused turnovers (5) in one game against Duquesne.  
• Tallied the game-winning goal in one-goal conference victories over VCU and St. Bonaventure.  

Tatum Johnson, Field Hockey

• Named to Atlantic 10 Second Team and A-10 All-Academic team. 
• Led La Salle and ranked second in A-10 with 27 points (10g, 7a). 
• Named A-10 Offensive Player of the Week after tallying two goals and two assists over Davidson.  
• Ended with four games of at least three points with two multi-goal performances.  

Christine Mancini, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country

• Set a program record in the outdoor 800M while also breaking the 800M indoor record twice this season by topping her original record time of 2:09.47 by nearly two seconds.  
• Earned the individual title in the 1K at the A-10 Indoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 2:48.63. The time set not only a new program record, but also a new meet record.  
• Claimed bronze in the women’s mile at the A-10 Indoor Championships with a time of 4:53.12.

Male Performance of the Year 

Matt Werner – Men’s Golf – Won City 6 Individual Title  

• Shot a season-low 70 (-1) in the win, holing out for an eagle at the par 5 ninth hole 
• One round event, field of 30 golfers 
• First individual win for an Explorer since Fall 2018 

Zachary Wolbert – Men’s Swimming & Diving – Atlantic 10 Championships

• Took home three medals in the 2022 A-10 Championships, giving him eight in his illustrious career at La Salle.  
• Dropped his prelim time in the 200-fly by over two seconds in the final at 1:45.69 to secure the silver medal. 
• Added bronze medal in the 200-IM with a personal best time of 1:46.94.  
• Also placed third in the 400-IM with a time of 3:50.76, almost five seconds faster than his prelim time.  

Nigel Buckley – Men’s Soccer – Hat Trick vs. Columbia

• Recorded his first-ever career hat trick in the 4-1 victory against Columbia.  
• Scored the game-winning goal in the contest.  
• Landed five of his eight shots on the net.  

Dennis Manyeah – Men’s Track & Field – Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships 

• Took home a gold medal in the high jump at the Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships with a mark of 2.11 meters.  
• The title marks his second A-10 Indoor High Jump title and fourth A-10 High Jump title overall.  
• Currently ranks second in the league for the high jump in the outd 

Female Performance of the Year 

Phoebe Shaya – Women’s Swimming & Diving – Atlantic 10 Championships   

• Named A-10 Most Outstanding Women’s Diver at 2022 A-10 Championships.  
• Took home the first gold medal of her career in the 1M Dive with a score of 265.60, good for first by less than a point in a competitive final.  
• Also advanced to the finals in the 3M dive, narrowly missing the podium with a fifth-place finish at 248.50.  

Kayla Spruill – Women’s Basketball – Comeback Road Win vs. Fordham

• Had a 24-point, 10-rebound performance in the comeback victory over Fordham.  
• Shot 8-of-20 from the field including 3-of-7 from the 3-point range while recording her 1,000^th career point. She became just the 26^th Explorer in program history to reach the milestone.  
• Helped La Salle to overcome a 12-point deficit at the half scoring 22 of her 24 points in the final two quarters.  

Christine Mancini – Women’s Track & Field – A-10 Indoor Championships

• Earned the individual title in the 1K at the A-10 Indoor Track and Field Championships marking the first-ever gold medal earned by the junior in the meet.  
• Her time of 2:48.63 in the event set a new program record at La Salle and a new meet record for the tournament.  
• Also brought home a bronze medal in the mile with a time of 4:53.12.  

Shanna Zuanich – Women’s Water Polo – Two School Records vs. Salem

• Recorded a career-high nine assists and 12 points in the 21-13 victory over Salem.  
• Her nine assists and 12 points set single-game program records.  
• Contributed three goals to La Salle’s 21-goal performance.  

Men’s Team Performance of the Year   

Men’s Golf – Win at South Jersey Spring Kickoff  

• First division I win in program history 
• Logan Flores led the team with a 148 (+4) to finish second 
• Matthew Werner (149, +5) finished T-3^rd and Karsen Rush (150, +6) finished T-5^th 
• All five golfers finished in the top half of the standings 

Men’s Rowing – Varsity 4+ Boat at Knecht Cup 

• Finished with a gold medal in the men’s varsity 4+ 
• Second of three gold medals in the event to open the spring season 
• Finished five seconds in front of the field with a time of 6:39.19 

Men’s Cross Country – Team Title at Atlantic 10 Championships   

• Clocked in an average time of 25:10.14 in the 8K for a team score of 53 points to claim the program’s 11^th Atlantic 10 Cross Country title.  
• Taonga Mbambo and Ibrahim Kedir finished in the top 10 with Mbambo recording a time of 24:55.0 for fourth place and Kedir clocking in at 24:57.5 for fifth place/  
• Luke Jaciw-Zurakowsky (13^th), Ryan James (14^th) and James Ptack (16^th) all placed in the top 20 for the Explorers.  

Men’s Basketball – Thrilling Comeback Win vs. Dayton  

• Sparked a four-game win streak towards the end of the year, the longest of the season.
• Trailed by as many as 15 points in the second half before a 17-0 Explorer run.
• Freshman Khalil Brantley led the team with 17 points.
• Highest ranked opponent the Explorers defeated on the year, earning a Quad 2 win 

Women’s Team Performance of the Year  

Women’s Basketball – Comeback Win at Fordham   

• Marked the first conference victory for the Explorers and snapped an eight-game skid against the Rams that dated back to 2012.  
• Trailed by 12 points in the first half before a 48-point scoring effort, the largest for the Explorers in the second half of a game during the season, pushed La Salle to victory, 71-62. 
• Double-digit scoring efforts from Kayla Spruill (24), Amy Jacobs (14) and Molly Masciantonio (10).  

Women’s Water Polo – Comeback Win vs. Iona

• La Salle trailed by three goals at the end of the second period but put together a 5-1 effort in the final eight minutes to pull ahead by a narrow single-point margin, 15-14.  
• Kalista Hyham led the scoring effort for La Salle with a team-high five goals converting every shot she took on the net int eh game.  
• Emma Gurasich held down the defensive effort with 12 saves while also assisting on one goal in the game.  

Women’s Lacrosse – Triple-overtime win over Mount St. Mary’s

• Facing reigning NEC champion and preseason favorite Mount St. Mary’s in their second game of 2022, the Explorers defeated the Mount 10-9 in a triple-overtime thriller at McCarthy Stadium.  
• Maddie Henderson and Emily Johnston each tallied hat tricks for La Salle, who overcame frigid conditions and snow fall to battle the Mount to ties at 5-5 at the half and 9-9 at the end of regulation.  
• Goalkeeper Kelli McGroarty made her collegiate debut in the start of the second half, making 10 saves while conceding just four goals including a save in each of the three overtime periods.  
• In the third and final overtime session, Johnston fired home her third goal of the contest to clinch the victory for La Salle, giving the Explorers one of their five one-goal wins of 2022.   

Women’s Track & Field – Individual Performances at Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships 

• El Mancini earned the individvual title in the 5000m with a time of 16:21.54. She also claimed silver in the 3K with a time of 9:39.27.  
• Liz Mancini was the individual champion in the 3K with a time of 9:35.87.  
• Christine Mancini took first in the 1K with a time of 2:48.63, setting both a new meet record and program record. Also brought home the bronze in the mile with a time of 4:53.12.