Newsletter 2011.pmd - Husky Athletics

SECOND ANNUALAL TEAM LUNCHEONandAWARDS ARDS CELEBRATIONThe second edition of the Team Luncheon was held on April 10th at the Danville Elks. A very appreciative group of 157swimmers, parents, family members and alumni made up the biggest celebration ever. Special guests included Dave‘73 and Jill ‘72 Gibas, along with Wayne Richards ‘79. Dave was on hand for the presentation of the Dave GibasPerformance Award, while Wayne gracefully acknowledged the loss of his 32-year old record in the 200 fly. Theaudience was treated to our own version of “the last comic standing” as each of the 14 departing seniors were roastedby their fellow team mates. Of course the hightlight of the afternoon were the Annual Team Awards.TEAM MVP’sPERFORMANCE AWARDSThis year’s Team MVP’s, as voted on by team membersand the coaching staff, went to sophomore BridgetHilferty ‘13 and freshman Mark DiLemmo ‘14.Bridget Hilferty dominated the distance events, making thetop 8 at PSAC’s in the 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle. Shewas the team’s top individual point scorer with 40, whichdid not include her share of points from the 400 and 800freestyle relays. Bridget achieved four NCAA B cuts in the200, 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle. Her 10:26.65 in the1000 ranks number two all-time at BU behind 1986 NCAAchampion Joan Wojotwicz.Mark DiLemmo took down the second-oldest team recordon the books with a sweet 1:54.57 in the 200 fly. The timebroke a 32-year old mark established in 1979 by Hall ofFame member Wayne Richards ‘79. Mark finished inthe top 8 at PSAC’s in both the 100 and 200 fly, and threwin a 10th place finish in the 500 free. He scored a teamhigh34 individual points and tossed in a few extra in the800 freestyle relay.CAPTAIN’SAIN’S AWARDSARDSThe Captain’s Awards recognize two athletes who demonstrated“an unselfish commitment, dedication, hard work,ethusiasm and unwavering loyalty towards BloomsburgSwimming.” The award winners are chosen by the teamcaptains who introduced them at the Team Luncheon.On the women’s side it was sophomore freestyler AshleyBauer ‘13 getting the acknowledgment from captains LisaFerrigno ‘11, Sarah Grawe ‘12, and Danielle Wrecsics‘11. For the men it was senior distance swimmer CullenMentzell ‘11, getting recognition by his Captains RyanLightner ‘11, Ben Safran ‘11 and Derek Straub ‘11.Both Ashley and Cullen personified the idea of the Captain’sAward and received a great round of applause from theaudience. They are awesome examples of what HuskySwimming is all about.The Performance Awards were created in 2010 to recognizethe single most outstanding performances of the year.They are named after our first national champions atBloomsburg: Gwen Cressman ‘85 and Dave Gibas ‘73.The Gwen Cressman Performance Award went tosenior Nicole Chinnici ‘11 for her swim at the AkronInvitational in December. Nicole’s father passed away justseven days before our trip to Ohio. It was an extremelydifficult time for her and we had no idea what to expectbecause of her fragile emotional state. Yet with all thatpressure weighing on her, Nicole turned in a lifetime best:24.94 in the 50 free and solidfied her spot on the All TimeTop 10 List. The entire team was inspired by her performanceand it served to bring the group closer togetherthan ever before.The Dave Gibas Performance Award went to the PSAC400 Freestyle Relay team of: Bryan Masilotti ‘14, MikeLightner ‘14, Ryan Lightner ‘11 and Derek Straub‘11. With 5th place at the championships on the line, thequartet had to beat IUP. The two teams swam side-bysideand battled stroke-for-stroke the entire way. In a thrillingnot-to-be-denied-finish, the Huskies prevailed and justmissed the team record by .24 for the second fastest 400free relay in school history. The effort was a perfect exampleof this year’s team motto: Make It Happen.PARENT’SAWARDSARDSThe annual Parent’s Awards were established torecognize the awesome contribution shown by the HuskyParents. The role they play in the overall success of theteam is very obvious and greatly appreciated.The Second Annual Parents Awards were presented toNancy & Bill Grawe (parents of junior captain SarahGrawe) and Julie Straub (mother of senior captain DerekStraub). These parents were tireless in their contributionsto many team functions throughout the year and set awonderful example for current and future Husky Parents.