Sacred Heart University held its annual Senior Athlete Awards Brunch on May 5, bringing together nearly 500 student-athletes, coaches, staff, and administrators to recognize achievements from the 2025-26 academic year.
The event highlighted both team and individual accomplishments. The Pioneers celebrated seven team championships during the year, including an undefeated regular season for men’s soccer and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titles for women’s soccer and men’s indoor track and field. Other teams earning major honors included football with a Yankee Conference Championship, women’s wrestling with an NCAA East Region title, and national titles for both cheerleading (All-Girl Division I Game Day) and dance (Division I Spirit Rally).
Individual accolades were also prominent. Seven student-athletes earned All-American status while another seventeen were named Academic All-Americans. Additionally, seven athletes received Player of the Year recognition in their sports, seven more were named Rookies of the Year, and fifty-two were selected to All-Conference teams.
Several special awards were presented during the brunch. The Lucy Cox Alumni Recognition Award went to Paul Goncalves from men’s tennis and Sadie Stevens from women’s lacrosse. Chris DeLena (men’s wrestling) and Megan Prettyman (women’s bowling) received the Dr. Gray Rose Scholar-Athlete Award for their athletic performance combined with academic excellence—DeLena maintains a 3.7 GPA in nursing while Prettyman holds a perfect 4.0 as a biology major.
Other honorees included Craig Daria (men’s lacrosse) and Charlotte Kaduson (women’s swimming/diving), who received the Alvin Clinkscales Unsung Hero Award; Curtis Whiting (football) and Caroline Woelfel (women’s rugby), recognized by Strength & Conditioning staff; Finn Hoey (men’s lacrosse) and Ryann Kearns (women’s lacrosse), recipients of the Athletic Training Comeback Award; Jason Marakow was honored with the Chip Kennedy Outstanding Contribution Award; Todd Michalka received the Dr. Marian “Bunny” Calabrese Spirit Award; Honora Saccu from cheerleading was awarded Pioneer Spirit; Felix Trudeau (men’s ice hockey) and Kayla DeStephanis (equestrian) won Pioneer Awards; Anquan Hill (men’s basketball) and Morgan Bovardi (women’s soccer) earned this year’s Athletic Director’s Awards.
As four teams continue postseason competition over the next three weeks, Sacred Heart University looks ahead to further achievements in athletics.
