2003-04 Year-End Awards

April 28, 2004
 

KUTZTOWN ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS AT ALL-SPORT BANQUET

KUTZTOWN, PA – The Kutztown University Athletics Department named the winners of its Senior Athletes and Rookies of the Year awards at the annual All-Sport Banquet in Keystone Hall on Tuesday, April 27.  Also announced at the banquet were the finalists for Athletes and Coaches of the Year.   

            Niya Adams (sr. King of Prussia/Upper Merion) of the women's track & field and cross country teams earned the women's Senior Athlete award and Jeff Brickus (sr. Coatesville/Coatesville) of the men's basketball team, was recognized as the men's Senior Athlete award winner.  Molly Lare (fr. Bethlehem/Liberty) of the women's cross country and track & field teams, and football's Jason Henley (fr. Gilbertsville/Boyertown) earned Rookie of the Year honors.

             Niya Adams is a nine-time PSAC champion, winning titles in the 800-meter (one indoor, three outdoor), the 4x800 relay (three indoor) and 4x400 relay (two indoor).  She is the school-record holder in the indoor 500 (1:17.94), indoor 4x400 relay (3:57.66), outdoor 800 (2:11.13), outdoor 4x400 relay (3:52.25) and outdoor 4x800 relay (9:14.16).   This winter she helped lead the Golden Bears to their first ever PSAC Indoor championship, running on the 4x800 and 4x400m relays that both set school and meet records.  In 2003, Adams earned a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where she placed 12th in the 800m.  Her final outdoor track & final season concludes with the Kutztown Qualifier on Thursday and the PSAC Outdoor Championships on May 13-15.  In cross country, Adams was a top-seven runner all four years, competed on two NCAA qualifying teams and notched a pair of top-20 finishes at the PSAC Championships.  She is also a member of the Tau Kappa honorary sorority for excellence in women's athletics at Kutztown. 

            Jeff Brickus has helped turn the men's basketball program into a winning team.  He has led Golden Bears to the PSAC postseason the last two seasons - the first time KU made back-to-back appearances in 16 years.  Brickus was selected to the All-PSAC East first team as both a junior and senior, leading the Golden Bears in scoring and assists both seasons.  He holds the Kutztown record for assists (425) and made free throws (317).  He ranks fourth all-time in steals with 160 and his 1,218 career points are ninth on the KU career list.  As a senior, he set a school record by sinking 12-of-12 free throws in a game against Mansfield.

             Molly Lare is the women's Rookie of the Year after a stellar freshman season on the cross country course and on the track.  In the fall, she was earned both the All-PSAC and All-Region teams.  She was the Golden Bears’ top runner and placed sixth at the PSAC Championships and seventh at the NCAA East Regional, earning PSAC Rookie of the Year honors.  During the indoor track & field season, Lare set a school record by running the 3,000m in 10:20.04.  She was named the PSAC Indoor Rookie of the Year after finishing second in the 3,000m and fourth in the mile at the conference championship.  Lare is a Dean's List student and a member of the Tau Kappa honorary sorority for excellence in women's athletics at Kutztown.  Her outdoor track & field season finishes with the Kutztown Qualifier on Thursday and the PSAC Outdoor Championships on May 13-15.   

            Jason Henley earns the men's Rookie of the Year nod after a redshirt-freshman season that saw him earn first-team All-PSAC East honors.  KU's starting tight end started all 11 games, catching 21 passes for 190 yards.  He was a strong presence around the goal line, hauling in six touchdown reception.  Henley was also named to the d2football.com East Region Freshman team. 

             Finalists for the Athletes and Coaches of the Year were also named at the ceremony.  The winners will be announced at the Hall of Fame and Athletic Awards banquet on Friday, June 4.

             The finalists for the women's Athlete of the Year are Niya Adams, of the cross country and track & field teams, soccer's Lindsay Will (sr. Lancaster/Manheim Twp.), volleyball's Jessie Didier (sr. Tunkhannock/Tunkhannock) and softball's Karli Hausman (sr. Sinking Spring/Wilson-West Lawn).  Men's finalists include track & field's Justin Collins (sr. Lake Ariel/Western Wayne), swimming's Matt Rowan (sr. Upper Darby/Upper Darby), basketball's Jeff Brickus and Matt Haverly (sr. Camptown/Wyalusing Valley) of the baseball team.

             Adams competed on the PSAC Champion 4x800 and 4x400m relays that set meet and school records at the PSAC Indoor Championships.  Those two finishes helped propel the women's team to their first ever PSAC Indoor Championship.  She is also the three-time defending champion in the outdoor 800m at the PSAC Championships. 

            Lindsay Will helped anchor the defense on the winningest team in KU women's soccer history.  The team won 14 games and advanced to the PSAC and NCAA tournaments for the first time ever.  Will also chipped in on offense, scoring two goals and assisting on four others for eight points.  She was named to the All-PSAC and All-North Atlantic Region first teams.

             Jessie Didier was named to the All-PSAC East first team and the PSAC East Athlete of the Year after helping the Golden Bears to an undefeated 10-0 mark in conference play.  She was also selected to the All-Atlantic Region first team and was a PSAC Academic Top Ten Award recipient.  Didier paced KU with 81 blocks and was fourth with a .364 hitting percentage.  She also had 200 kills. 

             Karli Hausman leads the softball team with a .341 average, 47 hits and 16 runs scored.  Her six stolen bases are the second highest on the Golden Bears.  She helped the Golden Bears to a second place finish in the PSAC East to earn a trip to conference playoffs where they face California (PA) on Friday. 

            Justin Collins was named the PSAC Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the Year after winning both the long and triple jumps at the PSAC Indoor Championships.  He also competed on the PSAC runner-up 4x400m relay team.  He earned All-American honors in the long jump after finishing fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships.  Outdoors, he has met the NCAA provisional mark in the long jump.  Collins will compete at the Kutztown Qualifier on Thursday and at the PSAC Championships on May 13-15. 

            Matt Rowan won the PSAC championship in the 50-yard freestyle and was an All-PSAC performer in the 200 free relay, 200 and 400 medley relays, and 100 free.   He earned a trip to the NCAA Championships in the 50 and 100 free and the 100 back.  At the NCAAs, he received honorable mention All-America honors in the 50 free and 100 back.  Rowan also set the KU record in the 50 free with a time of 20.84. 

            Brickus was selected to the All-PSAC East first team after leading the Golden Bears in scoring (14.1 points per game) and assists (4.2 apg).  During the season, he set the school record for career assists (425), made free throws (317) and a single game mark by hitting 12-of-12 free throws against Mansfield.  He also averaged 3.1 rebounds per game and shot 80 percent from the free throw line.  He helped lead KU to the PSAC Championship game. 

            Matt Haverly is the ace of the Kutztown pitching staff.  In 53.1 innings pitched, he is 5-1 with a 1.18 ERA and 65 strikeouts.  At the Builder Invitational in Newport News, Virginia, he threw the only known perfect game in KU history against East Stroudsburg.  The Golden Bears have advanced to the PSAC playoffs, where they face Shippensburg on Thursday. 

            Finalists for the men's Coach of the Year are swimming coach Tim Flannery, tennis coach Suresh Ramamurthi, baseball's Chris Blum and Bernie Driscoll of the basketball team.  The women's finalists are volleyball coach John Gump, soccer's Jeff Schellenberger, softball coach Judy Lawes and Brian Mondschein of the track & field team.

             Tim Flannery coached the men's swim team to a 6-4 overall mark and 3-1 in the PSAC.  The team had its best-ever showing at the PSAC Championships, with a third place finish.  Flannery coached two PSAC champions and an NCAA honorable mention All-American.  He was named the PSAC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year.

             Suresh Ramamurthi guided the men's tennis team to its fourth PSAC Championship in five years.  His men posted a 14-4 mark overall and finished second in the PSAC regular season with a 4-1 mark.  The Golden Bears will advance to the NCAA East Regionals May 7-8.

             Chris Blum's baseball squad clinched the second seed in the PSAC East for the PSAC Playoffs.  During the regular season, Blum directed the Golden Bears to a 32-12 record, including 15-5 in the PSAC East.  KU faces Shippensburg in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday in State College. 

            Bernie Driscoll coached the men's basketball team to an 18-11 record overall and went 7-5 in PSAC East play.  He coached the Golden Bears to their first PSAC Championship game appearance in 16 years and two of his players were All-PSAC selections. 

            John Gump led the volleyball team to a 21-9 mark in 2003 and was also a perfect 10-0 in the PSAC East.  Kutztown won its first-ever outright division title.  Gump was named the PSAC East Coach of the Year.  He coached four All-PSAC athletes, one All-Region player and the PSAC East Athlete of the Year.

             Jeff Schellenberger guided the women's soccer team 14-4-3 overall record and a 9-2-1 mark in the PSAC.  The team set school records for wins and conference wins, while advancing to the PSAC and NCAA tournaments for the first time in school history.  Schellenberger's team produced the Golden Bears’ first-ever women's soccer All-Region honorees.  Four of his athletes were selected to the All-PSAC team. 

            Judy Lawes and her softball team have qualified for the PSAC postseason as the second seed from the PSAC East.  Her squad presently sits at 27-15 overall and 15-9 in the PSAC East.  KU will face the host California (PA) Vulcans in the first round of the playoffs Friday morning. 

            Brian Mondschein was named the PSAC Coach of the Year after guiding the women's track & field team to the first PSAC Indoor Championship in school history.  He coached three individual PSAC champions, two champion relays and the PSAC Rookie of the Year.  During the indoor season, four school and one PSAC record fell.  He coached four NCAA provisional qualifiers and his athletes have broken one school record to date in the outdoor season.