WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ - The Monmouth University Athletics Department recognized the achievements of its student-athletes with its annual Student-Athlete Awards, which were announced Wednesday.

Among the prominent awards given were the Paul G. Gaffney II Male and Female Athletes of the Year, the Joan Martin Award, Bill Boylan Award, Parker Award and the Kelsey Award. In addition, Most Valuable Player Awards and Coaches Award winners were named for each team, as well as the Team Physicians' and Sports Medicine Award and Strength and Conditioning awards.

The winners of the Paul G. Gaffney II Male and Female Athlete of the Year Awards were Kenji Bahar (Football) and Amanda Knaub (Women's Soccer).

Bahar put together the best season for a Monmouth quarterback to date, leading the Hawks to an 11-3 overall record, the program's first NCAA playoff victory and a final national ranking of 12. Bahar became the first Hawk to earn Big South Offensive Player of the Year honors while garnering a Third Team All-America nod. Bahar threw for 3,684 yards and 30 touchdowns en route to setting every single-season quarterback record for the Blue & White. He was named ECAC Offensive Player of the Year and his 3,861 total offensive yards also set a single-season Monmouth record.

The Baltimore, MD native finished ranked first in all but one career quarterback statistical category and led Monmouth to two playoff appearances and 28 wins in the last three years. Bahar captained the Hawks to a perfect 7-0 record at home, a 45-21 dismantling of No. 4 Kennesaw State and a 44-27 NCAA playoff win over Holy Cross. Bahar finished eighth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award, bestowed on the nation's top FCS Offensive Player and wrapped his career playing in one of the nation's premier all-star games, The Hula Bowl.

Nominees for the Paul G. Gaffney II Male Athlete of the Year included Max Benaim (Tennis), Mohamed Diagouraga (Track and Field), Deion Hammond (Basketball), Rob Hensey (Baseball), Chris Hervada (Lacrosse), Kyle Mueller (Cross Country), Sean Murray (Soccer), Michael Pepper (Track & Field), Ron Robinson (Golf) and Callan Smith (Swimming).

Knaub turned in the most successful individual statistical season in women's soccer history with her performance as a senior in 2019. The Hawks' goalkeeper backed Monmouth to its fourth consecutive MAAC Regular Season Title, MAAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance by allowing a NCAA-best four goals throughout the entire campaign. Knaub led the nation in goals-against average (0.202) and save percentage (0.923) and her 15 shutouts ranked second in the country. She was honored with a number of accolades, including MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year, ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, as well as First Team All-MAAC and All-ECAC awards. Knaub closed the season with a program-record scoreless streak of 932:55 by not allowing a goal across her final ten games.

Knaub also excelled in the classroom, becoming Monmouth's first CoSIDA Academic All-American after being named to the Division I Women's Soccer Second Team. She collected United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-East Region Second Team honors as well as the MAAC All-Academic Team recognition for her 3.98 GPA as a criminal justice major.

Nominees for the Paul G. Gaffney II Female Athlete of the Year included Paige Diecidue (Golf), Nicole Gasser (Tennis), Mariah Hubbard (Track and Field), Annick van Lange (Field Hockey), Camryn McHugh (Swimming), Alexa Middleton (Basketball), Rachel Mills (Lacrosse), Sammi Ragenklint (Cross Country), Kayla Rosado (Softball) and Danielle Steff (Track & Field) and Saige Yamada (Bowling).

The Joan Martin Award, presented annually to the senior student-athletes who have shown dedication to their team while staying the course through adversity, was given to Jordan McCrum (Baseball) and Dana Scheriff (Women's Soccer).

A Hawk for five years and a Monmouth graduate, McCrum continued to fill a major role for the baseball program and was on his way to a monster senior season in 2019 before an arm injury robbed him of the opportunity of completing it as MU's closer. Among the outings McCrum threw prior to that setback included locking down one of the biggest wins in program history, as the Hawks came from 5-1 down in the seventh inning to top #8 East Carolina, 8-5. The right-hander notched the final nine outs of that one and punched out five more at FAU the following weekend in what would be his final appearance in the Blue and White.

Following surgery, McCrum made the decision to spend a full year rehabbing and come back to Monmouth for one last crack at a MAAC title. He was named team captain in his fifth year and worked tirelessly with the strength and conditioning and sports medicine staffs to rehabilitate and get back on the mound. With rehab winding down and the Hawks starting to creep towards conference play, the Blue and White were expecting their closer back for the stretch run. Unfortunately, the unexpected swept the nation and the remainder of the collegiate baseball season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite all this, McCrum is still rehabbing and hoping for a chance to showcase himself for a professional baseball opportunity. He holds a business marketing degree from Monmouth and pitched in 44 games for the Hawks.

Nominees for the male Joan Martin Award included George Akampeke (Soccer), Tymere Berry (Football), Eamon Campbell (Lacrosse), Sam Ibiezugbe (Basketball), Nate Lardieri (Swimming), Sergio Martinez (Tennis), Kyle Mueller (Track and Field) and Henry Sappey (Cross Country).

A four-time MAAC Champion, Scheriff showed tremendous growth throughout her career and overcame a number of hurdles off the field. Scheriff saw her role change from a reserve forward as a freshman into an All-MAAC selection and team captain position as a senior. Following her sophomore year Sheriff dealt with offseason ankle surgery and the passing of her grandfather, who was instrumental in her upbringing. She responded by starting every game as a junior and scoring six goals, including three game winners, to go along with six assists and was named to the MAAC All-Championship Team. Prior to her senior season, Scheriff's mother underwent brain surgery to have a tumor removed. Scheriff cared for her during recovery and completed her playing career with Second Team All-MAAC honors after scoring five goals, highlighted by the first goal in Monmouth's 4-0 victory at #25 Texas.

Off the field Scheriff was a three-time MAAC All-Academic Team choice, an active member of Chi Alpha Sigma (Athletic Honors Society) and spent her 2019 spring break volunteering in Guatemala. She is graduating with a 3.6 overall grade-point average in Health Studies and has plans to pursue a postgraduate degree in Physical Therapy.

Nominees for the female Joan Martin Award included Stefanie Bigler (Field Hockey), Toniann Feigel (Swimming), Erin Mastropietro (Bowling), Ashley McKinnon (Track and Field), Chloe Novak (Lacrosse), Sam Tomasetti (Softball) and Adriana Zelaya (Basketball).

The Bill Boylan Award, presented annually to the senior student-athletes who demonstrate the traits of leadership, sportsmanship, scholarship and athletic ability that were so constant in the career of Bill Boylan, was awarded to Sam Ibiezugbe (Men's Basketball) and Jess Johnson (Women's Soccer).

Known on campus to everyone the last four years, not many have embodied the spirit of the Bill Boylan Award more than Ibiezugbe. In addition to his contributions on the court for the men's basketball team, Ibiezugbe was part of countless charity and volunteer efforts including feeding the less fortunate on holidays in his adopted home of Connecticut. Ibiezugbe was always there to lend a helping hand, most famously this past December when he was caught by broadcast cameras carrying an opposing women's basketball player off the court following an injury at a game he was simply attending as a fan.

Ibiezugbe will graduate with a degree in political science in May, finishing with multiple MAAC All-Academic Team selections with a 3.2 overall grade point average. He competed in 103 games at the center spot for the Hawks, shooting 42.2% from the field.

Nominees for the male Bill Boylan Award included Austin D'Angelo (Swimming), Sergio Martinez (Tennis), Matt Mosquera (Football), Sean Murray (Soccer), Ryan Rafferty (Track and Field/Cross Country) and Zach Schild (Baseball).

Johnson played a major role on Monmouth's NCAA-leading defensive unit as a senior in 2019. The Hawks led the nation in goals-against average, save percentage and shutout percentage and held their opponents to an NCAA-low four goals against. Monmouth made its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance as Johnson garnered Scholar-All East Region, All-Atlantic Region Second Team and All-MAAC First Team honors.

A two-time team captain, Johnson has excelled off the pitch as well. She is set to graduate with a 3.90 grade-point average as a social work major and has been recognized as a Dean's List student and MAAC All-Academic Team selection on multiple occasions. A member of the Chi Alpha Sigma honor society, Johnson recently became Monmouth's first student-athlete to be awarded the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. Johnson co-founded Monmouth's FLIGHT Academy, which pairs incoming student-athletes with upper class students in an effort to help first-year athletes navigate their new environment. As the Monmouth Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President, Johnson has led her peers in enhancing their community service efforts, as well as adding additional mental health programming on Monmouth's campus.

Nominees for the female Bill Boylan Award included Nicole Ceraso (Lacrosse), Kyla Day (Bowling), Jaclyn Greening (Swimming), Mariah Hubbard (Track and Field), Dayna Luma (Cross Country), Caroline Mattise (Tennis), Kayla Rosado (Softball) and Josephine van der Hoop (Field Hockey).

The Parker Award, presented annually to the teams with the highest grade-point average, went to the women's soccer (3.63) and men's cross country (3.49) programs for the fall 2019 semester. For the spring 2019 semester, women's soccer (3.56) and men's tennis (3.58) were honored with the Parker Award. Women's Soccer's 3.63 team GPA was the highest team grade-point average ever recorded at Monmouth.

The Kelsey Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest individual GPA, was awarded to Rachel Mills (Women's Lacrosse), who has a 4.0 grade-point average as a psychology major. Tymere Berry (Football) and Eryn Handy (Track and Field) were each given the Academic Resiliency Award. The MSAAC Community Service Award was given to the Women's Lacrosse Team.

In addition, Da'Quan Grimes (Football) and Alyssa Irons (Softball) were named the Strength and Conditioning Award winners and Eamon Campbell (Men's Lacrosse) and Ashley McKinnon (Women's Track and Field) were given the Team Physicians' and Sports Medicine Award.

Paul G. Gaffney II Male Athlete of the Year
Kenji Bahar (Football) - Highlight Video - Interview 

Paul G. Gaffney II Female Athlete of the Year
Amanda Knaub (Women's Soccer) - Highlight Video - Interview

Bill Boylan Award
Jess Johnson (Women's Soccer) - Highlight Video - Interview
Sam Ibiezugbe (Men's Basketball) - Highlight Video - Interview

Joan Martin Award
Dana Scheriff (Women's Soccer) - Highlight Video - Interview
Jordan McCrum (Baseball) - Highlight Video - Interview

Kelsey Award
Rachel Mills (Women's Lacrosse)

Strength and Conditioning Award
Da'Quan Grimes (Football)
Alyssa Irons (Softball)

Team Physicians' and Sports Medicine Award
Eamon Campbell (Men's Lacrosse)
Ashley McKinnon ( Women's Track and Field)

Academic Resiliency Award
Tymere Berry (Football)
Eryn Handy (Women's Track and Field)

Marilyn Parker Award Spring 2019
Women's Soccer (3.56)
Men's Tennis (3.58)

Marilyn Parker Award Fall 2019
Women's Soccer (3.63)
Men's Cross Country (3.49)

Below is a list of the team MVP's and Coaches Award winners from this year:

BASEBALL
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Rob Hensey
LEADERSHIP AWARD: JP Walsh

MEN'S BASKETBALL
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Deion Hammond
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Sam Ibiezugbe

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Alexa Middleton
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Alexa Middleton

BOWLING
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE: Saige Yamada
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Amanda Zappacosta

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE: Louis DiLaurenzio
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Ryan Rafferty

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE: Sammi Ragenklint
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Dayna Luma

MEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE: Mohamed Diagouraga
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Ryan Rafferty

WOMEN'S INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE: Mariah Hubbard
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Nioami Miranda

FIELD HOCKEY
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Annick van Lange
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Annie Deusch

FOOTBALL
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Kenji Bahar
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Matt Castronuova

MEN'S GOLF
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE: Ron Robinson
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Jimmy Criscione

WOMEN'S GOLF
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE: Paige Diecidue
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Cassidy Gavaghan

MEN'S LACROSSE
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Rudy Beck
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Chris Hervada

WOMEN'S LACROSSE
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Nicole Ceraso
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Nicole Ceraso

MEN'S SOCCER
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: George Akampeke
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Santo Arena

WOMEN'S SOCCER
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Lexie Palladino
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Anna Lazur

SOFTBALL
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Kayla Rosado
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Sam Tomasetti

MEN'S SWIMMING
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE: Callan Smith
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Frank Nicola

WOMEN'S SWIMMING
MOST VALUABLE ATHLETE: Camryn McHugh
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Bradie Keelen

MEN'S TENNIS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Max Benaim
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Sergio Martinez

WOMEN'S TENNIS
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Nicole Gasser
LEADERSHIP AWARD: Caroline Mattise