May 13, 2008

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's Department of Athletics held its annual Awards Banquet tonight at the Student Activities Center on campus. During the evening's program a number of awards were handed out, including the Male and Female Athletes of the Year to sophomore Alex Felce (Stroud, England), a member of the cross country and track teams, and sophomore Alyssa Struzenberg (Cooper City, Fla.) of the softball team.

In the fall Felce became the first Stony Brook male cross country runner to win the America East Individual title, getting the victory on the Seawolves' home course by over five seconds in October. During the outdoor track season he broke the school 3,000-meter steeplechase record twice, qualifying for NCAA regional competition with his second-place time at the America East Championships. He also earned all-conference honors in the 1,500 meters and was part of Stony Brook's record-setting distance medley relay team that won the collegiate race at the prestigious Penn Relays.

After being named the America East Pitcher of the Year, Struzenberg led Stony Brook to its first-ever conference softball title by pitching every inning of the Seawolves three-game sweep at the tournament where she gave up just two runs in 21 innings. She set a school record for victories in a season, posting a 24-8 mark through the conference tournament. She also led the league in strikeouts with 241 and in shutouts with nine.

Academics were also celebrated, with senior Sara Cerrone (Floral Park, N.Y.) of the softball team and senior Kevin McCarthy (Nanuet, N.Y.) of the cross country/track teams being honored with the Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards as the seniors with the highest cumulative GPAs that made a significant contribution to their teams. A total of 45 senior student-athletes were recognized with Senior Academic Achievement Awards for recording a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better during their careers.

Also recognized during the evening was senior Rhys Duch (Victoria, British Columbia) of the men's lacrosse team who was honored with the Faculty Athletic Representative Award for his contributions to his team and to the Stony Brook community. Junior Brian Witkowski (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) was awarded the Athletic Directors Award for his contributions to the baseball team and his representation of the ideals of Stony Brook Athletics. Mr. John Leddy, the Director of Athletics Bands at Stony Brook, was presented the Seawolves Service Award for his work in forming the Stony Brook University Marching Band.

Most Valuable and Most Improved Player awards for all 20 of Stony Brook's intercollegiate teams were also handed out at the event.