APPLETON, Wis. — The first BLU Crew Awards will be selected Friday evening at the Warch Campus Center.
The inaugural event is sponsored by Lawrence University’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). SAAC will hand out 12 awards to its fellow Vikings and announce the All-Viking Team.
The event begins at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.
The categories and nominees are:
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year
Jessica Demski (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township), softball, pitcher
Jake Gostisha (Appleton, Wis./East), football, defensive end
Patsy Kealey (New Rochelle, N.Y./Ursuline), soccer, goalkeeper
Elana Lambert (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood), tennis
Best Victory
Women’s cross country victory at Concordia (Wis.) Invitational
Hockey 6-3 win over Lake Forest to clinch berth in Northern Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs
Women’s soccer 2-0 win over UW-Stevens Point
Softball 5-4 win over Cornell
Men’s tennis 5-4 win over Cornell to qualify for Midwest Conference Tournament
Outstanding Play of the Year
Mattias Soderqvist (Stockholm, Sweden), back-to-back saves vs. Marian
Jamie Nikitas (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) to Mitch Willer (Sussex, Wis./Sussex Hamilton) for dunk vs. Knox
Cyra Bammer (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville), kill off face of Macalester player
Mike Deremo (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township), goal vs. Lakeland
Renato Engler (Davos, Switzerland), goal vs. Aurora
Ryan Berkley (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township), goals vs. UW-Stevens Point
Hayley Cardinal (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East), victory in 200 breaststroke at Midwest Conference Championships
Troy Miller (Lake In The Hills, Ill./Huntley), NBA-range 3-pointer in overtime at Monmouth
Alic Riedel (Appleton, Wis./East), kickoff return for touchdown vs. Rockford
Alic Riedel (Appleton, Wis./East), big hit on defense vs. Rockford
Upset of the Year
Women’s cross country tops field led by UW-Stevens Point to win Concordia (Wis.) Invitational
Women’s swimming defeats Lake Forest 146-117
Hockey defeats Marian 3-2
Softball gets 7-3 win at Monmouth
Women’s soccer 2-0 win over UW-Stevens Point
Baseball gets 6-4 victory over St. Norbert
Best Individual Performance
Ryan Butterfield (McDonough, Ga./Strong Rock Christian), football vs. Grinnell
Hayley Cardinal (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East), swimming at Midwest Conference Championships
Jamie Nikitas (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), basketball vs. Carroll
Liz Arco (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett), volleyball vs. Grinnell
Mattias Soderqvist (Stockholm, Sweden), series vs. MSOE
Troy Miller (Lake In The Hills, Ill./Huntley), basketball vs. Monmouth
Patsy Kealey (New Rochelle, N.Y./Ursuline), basketball vs. Concordia Chicago
Katie Schumacher (Little Chute, Wis./Little Chute), softball vs. St. Norbert
Comeback of the Year
Hockey vs. Lake Forest, trailed 3-1 and came back to win 6-3
Softball vs. Cornell, trailed 2-0 and came back to win 5-2
Men’s basketball vs. Monmouth, trailed 71-62 and came back to win 96-89 in OT
Men’s tennis, Adam Busch vs. Cornell’s Tom Greene, lost first set and rallied to win in three sets to clinch team’s berth in Midwest Conference Tournament
Women’s soccer vs. Grinnell, trailed 1-0 and scored two goals in final 13 minutes to win 2-1
Men’s Rookie of the Year
Ryan Butterfield (McDonough, Ga./Strong Rock Christian), football, quarterback
Nick Felan (Highlands Village, Texas), hockey, forward
Josh Janusiak (South Milwaukee, Wis./South Milwaukee), cross country/track
Nathan Schlesinger (Austin, Texas), fencing
Nolan Spencer (Elmhurst, Ill./York), baseball, shortstop
Max Stahl (Tijeras, N.M./Sandia Prep), swimming
Women’s Rookie of the Year
Lilly Endsley (Rockford, Ill./Guilford), tennis
Mari Hubanks (Sharon, Wis./Walworth Big Foot), soccer, defender
Maddie MacLean (Arlington, Wash./Arlington), softball, pitcher
Arianna Neumeyer (Manitowoc, Wis./Lutheran), volleyball, outside hitter
Emmi Zheng (St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Louis Park), swimming
Coach of the Year
Jason Fast, cross country
Steve Francour, men’s tennis
Mike Szkodzinski, hockey
Kim Tatro, softball
Men’s Athlete of the Year
Ryan Butterfield (McDonough, Ga./Strong Rock Christian), football, quarterback
Renato Engler (Davos, Switzerland), hockey, forward
Matt Holliday (Hong Kong), baseball, first baseman/pitcher
Josh Janusiak (South Milwaukee, Wis./South Milwaukee), cross country/track
Jamie Nikitas (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), basketball, guard
Women’s Athlete of the Year
Ryan Berkley (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township), soccer, forward
Clare Bruning (Mondovi, Wis./Mondovi), cross country
Hayley Cardinal (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East), swimming
Tierney Duffy (North Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield), softball, outfielder
Meg Krautsch (Oshkosh, Wis./West), softball, shortstop
The Viking Award
Brandon Boelter (Saginaw, Mich.), hockey
Tierney Duffy (North Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield), softball
Natalie Kramer (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley), basketball
Jacob Lueck (Glen Ellyn, Ill./Glenbard East), football
Jamie Nikitas (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), basketball
Lauren Ray (Hales Corners, Wis./Whitnall), volleyball