The Tufts Athletics Department took a look back at the 2004-2005 rosters and record books and honored eight outstanding Jumbos with Distinguished Achievement Awards last Friday. Five accolades were presented, each highlighting different aspects of the recipients' contributions to their respective teams.
Alumni Reggie Stovell ('05) and Courtney Bongiolatti ('05) received the awards for most outstanding male and female athlete.
The Clarence "Pop" Houston Award, named after the former Director of Athletics, Vice President of the University and NCAA president, is presented annually to the school's top male athlete. With 18.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, Stovell led the men's basketball team to its best season in recent years, finishing with a 16-10 mark and a four-point loss in the NESCAC tournament semifinals. The 6'5" forward was an All-NESCAC and All-Northeast Region pick, and racked up three NESCAC Player of the Week honors.
"He came back for his senior year in the best shape he's ever been in," men's basketball coach Bob Sheldon said of Stovell. "He knew we needed him to be the man, and he was ready for it."
Bongiolatti, the 2005 recipient of the Hester L. Sargent Award for most outstanding female athlete, exploded offensively for the Tufts softball team during her senior season. With a season batting average of .374, the New Jersey native smashed 14 home runs and tallied 45 RBI, setting single-season Tufts records in both categories.
The Rudolph J. Folbert Awards are given to the top multi-sport athletes at Tufts. This year, the honors went to alumna Dana Panzer ('05) for her role on the field hockey and lacrosse teams and current junior Bryan McDavitt for his football and baseball performances.
Panzer gave new meaning to a breakout senior season. Prior to the 2004 campaign, the Sayville, N.Y. native had never scored a collegiate field hockey goal. Over the course of the next two months, she set a new Tufts single-season scoring record with 32 points on 12 goals and nine assists. She appeared in the stat book in each of the Jumbos' ten wins, and led the team to a 10-6 record, nearly reversing its 2003 5-10 mark. Her play earned her spots on the All-New England First Team and the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association Senior All-Star Team.
On the lacrosse field, Panzer stepped up for a team which was without its starting goalie. Despite never having played in the cage, her 8.79 goals allowed average was fourth in the league.
"She has a fire in her that lights up a whole team," field hockey coach Tina McDavitt said of Panzer, who has returned alongside her former coach as a graduate assistant this season. "I could rely on Dana to motivate her teammates or get them to focus without having to say a thing."
The football and baseball stand-out McDavitt holds the distinction of having started every game for Tufts in more than one sport. The junior doubled as both a punter and safety on the football team and played first base for the baseball team during the 2004-2005 seasons. His .389 batting average, good for ninth in the league, and team-best 49 hits earned him All-NESCAC first team honors. So far this season, McDavitt has an interception and 13 solo tackles on the gridiron.
The Rev. W. Murray Kenney Award is presented to the male and female in the senior class who best exemplify a positive attitude, persistence and dedication. Three 2005 graduates were recognized this year for their contributions past the stat book.
Bob Kenny, catcher and captain of the 2005 baseball team, brought energy and enthusiasm to the diamond. His numbers - a solid .295 batting average with 13 RBI - were only one aspect of his contributions to the team's 23 wins.
"Bobby Kenny is the most unselfish, team-oriented player I have ever had the privilege to coach," coach John Casey said. "He's an example of what hard work and dogged determination can produce."
Crew alumna Abby Schlessinger ('05) was the second recipient of the award. Relatively short for a rower, she worked hard for a spot on the varsity boat, earning one to finish out the 2005 season and her career at the Women's Henley Regatta.
"She has simply worked harder, pulled harder and run harder than anyone else the last four years of Tufts Crew," coach Gary Caldwell said. "She has willed other people to work harder because she was the toughest person on the squad."
The third recipient, former Volleyball co-captain alumna Ali Sauer ('05), matched her dedication on the court with an equal commitment to campus life off it. A member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Tufts Concert Board and a freshman orientation advisor, Sauer was a devoted Jumbo on and off the court.
