ELON, N.C. – The Elon University Department of Athletics held its 44th annual athletics awards banquet on Monday, May 7, in Alumni Gym, recognizing and remembering many of the outstanding achievements of the 2017-18 school year.



Sophomore pitcher Kyle Brnovich garnered the Stein H. Basnight Outstanding Athlete of the year on the men's side, while senior women's track and field standout guard Bryanna Hames picked up the honor as the women's athlete of the year.
 
A native of Milton, Ga., Brnovich has been stellar on the mound for the Phoenix baseball team all season. Brnovich leads the nation in strikeouts and was recently named to the College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year Watch List. A two-time CAA Pitcher of the Week winner, Brnovich was named College Baseball National Pitcher of the Week on April 2 and has already set Elon's single-season strikeout record with 124 on the season thus far. He is on pace to break Justin Verlander's CAA single-season strikeout record and is the only player in Elon baseball's 118-year history to have multiple seasons with 100+ strikeouts. Brnovich was also named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List, which is presented annually by USA Baseball to the top amateur player in the nation.
 
Following last year's run to Eugene, Ore., for the NCAA Track and Field Championships – a first for the Phoenix track and field program – Hames has broken numerous school records this season in both the indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. During the indoor season, Hames set the Elon record in the shot put (15.13m/49' 7.75") and the weight throw (16.63m/54' 6.75"). Hames broke the Elon record in the outdoor shot put this year at the Raleigh Relays with a throw of 51' 1.5" (15.58m). A two-time CAA Field Athlete of the Week this year, Hames currently leads the conference in the discus throw with a toss of 170' 11" (52.11m) and is second in the shot put. Last weekend at the CAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Hames captured the discus title for the second time in her career with a toss of 163' 5" (49.81m). Hames currently sits 24th on the NCAA East Preliminaries list in the discus and 27th in the shot put.
 
Men's soccer's Matthew Jegier and women's tennis's Erica Braschi were recognized as the recipients of the Robert C. Browne Memorial Sportsmanship Award. The Browne Award was established in 1972 in memory of Elon alumnus Robert C. Browne by his sister, Pretto Browne-Crumpton, and her husband, Dr. J.L. Crumpton, and is presented annually to the Elon male and female athletes who have best displayed exemplary qualities of sportsmanship as determined by the Elon Department of Athletics administrative staff.
 
Men's soccer's Marcel Fahrenholz and women's soccer's Sydney Schilling were recipients of the A.L. Hook Scholar-Athlete awards this year. The Hook Award has been presented annually since 1975 in honor of Dr. A.L. Hook to the Phoenix male and female junior or senior athletes who possess the highest cumulative grade-point average with a minimum of two years of playing time at Elon. Fahrenholz is an accounting & statistics major with a 4.00 GPA and Schilling holds 3.95 cumulative GPA as a physics major.
 
Team MVP Award Winners
Football – Warren Messer
Volleyball – Sydney Busa
Women's Soccer – Grace Bennett
Men's Soccer – Matthew Jegier
Women's Cross Country – Brigid Brennan
Men's Cross Country – Nick Ciolkowski
Men's Basketball – Tyler Seibring
Women's Basketball – Shay Burnett
Coed Cheerleading – Grant Jones
All-Female Cheerleading – Nicole Balas
Dance Team – Natalie Wright
Women's Tennis – Suzanne Zenoni
Men's Tennis – Mario Paccini
Men's Golf – Jake Leavitt
Women's Golf – Heather Munro
Women's Lacrosse – Stephanie Asher
Softball – Hannah Olson
Women's Track and Field – Coralea Geraniotis
Baseball – Ryne Ogren
 
Athletic Department Award
Service Award - Colton Cadarette
 
Football Awards
Most Outstanding Offensive Player - Davis Cheek
Most Outstanding Defensive Player - Dondre Howell
Most Outstanding Special Teams - Zavier Williams
Coaches' Award - CJ Toogood
Most Outstanding Newcomer - Tyler Campbell
Team MVP - Warren Messer
 
Volleyball Awards
Coaches' Award - Maddie Jaudon
Most Improved - Alexa Pavlick
Top Newcomer - Kodi Garcia
Team MVP - Sydney Busa
 
Women's Soccer Awards
Most Valuable Leader - Sue Anderson
Most Improved - Lauren McKeever
Courage Award - Kendall Ballotti
Team MVP - Grace Bennett

Men's Soccer Awards
Leadership Award - Jonathan Coleby
Scholar Athlete - Marcel Fahrenholz
Team MVP - Matthew Jegier
 
Women's Cross Country Awards
Coach's Award - Chelsea Smith
Most Dedicated - Melissa Anastasakis
Most Consistent - Corelea Geraniotis
Most Improved - Corey Weiss
Team MVP - Brigid Brennan
 
Men's Cross Country Awards
Coach's Award - Richie Kasper
Most Dedicated - Michael Germinario
Most Improved - Colton Lawson
Team MVP - Nick Ciolkowski
 
Cheerleading Awards
All-Female Coach's Award - Cassandra Borglum
All-Female Rookie of the Year - Kendra Holland
Co-Ed Coach's Award - Grant Jones
Co-Ed Rookie of the Year - Matt Mehr
Coed Cheerleading MVP - Grant Jones
All-Female Cheerleading MVP - Nicole Balas
 
Dance Team Awards
Coach's Award - Elly Dirks
Rookie of the Year - Brielle Ricciardi
Team MVP - Natalie Wright
 
Men's Basketball Awards
Coaches' Award - Collin Luther
Phoenix Award - Brian Dawkins
Pound the Rock Award - Seth Fuller
Team MVP - Tyler Seibring
 
Women's Basketball Awards
Best Offensive Player - Shay Burnett
Best Defensive Player - Jada Graves
Most Improved - Lexi Mercer
Coaches' Award - Malaya Johnson
Team MVP - Shay Burnett
 
Women's Track & Field Awards
Outstanding Track - Coralea Geraniotis
Outstanding Field - Bryanna Hames
Outstanding Field - Bre'anna Warren
Top Point Scorer Award - TBD
Coaches' Award - Katie Arbogast
Team MVP - Coralea Geraniotis
 
Men's Tennis Awards
Most Improved - Kyle Frankel
Coaches' Award - Neal Port
Heart & Hustle Award - Felipe Sarrasague
Team MVP - Mario Paccini
 
Softball Awards
Golden Glove Award - Hannah Olson
Best Offensive Player - Kara Shutt
Pitcher of the Year - Kiandra Mitchum
Hustle Award - Kristin Hoover
Best Newcomer Award - Tia Mitchell
Team MVP - Hannah Olson
 
Women's Tennis Awards
Leadership Award - Erica Braschi
Most Outstanding Doubles Player - Maria Paraja
Heart & Hustle Award - Olivia Lucas
Team MVP - Suzanne Zenoni
 
Baseball Awards
Pitcher of the Year - Kyle Brnovich
Coaches' Award - Zach Evers
Freshman of the Year - Jared Wetherbee
Danieley Memorial Sportsmanship - Robbie Welhaf
Team MVP - Ryne Ogren
 
Men's Golf Awards
Most Improved Award - Graham Hutchinson
Leadership Award - William Harwood
Coach's Award - Robbie Seebold
Coach's Award - Charlie May
Team MVP - Jake Leavitt
 
Women's Golf Awards
Leadership Award - Aurelia Hamm
Coach's Award - Katie Reilly
Team MVP - Heather Munro
 
Women's Lacrosse Awards
Scholar-Athlete - Jacie Cooper
Team MVP - Stephanie Asher
 
Special Awards
A.L. Hook Scholar Athletes
Sydney Schilling, Women's Soccer, 3.95 GPA
Marcel Fahrenholz, Men's Soccer, 4.00 GPA
                                                          
Browne Memorial Sportsmanship
Matthew Jegier, Men's Soccer
Erica Braschi, Women's Tennis
 
Basnight Outstanding Athletes
Kyle Brnovich, Baseball
Bryanna Hames, Women's Track & Field