ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ Athletics hosted its annual Student-Athlete Awards Night on Monday, April 23 at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. Eight student-athletes received the department's major individual honors at the event for their performance in competition, in the classroom and in the community in addition to recognition for all of the department's graduating seniors.

ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ President Mark R. Nemec, PhD addressed the collection of student-athletes, coaches and staff with a message of gratitude: "Thank you for all that you have done to make sure that being a Stag is an exceptional thing."

"It's truly remarkable what you accomplish on a daily basis with great success and aplomb," added Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann as he nears the conclusion of his first year at Fairfield.

Female Athlete of the Year: Skyler Day, Volleyball
Skyler Day earns Female Athlete of the Year honors for the second straight season after collecting her second consecutive MAAC Player of the Year Award in 2017. Day was also the MAAC Championship MVP after helping guide the Stags to their third straight MAAC Championship. A three-time First Team All-MAAC selection, Day rose to fifth in program history with 1,305 kills while her career averages of 3.88 kills and 4.27 points per set both rank third all-time in three seasons with the Stags.

Male Athlete of the Year: Tyler Nelson, Men's Basketball
A First Team All-MAAC selection, Tyler Nelson is coming off of one of the best offensive seasons in school history which included setting the school record for career points (2,172 points) and points in a season (732 points). He became the first student-athlete in Fairfield men's basketball history to surpass 700 points in a season and also set records for three-pointers made in a career (315) and a season (104). Nelson, who was recently named First Team All-Met and was tabbed to the All-Tournament Team at the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, ended the year as the leading scorer in the MAAC with 22.2 points per game. His 2,172 career points also rank fifth in MAAC history

William Wallin Memorial Award: Will Fox, Men's Lacrosse
The William Wallin Memorial Award is presented to the student-athlete that epitomizes the late William Wallin '61, who demonstrated the highest levels of sportsmanship, character and leadership on and off the field.

One of the leading faceoff specialists in the history of Fairfield Men's Lacrosse, Will Fox is a Dean's List and CAA Commissioner's Honor Roll student as a Psychology major. He is also one of Fairfield's representatives on the MAAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, helping to spearhead service initiatives for the conference. Over the past two seasons, Fox has been a part of the men's lacrosse team's Lax Stache Madness effort that has raised more than $23,000 for the HEADstrong Foundation. He was previously recognized as one of 20 candidates nationwide for the Senior CLASS Award for Men's Lacrosse.

Fox ranks second all-time in program history in win percentage (.555), wins (503) and ground balls (220) – all behind Fairfield and Major League Lacrosse faceoff standard bearer Peter Vlahakis ’04.

Fairfield Alumni Association Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Megan Theiller, Volleyball
A CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team honoree, a three-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection and a 2018 inductee into Phi Beta Kappa, Megan Theiller has excelled as a Biology major at Fairfield. She was tabbed as one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award for Women's Volleyball. On the volleyball court, she overcame injury to add a Second Team All-MAAC nod in 2017 after earning First Team laurels in 2016 as Fairfield Volleyball won three straight MAAC Championships. Throughout her career, she set program records with seven career MAAC Player of the Week honors and four MAAC Player of the Week nods in a single season (2016). Theiller is one of four Stags to eclipse 1,200 kills and 1,200 digs in her career, ranking sixth all-time in kills (1,288) and 11th in digs (1,213).

Fairfield Alumni Association Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Angus Hastings, Men's Soccer
The captain of Fairfield Men's Soccer – the 2017 MAAC Champions – Angus Hastings has been a four-year standout on the pitch and in the classroom. He is a Dean's List student and three-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection. As the anchor of the Fairfield defense, Hastings was a First Team All-MAAC honoree in 2017 and the Most Valuable Player of the 2017 MAAC Championship.

Female Freshman of the Year: Sara Ostensen, Women's ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ and Diving
An instrumental part of the first-ever MAAC Championship for Fairfield Women's ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ and Diving, Sara Ostensen won two individual MAAC Championships and was a part of three winning relay teams during the Stags' run in Buffalo. She was named both the MAAC Championship's Most Outstanding Swimmer and Rookie Swimmer of the Meet. In her freshman campaign, she set six individual school records as well as five new program bests as a member of various relay teams.

Male Freshman of the Year: Don-Junior Bobe, Men's Soccer
Don-Junior Bobe was a Second Team All-MAAC forward for Fairfield Men's Soccer, sharing the team high with six goals for the 2017 MAAC Champions. He was also an NSCAA All-Region honoree and was tabbed as one of the top 50 freshmen in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer.

Athletics Director Award: Samantha Cooper, Women's Basketball
The Athletics Director Award will be presented annually to a member of the Fairfield community that truly embodies what it means to be a Stag, as selected by Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann.

Samantha Cooper worked through injuries to emerge as one of the top performers in the history of Fairfield Women's Basketball. Cooper scored 1,294 points in her career and hauled in 996 rebounds, bouncing back from a season-ending injury just three games into her freshman campaign. She is also a CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team honoree, a member of the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ Dean's List and a four-time MAAC All-Academic selection.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) presented five new awards this year, as voted upon by the student-athletes representing all of Fairfield's varsity athletic programs that comprise SAAC.

Unsung Hero: Macey Hollenshead, Women's Basketball
Comeback Player of the Year: Megan Theiller, Volleyball
Dynamic Duo: Kevin Walsh and Matthew Walsh, Men's Golf
Civic Engagement Award: Men's and Women's Rowing
Coach of the Year: Anthony Bruno, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ and Diving

In addition, the 2018 Fairfield Athletics Service Award was presented to Fairfield's Director of Campus Planning and Design Curt Krushinsky. Krushinsky has been integral in the recent renovations to Alumni Diamond and the Walsh Athletic Center in addition to countless projects in athletics and across campus.