Watch the Awards Ceremony on Demand
HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College athletic department celebrated the Class of 2020 at its annual Senior Student-Athlete Award Ceremony, held virtually on Tuesday evening.
After Unique Tuberville '20 gave a stirring rendition of the national anthem to open the ceremony, Director of Athletics Wendy Smith '87 welcomed all who had tuned it to help pay tribute to Haverford's senior student-athletes. Associate Professor of Chemistry and Faculty Athletic Representative Lou Charkoudian '03 gave a toast to the senior student-athletes while Haverford College President Wendy Raymond also gave her congratulations to the scholar-athletes and spoke to their many contributions to the College. Lucas Greenbaum '20 represented the senior class as he gave a tremendous reflection on what being a student-athlete at Haverford means not only for the past four years but for the rest of this group's life as they make the transition to alumni.
The night also included a video tribute to the senior athletes as well as the department's achievements in competition, the classroom, and the community. The top 10 moments from the year were profiled in the ceremony while the seniors who have broken a significant college record during their time with the Fords were highlighted.
Senior record holders from the Class of 2020 were Nick Jannelli (men's soccer), Julia Gallagher-Teske (volleyball), Anna-Sophia Capizzi (women's basketball), Megan Furch (women's basketball), Sophia Jackson (women's squash), Kaitlin Reese (women's squash), Tate Miller (men's squash), Temma Levis (softball), Will Karp (baseball), Owen Plambeck (baseball), Julia Manetta (women's lacrosse), and Unique Tuberville (women's track & field).
Smith closed out the night by unveiling the winners of the senior awards as determined by the athletic department with a video tribute from their respective coaches. The A.W. "Pop" Haddleton Award is given for perseverance, dedication, and loyalty, recognizing senior student-athletes for outstanding contribution to an athletic team but who may not have received the recognition that, for example, a regular starting player does. Lucas Greenbaum (baseball) and Tatiana Lathion (women's lacrosse) earned this award for their commitment to their teams which helped lead both programs to great achievements during their four-year careers at Haverford.
The Stephen G. Cary '37 Award, which is given to the senior who has made the greatest overall impact on the Haverford athletic program through a combination of athletic participation and achievement, leadership, sportsmanship, and off-field athletic department involvement, was presented to Leanne Ludwick of the women's soccer team.
Ludwick had an outstanding career for the Fords but really made the most of her senior campaign as she scored 12 goals and earned first-team All-CC accolades while helping Haverford get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. Ludwick was a captain and member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) where she served as the liaison to the Strive leadership programming. In these workshops, student-athletes tackle concepts of leadership styles, motivation, culture creation, and empathy. Student-athletes leave with an increased sense of intrapersonal and interpersonal awareness that allows them to compete at a high level while also serving as more effective players, teammates, captains, and members of the campus community. Ludwick also served as a member of the Task Force for Athletics and Community while additionally lending her time to the Strength & Conditioning Advisory committee.
The Gregory Kannerstein '63 Award, formerly the Alumni-Varsity Club Award, was presented to Anna-Sophia Capizzi (women's basketball), Sara Matsumura (volleyball), and Anna Meyers (women's lacrosse). The Kannerstein Award is presented to an individual or individuals whose combination of outstanding athletic achievement and leadership has been a significant factor in a team's competitive success and whose level of performance has brought distinction not only to the individual, but also the entire athletic program.
Anna-Sophia Capizzi led the women's basketball team to back-to-back Centennial Conference Championships in her final two seasons as the Fords have now made three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. Named the Centennial Conference Player of the Year during the 2019-20 campaign, Capizzi became just the second All-American in program history when she was named an honorable mention pick to the WBCA Team. She broke Haverford's single season records for points (537), field goals made (192), and three-pointers made (78) on her way to graduating as a 1,000-point scorer. She finishes her career ranked sixth in program history with 1,115 points.
Sara Matsumura has been one of the leaders of the volleyball team since stepping on campus as she is a three-time All-Centennial Conference performer and two-year captain. With her steady impact, Matsumura helped the Fords get back to the Centennial Conference Tournament in 2019. Even though an injury prevented her from helping her team on the court in those final matches, Matsumura was the sturdy foundation the Fords leaned on during their playoff pursuit. Despite missing the final weeks of her senior season with an injury, Matsumura was still named to the AVCA honorable mention All-American team after garnering first-team all-region and all-conference accolades. She ranks third all-time for career digs (1,953) at Haverford after playing in 109 matches throughout her career.
Anna Meyers was named to the Inside Lacrosse All-American Team as a third-team selection despite playing just five games during the team's abbreviated spring season. Leading up to her senior campaign, Meyers was a two-time Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) second-team All-Metro region selection to go along with first-team All-Centennial Conference honors during those seasons. A stalwart on the backline, Meyer's play helped the women's lacrosse program into the national rankings on several occasions. Women's lacrosse entered the 2020 season on the heels of back-to-back Centennial Conference Tournament appearances, including a trip to the conference semifinals in 2019. Meyers finished her career ranked among the program's all-time best in both caused turnovers and draw controls.
Nick Jannelli was the final award winner of the night as he received the Varsity Cup as the most outstanding athlete of the senior class.
Jannelli capped his career as a four-time All-Centennial Conference selection. He was named the conference's player of the year during both his junior and senior seasons, becoming just the second player in conference history to accomplish that feat. A two-time All-American for the nation's oldest collegiate program, Jannelli's success immediately helped the Fords win the 2016 Centennial Conference Championship as he was named the CC Rookie of the Year that season. The Fords once again hoisted the conference trophy in 2018 on Walton Field with Jannelli putting away the game-winning goal in double overtime. A four-year starter, Jannelli broke the school records for both game-winning goals (14) and penalty kicks made (11) during his career while his 114 career points (45 career goals and 24 career assists) rank fourth in the history of the program. Haverford was a remarkable 38-5-1 over the past four years when Jannelli found the back of the net despite constantly receiving heavy attention from every opponent the Fords faced.