St. Bonaventure Athletics Holds Annual Senior Banquet

ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – The St. Bonaventure Department of Athletics held its annual senior banquet on Wednesday evening to celebrate and honor all of its graduating student-athletes and support staff.

Each year, four awards are presented: Service Award, Ray Dee Leadership Award, Merit Award (male and female) and Letterwinner Award (male and female). Below is a description of each award and the winner(s) for this year.

Service Award – Matt Moretti
The Service Award is presented annually to a graduating senior for outstanding service, dedication and commitment to the Department of Athletics. It may go to either a student-athlete or to a non-athlete.

Moretti made an impact in the Athletics Department although he was not a student-athlete. He interned in the Sports Information Office while also working as a manager for the women’s basketball team, attending all practices and games. He served as the event coordinator for Brown and White Night in October to kick off the basketball seasons, and also was responsible for editing a majority of the women’s basketball video highlight packages for GoBonnies.com, being a key player in the promotion of the team throughout the season.

Ray Dee Leadership Award – Jessica Jenkins
The Ray Dee Leadership Award is named for the 1964 Bona’s graduate who has served on the Board of Trustees for many years and is a tremendous supporter of, and donor to, the athletic programs. The award is presented to the senior who, through his or her leadership skills, sets a positive example for others to follow and builds pride for St. Bonaventure Athletics. The person will have maintained the highest standards of performance, integrity, sportsmanship and respect.

Jenkins earned the respect of her teammates, coaches and the entire Department for her work ethic and determination. Her impact on the women’s basketball program was evidenced in her conviction to set one goal for this season – the NCAA Tournament – and then help lead her team not just into the tournament, but into the Sweet 16.  In addition to her many basketball accomplishments, she is also a certified personal trainer and has trained fellow students and staff members, even during her season. A marketing major, she also earned Academic All-Conference honors this season.

Merit Award – Manuela Marin Salcedo & Hannah Lapp (Co-Female Winners) / Peter Koenig (Male)
The Merit Award is presented every year to one senior male and one senior female student-athlete for outstanding academic achievement, significant athletic achievement, and meaningful contribution to the St. Bonaventure community.

Marin Salcedo played the No. 1 position on the tennis team since her freshman year, leading the team as captain this season. This year she posted 23 wins, including a team-best 14 doubles victories. She was named an Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection in 2009, 2010 and 2012. She is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Earlier this spring, she was named the winner of the Dr. Mary A. Hamilton Woman of Promise Award, given to the top graduating female journalism and mass communication student.

Lapp served as one of the women’s soccer team captains this past season. Over her career, she led the Bonnies to an unprecedented four straight trips to the Atlantic 10 Championship, started 81 of her 82 career games and led the team in minutes played each of her four seasons. A Dean’s List member, A-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll student and a Presidential Scholar, she will earn a degree in psychology.

Koenig is the varsity record holder in the 100 backstroke as well as a Dean’s List and A-10 Academic All-Conference student. He has posted top-eight finishes in the Atlantic 10 Championships six times over his career. He was also a member of the 2009 Atlantic 10 record-setting 200 medley relay team. That team also posted the third-fastest time in the 200-relay in St. Bonaventure history. Next week he will graduate with a degree in accounting and next year he will remain at Bona’s to work on his MBA and assist the swim program.

Letterwinner Award – Jessica Jenkins & Megan Van Tatenhove (Co-Female Winners) / Andrew Nicholson (Male)
The Letterwinner Award is presented every year to one senior male and one senior female student-athlete who have assembled outstanding records of athletic accomplishments over their careers and have proven instrumental to their teams’ success.

Van Tatenhove ranks sixth all-time in scoring at Bona’s with 1,453 points, and she stands eighth all-time in rebounding with 624. She was named to the Atlantic 10 First Team All-Conference this year, and was on the All-Conference Second Team last season as junior. An education major, she also was selected to the Academic All-Conference Team twice.

Jenkins was named to the A-10 First Team All-Conference and was a finalist for the Naismith National Player of the Year award this season. She broke the A-10’s all-time record for 3-pointers, ending her career with 338 – 12th all-time in NCAA history. She scored 1,441 points over her career to rank seventh in school history.

Nicholson was named the 2012 Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, leading the Bonnies to the school’s first-ever A-10 Championship title and sixth NCAA Tournament appearance. Additionally, he was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press. He was also named the Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player.   He is the second-leading scorer in St. Bonaventure history with 2,103 points, stands fourth in school history in rebounds and second in career blocks, and he earned All-Conference honors each of his four seasons.