A celebration of Syracuse University student-athletes, coaches and others took place on Tuesday, with Eric Dungey and Tyus Battle among the winners.
The terrific achievements by many Syracuse student-athletes, coaches and their teams on the courts, fields and other competition venues, in the classroom, and within the larger community throughout the 2018-19 term received some well-deserved spotlight on Tuesday at the 13th-annual ‘Cuse Awards, held at the Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center on the Orange campus.
Two seniors, Santita Ebangwese in volleyball and Hendrik Hilpert in men’s soccer, garnered the 2019 Soladay Awards, which are the highest honors presented annually to a male and female senior student-athlete, according to this cuse.com announcement.
The press release also states that Ebangwese and Hilpert share the unique distinction of getting selected as SU’s class of 2019 University Scholars, the premier undergraduate honor that the ‘Cuse bestows.
Ebangwese, a middle blocker, concluded her senior stanza with an NCAA-best .425 hitting percentage and holds five top-10 career marks at Syracuse. The Rochester, N.Y., native is a two-time AVCA All-Region and All-ACC honoree. Hilpert, a goalkeeper, closed out his Central New York tenure ranked fourth in total wins (35) and fourth in career shutouts (23).
Senior quarterback Eric Dungey is the Male Athlete of the Year after wrapping up his Orange career as SU’s all-time leading passer, while setting or tying 20 school records, including total passing yardage (9,340), passing yards per game (239.5), 300-yard passing games (12), and most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (35), says the cuse.com announcement.
Junior guard Tiana Mangakahia is the Female Athlete of the Year, following a tremendous season in which she led the women’s basketball squad in scoring at 16.9 points per contest as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference in assists for the second campaign in a row. Mangakahia amounted to a top-five finalist for the 2019 Nancy Lieberman Award, presented every term to the best point guard in the nation.
Women’s lacrosse rated fourth across the country with an overall mark of 15-4, is the Women’s Team of the Year. The Syracuse football unit, ranked 15th in the final polls following a 10-3 record and a triumph in the 2018 Camping World Bowl, is the Men’s Team of the Year.
Men’s Coach of the Year, unsurprisingly, is football’s Dino Babers, and volleyball’s Leonid Yelin, who guided the ‘Cuse to the NCAA Tournament’s second round, is Women’s Coach of the Year.
Former basketball star Tyus Battle, who has elected to turn pro after his junior term, landed the Male Performance of the Year for his season-high 32 points in the Orange’s 95-91 overtime conquest at then-No. 1 Duke. Paige Stoner, a senior, finished third in the 3000-meter steeplechase to earn a bronze medal at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. As such, Stoner secured the Female Performance of the Year.
Among the other recipients are track and field’s Mary Malone with the Syracuse Eight Award of Courage, the women’s rowing crew getting its second-consecutive ‘Cuse Cares award for community service, and women’s tennis generating the Team GPA honor.