Syracuse University student-athletes honored for their accomplishments

Syracuse men’s lacrosse attackman Stephen Rehfuss and ice hockey defender Lindsay Eastwood headline the honorees at the annual ‘Cuse Awards.

The outstanding achievements of Syracuse University student-athletes throughout 2019-20 had to get celebrated virtually on Thursday night, for the first occasion ever, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

So the Orange’s athletics department announced the 14th-annual ‘Cuse Awards via its social-media accounts.

Men’s lacrosse attackman Stephen Rehfuss and ice hockey defender Lindsay Eastwood received the 2020 Soladay Awards, which according to a cuse.com press release are the highest honor presented to a male and female senior student-athlete each year.

Named in honor of long-time athletics administrator Doris Soladay, this award recognizes student-athletes for their academic success, athletic accomplishments, leadership and community engagement.

Eastwood, a three-time captain, finished her career on the Hill with 23 goals, a school record for goals by a defender. She also dished out 52 assists, for a total of 75 points, one shy of the program record for career points by a defender.

A native of Kanata, Ontario, in Canada, Eastwood earned a spot on the 2019 College Hockey America All-Tournament unit after helping Syracuse to its first conference title and first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

She earned her master’s degree in television, radio and film and her undergraduate degree in communication and rhetorical studies.

Rehfuss, a Latham, N.Y., native, is a 2020 All-American honorable mention after leading the Atlantic Coast Conference with 3.6 assists per game, the third-highest mark nationally.

A three-year starter who earned ACC All-Academic team honors in 2018-19, Rehfuss is returning to the ‘Cuse next season, taking advantage of the NCAA’s ruling that gives seniors who had their athletic terms cut short due to the pandemic an extra year of eligibility.

He is pursuing his graduate degree in information technology management and received an undergraduate degree in communication and rhetorical studies.

Tiana Mangakahia, who is from Brisbane, Australia, and plays on the Orange women’s basketball squad, won the Syracuse Eight Courage Award, an honor for a student-athlete who “shows highly principled behavior and a commitment to sportsmanship and athletic achievement,” says the cuse.com announcement.

Mangakahia is recovering from breast cancer and plans to return to the Syracuse team this upcoming campaign, assuming she is granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA.

The women’s rowing team captured its second-straight ‘Cuse Cares Award for community service, and Orange softball landed the Team GPA Award for the highest squad grade-point average.

Among the individuals who emerged victorious for their specific team ‘Cuse Award are Elijah Hughes in men’s basketball, Kiara Lewis in women’s basketball, Kendall Coleman in football, Jamie Trimboli in men’s lacrosse and Emily Hawryschuk in women’s lacrosse.

A heart-felt congratulations to all of the award winners!