Gannon Director of Athletics Mark Richard announced the 2013-14 Senior Female and Male Student-Athletes of the Year at the Fifth Annual Student-Athlete Banquet hosted Thursday evening in the Yehl Ballroom of the Waldron Center.
Jen Papich (Pittsburgh, Pa./Fox Chapel) was named Female Student-Athlete of the Year while Jansen Jones (Rochester, N.Y./Penfield) took home the Male Student-Athlete of the Year award. Finalists for the award included women’s golf student-athlete Amanda Teodorsson (Savedalen, Sweden/Porthalla), women’s golf student-athlete Bhanisha Nagindas(Brampton, Ontario/St. Marguerite d’Youville), women’s lacrosse student-athlete Kimberly Neagle (Auburn, N.Y./Auburn), softball student-athlete Kirstie Cortazzo (Jeannette, Pa./Jeannette), women’s water polo student-athlete Katelyn Jacobs (Brookfield, Ill./Lyons Township), men’s soccer student-athlete Sean Pike (Liverpool, England/Range) and men’s water polo student-athlete Daisuke Takagi (Tsukuba, Japan/Namiki).
Papich was named to the PSAC Winter Top 10 for the second consecutive season with a 3.95 cumulative grade point average. A biomedical engineering major, she is a two-time Academic All-American. One of three women’s basketball student-athletes in program history to be named an Academic All-American, Papich is the second women’s basketball player to receive the honor twice. She is also a three-time Capital One Academic All-District first-team selection. In addition to being named the PSAC Champion Scholar as a junior, Papich has been named a PSAC Scholar-Athlete and received the Division II Athletics Directors Association (ADA) Academic Achievement Award every year.
Her awards for performance on the court have been just as plentiful. Papich landed spots on the both Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and Division II Bulletin All-America honorable-mention teams the last two seasons. She was a two-time Daktronics All-Atlantic Region second-team selection, the PSAC Western Division Athlete of the Year in 2012-13 and a three-time All-PSAC Western Division first-team honoree.
The Pittsburgh, Pa., native averaged 13.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks in 2013-14. She shot 50.9 percent from the field and 74.8 percent from the free throw line.
Papich ranked fifth among PSAC players in blocks per game, ninth in field goal percentage and 12th in free throw percentage. She finished her career third all-time at Gannon in free throws made (357), fourth in blocked shots (124), fifth in steals (244), seventh in rebounds (700) and sixth in points (1,534).
Jones became the 18th Golden Knight in the football program history to achieve all-america status when he was named to the Don Hansen Football Gazette All-America third team. The senior tailback was one of three running backs named to the Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region One first team and one of four tailbacks to earn Daktronics All-Super Region One honors with a second-team selection. He was also named to the All-PSAC Western Division first team.
The Rochester, N.Y., native capped a brilliant collegiate career by breaking Gannon’s single-season records for rushing yards (1,588), attempts (296), 200-yard games (3), points (102) and total touchdowns (17). His 15 rushing touchdowns fell one shy of the school record set by Jon Richardson in 2009.
In addition, Jones caught 30 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns. The end result was a school-record 1,817 all-purpose yards. He finished his career third all-time at Gannon in rushing yards (2,823), third in all-purpose yards (3,409), fifth in points (176) and eighth in total offense (2,823).
Jones ranked seventh among all NCAA Division II players in rushing yards per game (144.4), 19th in rushing touchdowns (15), 20th in all-purpose yards per game (165.18) and 21st in points per game (9.3). He finished second among PSAC players in rushing yards per game, third in all-purpose yards, fourth in rushing touchdowns and fifth in points.
The banquet also recognized student-athletes with 4.0 grade point averages, teams with the highest grade point averages, coaching milestones, teams that qualified for the NCAA postseason, student-athlete athletic awards and the Doc Beyer Award winners.
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