BY: AMANDA ARNOLD:
On Monday, Assumption College Athletics hosted the 2018 Houndies Awards Night. This event honors all student-athletes and selects standouts within the department.
The event began as seniors gathered in the Hagan Campus Center for cocktail hour. Here, seniors were able to enjoy a drink with coaches, other student-athletes and members of the athletic department.
Libby O’Hara, Business Professor at Assumption College, hosted the event. She began the night introducing herself and the awards ahead. O’Hara is a dedicated fan who attends all sporting events. She’s always on the sidelines cheering on Assumption’s student-athletes and representing what it means to be a Hound.
After O’Hara’s introduction, she handed the mic to Adam Lucassian, one of Assumption’s four athletic trainers, who presented to first award of the night. The Jim Mullen Award is awarded on behalf of Jim Mullen, former equipment manager for Assumption Athletics. This award, also known as the Spirit Award, is given to a member of the department that goes above and beyond for all sports and internal operations. This years award winner was Ben Ilg, Equipment and Events Manager.
Above: AC Greyhounds’ Twitter post of the Jim Mullen Award winner. From left to right: Adam Lucassian, Ben Ilg and Jim Mullen.
The next award was the Steve Merc Morris Award. This was awarded to a male and female senior athlete who showed outstanding performance throughout their four years. The female athlete winner was cross country standout, Antonia Pagliuca and the male athlete winner was football kicker, Cole Tracy.
The Rev. Alfred Berthiaume Award was given to Erin Gildea, member of the women’s lacrosse team and Cameron Laughlin, member of the men’s ice hockey team. This award recognizes a male and female student-athlete that excels in the classroom. Someone who’s constantly looking for ways to better themselves and their teammates.
Following the Rev. Alfred Berthiaume Award Ben Ilg, Equipment/Events Manager and award winner, presented the Rev. Joseph Pelletier Award. This is awarded to an individual outside the athlete department that positively impacts all sporting operations. This year’s winner was Buba, groundskeeper and dedicated fan.
Above: Photography taken by AC Greyhounds of Rev. Joseph Pelletier Award winner, Buba
Periodically throughout the event, the athletic department played a trivia video. This video was taken of numerous student-athletes who were asked tough trivia questions. The video was entertaining and caused many laughs.
The Breakthrough Athlete of the Year was awarded to one male and one female athlete. These individuals are student-athletes who came out of nowhere and made a dramatic impact on their teams. This year’s award winners were Deirdre Burchill, member of the field hockey team and Derek Adamson, member of the baseball team.
Above: AC Greyhounds’ Twitter post of the female Breakthrough Athlete of the Year winner, Deirdre Burchill
Halfway through the event, the Rev. Armand Desautels and the Francis J. Grimaldi Awards were given. The Rev. Armand Desautels was awarded to one male and one female senior athlete representing excellence on and off the field. This years award winners were Allison Sheahan, member of the field hockey team and Jed Scott, member of the football team. The Francis J. Grimaldi Award is given to a high-spirited individual within the department. This year’s winner was Haley Martinez, senior on the field hockey team.
Following the Francis J. Grimaldi Award, the athlete’s of the year were chosen. This year’s winners were Kallie Villemarie, member of the women’s soccer team and Deonte Harris, member of the football team.
I got the chance to speak with Kallie Villemarie after the event. She was excited and humbled to have received the Athlete of the Year Award. When asked what her initial thoughts were she responded, “I was nervous to walk on the stage and speak in front of everyone, but I also felt honored to have won the award because there were a lot of talented athletes nominated.” Villemarie, who is a junior, is looking forward to another successful season.
“My hopes for next season are to individually have another great year but more importantly I want my team yo have an unbelievable season and win the NE10 Championship.” -Villemarie
Above: Photography taken by AC Greyhounds of Kallie Villemarie, female Athlete of the Year
The last award of the evening was the Moment of the Year Award. This was chosen by the public via Hound Nation App or ACGreyhounds Twitter poll. This year’s nominees/moments were:
- Baseball takes down Merrimack with epic comeback win (watch here)
- Field Hockey wins NE10 semifinals on last-minute goal against Stonehill College (watch here)
- Deonte Harris scores four touchdowns in NCAA win against Finley (watch here)
- Women’s cross country wins XC Regional Championships by one point (watch here)
After nearly 1,000 votes, the winner was field hockey’s last-minute goal against Stonehill to win the NE10 semifinal game.
Senior, Bridget Boyle on the field hockey team shared her thoughts regard the award. She said, “I was really excited to have the recognition for Moment of the Year! This year we worked so hard to get back to the NE10 championship, it took grit, hard work and dedication. The moment was not one person who wasn’t 100% all in from the starters to the bench, it was magical.” She also commented on previous award winner Deirdre Burchill saying, “Deeds really knew when to step up as a freshman and it was awesome to watch!”
When asked what advice she should would give to her teammates, Boyle said, “I would tell my team to remember that feeling, remember that felling of pride and joy and the fact you get to share it with your family is amazing. It flies by too fast, so make the most of every second on the field. Hard work will pay off.”
Above: Photography taken by AC Greyhounds of Assumption College’s field hockey coach, Annie Lahey and current seniors
Peter Gardula, Interim Director of Athletics, closed the night with kind remarks about all student-athletes and the athletic department.
The #Houndies2k18 was a great celebration to honor Assumption College’s student-athletes. Go Hounds!
THE AC301 