BROOKLYN, N.Y. – LIU Brooklyn junior volleyball standout Annika Foit was named Female Athlete of the Year for the second straight year, while senior Jason Brickman of the basketball team and junior Brendon Rodney from the track & field squad earned Co-Male Athlete of the Year honors at the school's annual athletics awards banquet held Tuesday evening at the Steinberg Wellness Center. Seniors Lisa Maas of the women's tennis team and Lloyd Martinson of the men's golf team were named LIU's Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
The unanimous choice for NEC Player of the Year, Foit became just the second player in league history to earn back-to-back Player of the Year honors after leading the Blackbirds to an undefeated finish in league play and a second straight NEC championship. A five-time NEC Player of the Week and ECAC All-Star, she led both LIU and the NEC in kills per set and total points per game, and ranked in the top-10 in hitting percentage and services aces. The left-handed hitter finished the season ranked nationally in kills and points per set, and became the first player in the history of the LIU volleyball program to earn Capital One Academic All-America honors
Brickman enjoyed his finest individual season as Blackbird as a senior. One of the top point guards in college basketball history, he closed his career with 1,009 assists to rank fourth on the NCAA list. The San Antonio, Texas native averaged a double-double in points and assists to become only the second player ever to do so in 2013-14, and helped the men's basketball team to back-to-back-to-back Northeast Conference titles over his first three seasons at LIU - the first time in league history that the feat had been accomplished.
This winter, Rodney was named Most Valuable Performer and Most Outstanding Track Performer at the Northeast Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, as he scored two first-place finishes in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes to lead the Blackbirds to their first NEC team championship since 2010. In addition, he became the first male track & field athlete in school history to advance to the NCAA championships for a second straight season. Already this outdoor season, he holds top conference times in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, and his 200-meter time of 20.76 ranking 16th in the nation.
The scholar-athlete awards are presented annually to the male and female student-athletes who will graduate in May and have the highest overall grade-point averages through the fall semester. Maas has been awarded numerous academic honors, including NEC Academic Honor Roll, and the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Academic Award. Graduating in May with a 3.96 GPA in sports science, she helped the Blackbirds to a runner-up finish at this season's Northeast Conference Women's Tennis Championships.
Martinson excelled in the classroom and on the links in his four years in downtown Brooklyn. As a business management major, he has accumulated a 3.74 GPA. He has been named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll, and has been a member of an LIU Brooklyn men's golf team that has been a recipient of the NGCA Scholar Team Award. Athletically, he tied for top honors through 36 holes at the Seahawk Spring Invitational earlier this month, helping the Blackbirds to a come-from-behind team win.
In addition to the Athlete of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, LIU also recognized award winners for each sport and its other major awards.
Co-Male Athlete of the Year: Jason Brickman, Sr., Men's Basketball
Co-Male Athlete of the Year: Brendon Rodney, Jr., Track & Field
Female Athlete of the Year: Annika Foit, Jr., Volleyball
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Lloyd Martinson, Sr., Men's Golf
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Lisa Maas, Sr., Women's Tennis
Michelle Hamdan Memorial Award: Jessica Sexton, Sr., Women's Soccer
Dolly King Athletic Excellence Award: John Ziznewski, Sr., Baseball
Presented to the student-athlete who exemplifies leadership, sportsmanship and achievement that the late William "Dolly" King personified as a student-athlete, administrator and coach.
Clair Isicson-Merle Athletic Excellence Award: Cleandra Roberts, Sr., Women's Basketball
Presented to the student-athlete who exemplifies leadership, sportsmanship and achievement that Clair Isicson-Merle personified as a student and an athlete.
Leonard Ching International Student-Athlete Award: Lloyd Martinson, Sr., Men's Golf
This award is in honor of Leonard Ching, a Brooklyn Campus administrator in the student activities office from 1967 until he retired in 1984. Through his efforts, the enrollment of international students increased and the student life was enhanced.
Men's Soccer
Ledet Senior Leadership: Matt Mummert, Jr.
Joe Machnik Ambassador: Keaton Sprague, Jr.
Women's Soccer
MVP: Jessica Sexton
Volleyball
MVP: Annika Foit, Jr.
Blackbird: Vera Djuric, Jr.
Women's Indoor Track & Field
MVP: Katrina Anderson, Jr.
Blackbird Award: Camille Thomas, Sr.
Men's Indoor Track & Field
MVA: Brendon Rodney, Jr.
Most Improved: Alistair McLean, Jr.
Women's Bowling
MVP: Brittany Hart, Jr.
Blackbird: Brianna Nowels, Sr.
Men's Basketball
Blackbird: Gerrell Martin, Jr.
MVP: Jason Brickman, Sr.
Women's Basketball
MVP: Cleandra Roberts, Sr.
Blackbird: Letava Whippy, Jr.
Lacrosse
MVP: Jenn Peters, Fr.
Blackbird: Shakoya Smith, Sr.
Tennis
MVP: Sanne Louwers, Jr.
Blackbird: Marine Dans, Fr.
Women's Outdoor Track & Field
MVA: TBA*
Blackbird: TBA*
Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Most Outstanding Rookie: Adam Walker-Khan, Fr.
Blackbird: TBA*
Softball
SP Award: Madison Zymkowitz, Sr.
MVP: TBA*
Baseball
Frank Giannone Award: TBA*
MVP: Pete Leonello, Sr.
Men's Golf
MVP: TBA*
Lonnie Barton Memorial: TBA*
Women's Golf
MVP: Marisol Doglioli, So.
Lonnie Barton Memorial: Victoria Fagan, So.
*teams still in competition will announce their award winners at the conclusion of the season.