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By Justin Satkowski

Newburgh - With the close of the 2011-12 season, the Mount Saint Mary College athletic department announced its annual awards on Monday, May 7.
Senior basketball player Carlos Valdez took home the prestigious award for Mount Saint Mary College’s Male Athlete of the Year.

Valdez led the Knights men’s basketball team to a program-best record of 23-7 and the team’s first-ever ECAC Metro Region Championship. Valdez averaged a double-double for the third consecutive season (14.9 points, 10.8 rebounds) and earned spots on both the all-Skyline first team and the D3hoops.com all-Atlantic Region second team. The senior also became the first player in school history to reach 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

On the women’s side, senior basketball player Jen Mocanu claimed Female Athlete of the Year honors.

Mocanu guided the Knights women’s basketball team to an overall mark of 25-4, a Skyline Conference championship, and a win in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The senior led the Skyline Conference in scoring and was named the conference’s player of the year in addition to earning spots on the D3hoops.com all-Atlantic Region first team and the MBWA all-Met second team.

Freshman baseball player Alex Velardi was named the Male Rookie of the Year, while freshman swimmer Meghan Seaman took home Female Rookie of the Year honors.

Velardi hit .358 during a stellar rookie campaign and was named the Skyline Rookie of the Year.

Seaman won a pair of individual titles at the Skyline Championships, helping the Knights to a team title and collecting conference Rookie of the Year recognition.

The final awards of the evening were presented to the “Knights of the Year”, honoring loyalty, sportsmanship, and spirit as contributions to the development of athletics at Mount Saint Mary College. Senior lacrosse player Ellen Cashin was named the Female Knight of the Year, while senior tennis player Mike McNicholas was named the Male Knight of the Year.

Cashin, a three-year, original member of the women’s lacrosse program, served as the team captain this year as the Knights set a new record for wins during the 2012 campaign.

McNicholas, a four-year starter and team captain as a senior, helped lead Mount Saint Mary College tennis team to back-to-back winning seasons and two consecutive Skyline Tournament appearances.