The Davis & Elkins College Athletic Department recognized students with awards for Top Freshman, Leadership, Academic Athlete and Top Athlete.

In the start of a new tradition, awards also were given to teams for excelling in each of the four pillars of the Developing Excellence brand; Education, Engagement, Character and Competition.

Jay Kilpatrick and David Magda were awarded the Freshman of the Year awards.

Kilpatrick was named the G-MAC Freshman of the Year for women’s basketball. She averaged 7.6 points and 2 rebounds per game during the year. She also finished the season shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 47.9 percent from 3-point range and 76.9 from the free throw line.

Photo courtesy of Davis & Elkins College The Davis & Elkins College Athletic Department awarded student-athletes and teams on Friday night at the DESPY Awards and Hall of Fame Ceremony.

Magda ran the fastest 8K time in the G-MAC for 2016 and is currently the fifth-fastest individual in GMAC history. Magda earned G-MAC Runner of the Week honor three times and finished as a member of the G-MAC Cross Country All-Conference Team. He then ran to six individual track-event wins during the 2017 indoor and outdoor track seasons. Magda broke and set several track and field records this season and broke the 4-minute barrier for the 1500-meter race. He also earned G-MAC Track & Field All-Freshman Team honors.

Kaitlyn Buoni and Matthew Zorn were recognized with the Joe Carroll Leadership awards.

Buoni was the only senior on the women’s soccer team and took on a very large role as a leader during a transition year. She showed heart and grit as she fought through a hip injury during the season and help lead women’s soccer to the GMAC Tournament Championship, where she scored the game-winning championship goal.

Zorn earned GMAC All-Conference team honors this past fall, taking over the team leader role through hard work, passion for the sport and dedication to the program. Zorn has been so much more to the team and college than an all-conference runner. He has been a leader for both the cross country and new track teams, helping to bridge the gap between new coaches and a new sport and new teammates, not dominating with words but with hard work and the drive to push all his teammates to become better.

Allie Lapallo and Brandon Sellers were recognized with the Academic Athlete of the Year awards.

Lapallo is one of the top academic athletes in the conference. On the field, she is a leader in the circle and has been the ace on the pitching staff all three years at D&E. The success carries off the field as well. Lapallo currently carries a 4.0 GPA and she is working toward a degree in elementary education.

While competing as a swimmer, Sellers committed himself to his education at D&E. Despite having to take a leave of absence from the school and the sport in 2015, Sellers has returned to D&E and is set to graduate on schedule with a degree in biology and a 4.0 GPA.

Laura Fermosel and Lukas Grosse-Puppendahl were recognized with the Athlete of the Year awards.

Fermosel was a key to women’s tennis earning back-to-back G-MAC Championships in 2017. Fermosel was named the G-MAC Player of the Year and was a First Team All-Conference recipient. She went 22-5 in singles for the year with wins over the three ranked players in the Midwest Region. She also is the first ranked female player for D&E.

Grosse-Puppendahl was a senior this year for the men’s soccer team and captained the Senators to the regular season championship and top seed of the G-MAC Tournament. He was named the G-MAC Defensive Player of the Year and an All-Conference First Team recipient. Grosse-Puppendahl also was named to the All-Midwest Region Team and was designated as an Academic All-American. Grosse-Puppendahl graduated in early December and is currently playing soccer professionally in Germany.

The education pillar was the first of four pillars that was awarded as part of the competition for the Senator Cup. The education pillar is awarded to the team whose players achieve the highest cumulative grade point average during their time at Davis & Elkins College.

The women’s tennis team received the award after combining for a team GPA of 3.559 during its time at D&E.

The engagement pillar was the second of four pillars that was awarded as part of the competition for the Senator Cup. The engagement pillar is awarded to the team who averages the highest number of community service hours per student-athlete.

The women’s lacrosse team received the award after averaging 19.06 hours of community service per student-athlete during the 2016-2017 academic year.

The character pillar was the third of four pillars that was awarded as part of the competition for the Senator Cup. The character pillar is awarded to the team who best demonstrates high character in all facets across campus.

The men’s cross country and track and field team won the award after being ranked first in a vote by the athletic department and campus groups including dining services, faculty, student life, public safety, housekeeping and other staff who serve Davis & Elkins College.

The competition pillar is the fourth and final pillar awarded as part of the competition for the Senator Cup. The competition pillar is ranked based on a team’s conference finish, weighted based on number of teams in their respective sports.

The women’s soccer team won the pillar after winning the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and earned the school’s only bid to the NCAA National Tournament this year.

After the four pillars were announced, the Davis & Elkins College Athletic Department announced the winner of the first Senator Cup. Teams earned points based on their finishes in each of the categories of four pillars.

The women’s tennis team won the award with 19 total points. The men’s cross country and track and field teams were second with 12 points. The men’s swim team finished third with 11.5 points