Bradford, Pa. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford athletics department brought the 2021-22 academic year to a close on Friday evening as they held their end-of-year awards banquet. It was the first time the department has held the banquet in person since 2018-19 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout the banquet, the department recognized the seniors from each of its 14 intercollegiate varsity teams, AMCC postseason award winners, AMCC All-Conference selections, as well as team and individual academic awards. Awards highlighted during the event included the AMCC All-Academic team and Peak Performer awards, Chi Alpha Sigma Athletic Honor Society inductees. Some of the other awards recognized were the women’s volleyball programs Peak Performance Award for best team GPA in the conference, wrestler Tyler Newton’s inclusion on the National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American team, and 8 softball players who were named to National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar All-Americans.
The event closed with the presentation of the department’s individual awards. Each academic year, the department awards four male and four female students with awards recognizing their performance on and off the field. Nominees are put forward by their head coaches, who then vote for the winners.
The first award of the night was the Triangle of Success, which is awarded to a student-athlete who is dedicated to their sport(s), and displays exemplary attitude, effort, citizenship, character, leadership, and sportsmanship. The two winners of the award were Sadie Wood of the women’s soccer and softball teams and Jake McNabb of the baseball team.
The next award was Male and Female Rookies of the Year. Bowler Brookelyn Garvey and volleyball player Olivia Reese split the award on the female side, while men’s soccer player Jan Winnewisser won the male award.
Garvey was named AMCC Newcomer of the Year this season and was 1st Team All AMCC. She led the conference in strike percentage (46.4%) and was 2nd in pin per frame average. She made 4 All-Tournament teams during the season, including the AMCC Championship Tournament, and against Division I opponents at the Red Flash Invitational.
Reese was also named AMCC Newcomer of the Year and voted to 3rd Team All-Conference after her season came to an end. The freshman outside hitter was third in the conference with 219 kills and in the conference top 10 in kills per set and kill percentage.
Jan Winnewisser played all 16 games for the Panthers and made an immediate impact on the Panther attack. He finished the season with 5 goals and 7 assists from the midfield. He was named 2nd Team All-AMCC and was tied for 3rd in the conference in assists.
The third award of the night was the Female and Male Scholar-Athletes of the Year Emily Bethel of the women’s soccer and basketball teams and Alex Miles of the baseball team won the awards.
Bethel started all 17 games in goal for the Panthers, recording 157 saves. She was a three-year captain and the team’s defensive MVP. She also joined the women’s basketball program this season, playing 8.0 minutes per game in a supporting role. She is graduating this May with a degree in Athletic Training as she has maintained a 3.955 GPA. She has been offered and accepted an Athletic Training Graduate Assistant position at Salem University in West Virginia.
Miles is one of the top pitchers for the Panther baseball team this season. Miles is 3-3 with a 4.05 era, leading the team with 4 complete games. In the classroom, he maintains a 3.6 grade point average studying Business Management.
The banquet came to a close with the Female and Male Athlete of the Year Awards.
Senior volleyball player Emily Cleveland was named Female Athlete of the Year. Cleveland graduates as one of the most decorated student-athletes in program history. She was named 1st Team All-AMCC for the 3rd time in four seasons. She had also previously been named Conference Newcomer and Co-Player of the Year as a junior. The outside hitter finished her career in the top 5 in program history with 1,328 kills. She also carried a 4.0 GPA during her final season. In that season she was top of the AMCC leaderboard in kills with 346, which was 73 more than her nearest competitor.
Senior men’s soccer player Chase Rider was named Male Athlete of the Year after a 2021 campaign that put him in the program record books. Rider set program records in points (54), goals (22), and assists (10). Rider was the first player in program history, and second Pitt-Bradford student-athlete, to be named a statistical champion by the NCAA after leading the nation in points per game with 3.60. Rider was named AMCC Offensive Player of the Week 3 times, as well as United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week once. He was voted 1st Team All-AMCC and named to the All-tournament Team. Rider will graduate with a 3.733 GPA in Health and Physical Education.
