Sports: Athletic Awards

Several Yellowjackets were recognized by the Department of Athletics and Recreation at the department’s annual banquet this spring. The honors included the Louis Alexander Alumni Award and the Merle Spurrier Award presented to the top senior athletes and the John Vitone Award and the Sylvia Fabricant Awards for sportsmanship.

Brian Amabilino Perez ’22, the Louis Alexander Alumni Award. Amabilino Perez helped the Yellowjackets earn the team’s 21st spot in the NCAA basketball playoffs this season. A Phi Beta Kappa student, he was named first team academic all-district by the College Sports Information Directors of America and was selected three times to the UAA all-academic team and twice to the Honors Court of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Amanda Strenk ’22, the Merle Spurrier Award. A first team All-American in field hockey as selected by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, Strenk is a Phi Beta Kappa student who earned multiyear recognition from two national coaches’ associations as well as the Liberty League for her academic success.

Susan Bansbach ’23, the Sylvia Fabricant Award. A year-round athlete, Bansbach plays field hockey and competes with the indoor and outdoor track and field teams. In track and field, she’s a five-time All-American and a five-time Liberty League champion and was the Liberty League’s Rookie of the Year for the 2020 indoor season.

Trent Noordsij ’22 (T5), the John Vitone Award. A captain of the men’s basketball team as a Take Five student, Noordsij was named to the UAA all-Academic team multiple times as a student. Elected Phi Beta Kappa in 2021, he was also named a member of the Honors Court by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Jarod Forer ’22, the Peter DiPasquale Male Scholar-Athlete Award. Forer earned six letters for indoor and outdoor track and field during a career that includes winning this spring’s heptathlon title at the Liberty League indoor championships. A Provost’s Circle Scholar, he also was awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation.

Emma Schechter ’22, the Terrence L. Gurnett Female Scholar-Athlete Award. A three-year starting goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team, Schechter was named all-region and all–UAA each year and was named a Player of Distinction by the United Soccer Coaches in 2020. A Phi Beta Kappa inductee, she is also a Provost’s Circle Scholar.