Oct. 3, 2012

BALTIMORE - Several Loyola University Maryland student-athletes were among those honored last weekend during ceremonies on Family Weekend.

The school celebrated Gratias on Saturday evening, a ceremony that recognizes students who have excelled in community service, the classroom, leadership and who embody the Ignatian ideal of care for the whole person. Fifteen Greyhound student-athletes were recognized at Gratias.

Women's basketball senior Alyssa Sutherland was named the female recipient of Loyola's Diane Geppi-Aikens Award for service to the Loyola community. The award, named in honor of the Greyhounds' late women's lacrosse coach, is the highest honor bestowed upon student leaders. It recognizes and honors distinguished members of the senior class whose enthusiastic spirit and unwavering commitment have enhanced the quality of life for students, faculty and/or staff at Loyola.

In presenting the award, Loyola President Rev. Brian Linnane, S.J., said, "(Alyssa) has found a way to serve others in her community through numerous service projects including adopting a family at Christmas, working at a soup kitchen, and volunteering at a school for students with Autism. She is the first to volunteer for a committee and is the loudest fan supporting fellow Greyhounds at their games.

"This young woman is the very definition of a student-athlete here at Loyola and her resume of activities backs that up. She is a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the co-captain of the Women's Basketball team, the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and a member of the Green and Grey Society. She maintains a high GPA as a Mathematics major with a specialization in Special Education."

Sutherland, along with women's soccer standout Nichole Schiro, was also formally recognized as one of 14 seniors chosen by their peers and the Loyola administration to the Green & Grey Society. Their contributions to the University, as well as their leadership abilities, garnered them inclusion to the group that serves as a liaison between Linnane and the student body.

Schiro was one of 13 student-atheltes to receive the Magis Scholar-Leader Award, an honor that recognizes students who complement superior academic performance with co-curricular involvement. She was joined by fellow recipients: rowing's Bryan Carney and Marin Smith men's soccer's Thurman Van Riper, women's soccer's Colleen Folan and Gigi Mangione, swimming and diving's Stephanie Baliko, Benjamin Duva and Noelle Staib and women's track and field's Marissa Buccellato, Jessica Peters, Noreen Petrash and Megan Trainer.

Four Greyhounds - swimming and diving's Duva and Kelly Maluccio, men's soccer's Joseph Cahalan and volleyball's Tina Catanach - received the Cura Personalis Award, an honor bestowed upon students who embody the Ignatian ideal of care for the whole person through demonstrated service, leadership and academic achievement.

Twelve Loyola student-athletes were recognized for standing out in the classroom at Friday's Honors Convocation.

Volleyball's Faye Lukas received the Sophomore Studio Arts Achievement Award, and Petrash was the recipient of the Biology Department's Junior Class Achievement Award. Men's soccer's Hector Arellano was honored by the Engineering Department with the Junior Class' Achievement Award. Cross country and track and field's Lauren Puleo was tabbed by the Economics Department as the first-year student achievement award winner. Women's rowing's Smith received the first-year biology and general chemistry award.

Several student-athletes received honors from Loyola's Sellinger School of Business and Management. Golf's Jonathan Ross was given the Junior Business Achievement Award, and Duva and Van Riper were similarly awarded for the sophomore class. Van Riper, men's lacrosse's Kyle Duffy, swimming and diving's Kelly Gajdzisz, men's tennis' Eric Michaelis and volleyball's Samantha Reeves were named to the Sellinger Scholars program.

A pair of Greyhounds, Ross and swimming and diving's Abby Wiese were also inducted to Beta Gamma Sigma, the national academic honor society for schools of business.