LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell Athletics Department celebrated its student-athletes' athletic and academic achievements at the 2021-22 Rowdys Awards on Monday night at the university's Comley-Lane Auditorium.
Eight River Hawks garnered individual honors, highlighted by senior goaltender Owen Savory (Cambridge, Ontario) of the men's ice hockey team and middle-distance runner Izzy Giesing (Bradford, VT.) of the women's track & field team, who were named the winners of the Lester H. Cushing Awards for the top male and female athletes, respectively.
In his second year with UMass Lowell, Savory emerged as the River Hawks' starting netminder and played a pivotal role in the team's NCAA Tournament run. Posting a record of 20-7-2, Savory recorded five shutouts on his way to a 1.93 goals against average and a .926 save percentage in over 1700 minutes of action. His fifth career shutout also moved the Ontario native to 10 career shutouts. A two-time Stop It Goaltender of the Month and three-time Hockey East weekly award recipient, Savory was also named a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goaltender in Division I men's hockey, as well as a nominee for the 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award.
Giesing was electric during her senior campaign, as she claimed fourth overall in the 5K off a career-best 16:54.1 mark at the 2021 AE Cross Country Championships. Her top-five performance earned her First Team honors and lifted UMass Lowell to its second consecutive AE Cross Country title. The Vermont product continued her stellar senior slate during the indoor season. In her first three meets of the winter, she set three new personal bests in the 3,000m, 500 and mile, finishing second, first and first, respectively. After claiming second overall at the 2022 America East Indoor Championships, Giesing turned in her most impressive performance of the season at the 2022 Boston University Last Chance Meet. Finishing third overall, she set a personal-best mark of 2:03.95 to smash the previous school record and become the second-ever River Hawk to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. At NCAAs, Giesing placed 13th in the opening round in a highly competitive field with a 2:05.50 finish.
Senior outfielder Gerry Siracusa (Kinnelon, N.J.) of the baseball team and senior midfielder Lindsey Kilpatrick (Manilus, N.Y.) of the field hockey team took home the David J. Boutin and Laurie A. Mann Awards, respectively, presented to the top student-athletes who encompass academic and athletic excellence, as well as leadership and service.
Throughout his career, Siracusa has demonstrated his leadership on the field, but also showcased his dedication to UMass Lowell in the classroom and in the community. He has been a member of the America East Winter/Spring Honor Roll and made the Dean's List in each of his semesters at UMass Lowell. In his native state of New Jersey, Siracusa is active in multiple community service initiatives, ranging from food and equipment drives, to spending his afternoons volunteering at the senior living center, to fundraising for the restoration of local churches. Closer to campus, Gerry has volunteered at the Merrimack Valley Food Bank and is a member of the UMass Lowell Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, as well. Siracusa leads by example and is described as a respectful, committed, hardworking and positive role model by his coach.
Kilpatrick, a team captain, tallied over 700 minutes of playing time, providing consistent effort and leadership on both ends of the field throughout the season. Also a leader in the classroom, Kilpatrick has earned America East All-Academic Team honors twice, as well as NFHCA National Academic Squad recognition all four years. She also strives to serve all the student-athletes at UMass Lowell and the greater Lowell community. She is an ambassador for the UMass Lowell Chapter of Morgan's Message, which focuses on bringing awareness to mental health. As an ambassador, she has arranged several dedication games across multiple sports and led fundraising efforts for the important cause, in addition to furthering the conversation among her peers to remove the stigma around mental health.
Freshman Ioanna Papatheodorou (Nea Erithraia, Greece) of the women's soccer team and freshman Matt Crasa (South Setauket, N.Y.) of the men's ice hockey took home Rookie of the Year honors after remarkable first seasons with the River Hawks.
Papatheodorou tallied her first goal, which would end up being a game-winning goal, in her first career game against Holy Cross. Over 15 games, she totaled 10 goals, setting a Division I program rookie record, as well as ranking second in the Division I era for goals in a single season. At the end of the season, she was named the unanimous winner of the America East Rookie of the Year Award and earned America East Striker of the Year. She was also one of three freshmen named to the 2021 United Soccer Coaches Division I Atlantic All-Region Second Team.
A key part of the River Hawks offense, Crasa was one of five River Hawks to play in all 35 games during the 2021-2022 season. His 21 points ranked him fifth on the team and put him atop the leaderboard amongst the rookie class. With 12 goals, Crasa finished second on the team in the category and became the first freshman to reach the double-digit threshold since Carl Berglund in 2018. He also tallied four game-winning goals, tying him for the most on the team, and three power play goals, tying him for fourth. In his first weekend as a River Hawk, Crasa registered four points off two goals and two assists, including a game-winner. A two-time Hockey East weekly award winner and December Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month, Crasa was tabbed to the Hockey East Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team to cap his prolific freshman campaign.
Sophomore Max Brooks (Waldorf, MD.) of the men's basketball team and junior Cayla Tulley (Corona, Calif.) of the softball team each earned the Breakout Athlete Award.
After averaging 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game as a rookie in 2020-21, Brooks emerged as one of the most renowned men's basketball players in the America East in 2021-22. The sophomore boasted 10.7 points per game, in addition to a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game this season. He was named to the America East All-Defensive Team following the conclusion of the 2021-22 regular season, having led a River Hawk defense that finished first in the America East in field goal percentage defense (41%), blocks (4.2) and steals (7.3) this year. The sophomore led the conference and was 28th in the country with 2.4 blocks per game. He set a new, all-time program record with 10 blocks at UAlbany on January 12, and with a total of 66 swats on the year, he took over the River Hawks' Division I single-season record, as well. A force on both ends of the ball, Brooks boasted five double-doubles and topped the conference rankings by shooting 63% from the field.
Tulley, who logged just four hits in 19 games last season, has been a key contributor for the River Hawks throughout their 2022 campaign, coming through in some of the biggest moments to help push the team to victory. The junior currently boasts 27 hits in 31 games and sits atop the team rankings in RBI with 28 thus far, good for fifth most in the America East. Tulley also ranks third in the conference in home runs with seven and boasts a .630 slugging percentage. She earned back-to-back America East Player of the Week nods earlier this season, as well.
The women's cross country (3.53 GPA) and men's hockey teams (3.60 GPA) earned the Bob Griffin Academic Awards posting the highest team grade point average over the course of the academic year.
Senior Matt DeBenedetto of the baseball team earned the Men's Moment of the Year Award with his towering home run that marked his first collegiate hit on April 5. On the women's side, junior Ryley White of the softball team won Moment of the Year honors for her program-record tying 16 strikeouts against Binghamton on April 10.
