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The Case Western Reserve University Department of Physical Education and Athletics presented its year-end awards at the annual award ceremony, which was rebranded in 2025 as "The Sparties," on Monday, April 28 at the Kevin & Eleanor Smith Foundation Ballroom inside the Tinkham Veale University Center.
Nate Gilbert and Victor Nash of the men's cross country and track & field teams, Andrew Cedar and Alex Waltman of the men's swimming & diving team, Ajay Mahenthiran and Ansh Shah of the men's tennis team, Lily Crouch and Carly Scott of the volleyball team, Mandy Lam and Alyssa Storm of the women's cross country & track & Field teams, Carolyn Koutures and Abigail Meneses of the women's soccer team, Abigail Wilkov of the women's swimming & diving team, and Lily McCloskey of the women's tennis team each received the Patricia B. Kilpatrick Award, presented to the four-year varsity participant with the highest cumulative grade point average. All 11 had perfect cumulative 4.0 GPAs during their collegiate careers.
Kinzly Gootman of the women's soccer team was named the Nancy Gray Rookie of the Year, presented annually to a first-year female student-athlete who has made an outstanding contribution to her sport during her initial year of collegiate competition. Gootman appeared in 17 of her team's 19 games and logged the fourth-most minutes of any member of the women's soccer team. She quickly became a leader on the back line, helping the team secure four shutouts during the year.
The Robert Del Rosa Rookie of the Year, presented annually to a first-year male student-athlete who has made an outstanding contribution to his sport during his initial year of collegiate competition, was awarded to Donovan Crowley of the men's cross country and track & field teams. He was named the University Athletic Association Rookie of the Year for men's cross country, becoming just the third-ever member of the cross country team to win the award. He went on to secure All-Region honors as the third-highest finisher on the squad at the regional championship meet. During the indoor season, he earned All-UAA honors in one of his two events with a third-place finish in his conference track and field championship debut. Crowley has recorded top times of 25:12.6 in the 8K, 4:17.57 in the mile, a team-best 3:58.54 in the 1500-meter run, and 1:56.71 in the 800-meter run.
Receiving the Dorothy L. Hoza Award, which is given to the female first-year, sophomore, or junior student-athlete, who has made a strong contribution to the women's intercollegiate sports program, maintained a high level of academic achievement, shown leadership in the team, and contributed to the Department and the University, was Lauren Iagnemma of the women's cross country and track & field teams. Just the third runner in the history of the women's cross country team to earn two All-American honors, Iagnemma has earned five All-Region honors in both the fall and winter seasons, including a dramatic second-place finish at the 2023 Regional Cross Country Championships. Iagnemma is the program record holder in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:52.68 and boasts times of 17:05.12 in the 5,000-meter run and 20:43.9 in the 6k race. She is a four-time All-UAA honoree.
The Arthur P. Leary Award was given to junior John Drumm of the men's swimming & diving team. The award is presented to the outstanding first-year student, sophomore or junior male student-athlete who has demonstrated leadership in the team, maintained good academic standing in the University, demonstrated good sportsmanship, and made a contribution to the department and University. Drumm, a four-time All-American, holds six school records with five broken during the 2024-25 academic year. This season, he was named to the All-America First Team for his efforts at the national championship with the best finish by a Spartan in their event in 32 years. In the classroom, Drumm is a two-time Academic All-District selection with a 3.67 cumulative GPA as a finance major.
KaiLi Gross of the softball team earned the Emily R. Andrews Award, which is presented to the outstanding senior who has made a strong contribution to the women's intercollegiate sports program, maintained a high level of academic achievement, shown leadership in team, and contributed service to the department and University. Gross has accumulated 12 program records in four seasons of competition. Last year, she led the team to the NCAA Finals, receiving All-Tournament honors in both the first and final rounds of the tournament, while also setting program records for runs batted in and doubles. Gross has been recognized by the conference as a First Team selection three times and once with a Player of the Year award. In the classroom, she is a two-time Academic All-American First Team honoree and a three-time member of the Van Horn Society.
Senior Sam Trunley of the men's basketball team was named the Philip K. "Nip" Heim Award winner, which is based on demonstrated leadership in the team, good academic standing in the University, good sportsmanship, participation in at least two years in the CWRU athletics program, and demonstrated loyalty to team and University. Trunley emerged as a dominant player in his final season, receiving All-UAA honors while ranking among the top 10 players in Division III in points per game. In the classroom, he is a three-time Academic All-District honoree and UAA All-Academic awardee. To cap off his career, Trunley turned in one of the most impressive single-game performances in UAA history, scoring a program and conference record 51 points to set the school record for points in a single season and finish his career with the 11th most points of any Spartan.
The female student-athlete who has made the most outstanding contributions to her sport was senior Lexi Miskey of the softball team, earning her 2024 Glenn and Peggy Nicholls Female Athlete of the Year honors for the second-straight year. Miskey is a multiple-time All-American, three-time All-UAA First Team selection, and two-time Academic All-District honoree. She currently holds eight program records and was honored three times with Player of the Year honors from the UAA throughout her career. The best strikeout artist in Spartan softball history, she holds the single-game, single-season, and career records for punchouts with 200 more than the next closest player. Leading softball to the postseason over the last three campaigns, including the NCAA Finals last year, she received All-Tournament honors three times and Most Outstanding Pitcher honors three more times.
Senior Nick Harms of the baseball team was named the Dr. David Hutter Male Athlete of the Year as the male student-athlete who has made the most outstanding contributions to his sport. A two-time All-Region selection, Harms has been recognized in each of their three seasons by the UAA including a Rookie of the Year nod during his first year on campus. He has also excelled in the classroom, earning a pair of Academic All-America honors during the previous two seasons. He holds the career program record for home runs, slugging nearly twice as many as any other Spartan in history, and ranks second in career RBI, third in slugging percentage, fifth in doubles, and seventh in stolen bases.
Finally, senior Abigail Wilkov of the women's swimming & diving team became the first two-time winner of the Bill Sudeck Outstanding Student-Athlete Award, the department's highest individual honor. The award is given to the student-athlete that has demonstrated and achieved significant athletic accomplishments, academic achievements, engagement in campus activities, and has shown leadership in athletics and in the classroom. The most decorated diver in program history, Wilkov is an NCAA Elite 90 Award winner, Academic All-America of the Year, two-time Academic All-America First Team selection, and seven-time All-American. That includes this season when she finished as the runner-up on both boards at the NCAA Division III Championship and claimed a UAA title as well. Academically, she has maintained a 4.0 cumulative GPA and served as the President of CASA this year.
The 2024 CWRU men's tennis and 2024 softball teams were each named the Doug Mooney Program of the Year, which is presented annually to the CWRU varsity team with the highest NCAA Championship finish from the spring of the previous year through the winter of the current year. Men's tennis reached the final site of the NCAA Championship for the fourth-straight season and finished 2024 with a 27-6 record, while softball made the final site of the DIII Championship for the second time in six seasons, set a program record for wins with a 40-9 record, and won the UAA Championship for the third-consecutive season.
Also handed out on Monday night were the James C. Wyant Ultimate Spartan Awards, recognizing a member of each varsity athletic team who has shown dedication, effort, leadership, and love for the program and the University. This year's winners included Kyle Gearding of the baseball team, Daniel King of the football team, Sam Trunley of the men's basketball team, Aidan Nathan of the men's cross country team, Bradley Winter of the men's soccer team, William Froass of the men's swimming & diving team, Ansh Shah of the men's tennis team, Josh Bates of the men's track & field team, Mathew Gummere of the wrestling team, Isabella Russo of the softball team, Rea Marfatia of the volleyball team, Evie Miller of the women's basketball team, Lauren Iagnemma of the women's cross country team, Sydney Schenk of the women's soccer team, Angeli Paull of the women's swimming & diving team, Lily McCloskey of the women's tennis team, and Ailean Duffie of the women's track & field team.
In addition, the department celebrated its All-Americans, Academic All-Americans, UAA Champions, and NCAA participants so far during the 2024-25 academic year. CWRU also recognized all of its graduating student-athletes, while Sydney Schenk and Ansh Shah each gave reflection speeches on their experience at CWRU, which can be viewed below:
The banquet concluded with the 2024-25 CWRU Athletics highlight video, which can be seen below:
