University of Massachusets Athletics
Varisty M Club Honors UMass Senior Athletes
May 10, 2005 | General
May 10, 2005
AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts Varsity M Club honored all senior athletes tonight in a ceremony held at the Campus Center. All athletes received rings for their time spent at UMass, while six senior athletes were recognized for outstanding achievement.
Senior attackman Jeff Zywicki (Nepean, Ontario) of the men's lacrosse team earned two awards on the night. He was named the Male Athlete of the Year, as he is second on the No. 7-ranked lacrosse team in points (43) and goals (36). Zywicki is currently 11th all-time in goals scored with 94. With 135 career points, Zywicki is 16th all-time in men's lacrosse history. This season, he has taken 106 shots, scored five man-up goals, and netted three game-winners, including the historic clincher in overtime against Syracuse for his second game-winning goal in his career against the Orange.
The Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year was awarded to track and field's Jon Korhonen (Gardner, Mass.). Majoring in communications, Korhonen has a 3.941 grade point average. Korhonen was a two-time selection to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and garnered Academic All-Conference honors in outdoor track & field in 2004.
Peter Trovato (North Attleboro, Mass.) of the hockey team was tabbed the Male Inspirational Athlete of the Year. Trovato was the runner-up for the 2005 Hockey Humanitarian Award that is given annually to college hockey's finest citizen. In the community, Trovato has been active with the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund, Violence Prevention and the White Ribbon Campaign, Mentoring In the Community, and the Amputee Hockey Camp, among other things. Trovato played in 145 career games, which shattered the school mark.
The Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to softball's Hilary Puglia (Stoneham, Mass.). Puglia has guided the offense and is among the conference leaders in batting average (.345), runs (39), doubles (13), triples (1), home runs (10), RBI (36), slugging percentage (.649), on-base percentage (.411), walks (17), and stolen bases (14). This season, Puglia has compiled 12 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games. Her 10 home runs is the third highest for a single season in UMass history, and she currently ranks fourth all-time in home runs with 18.
Senior forward Adrianne Monaco (Oxford, N.Y.) was honored as the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Along with her 3.881 grade point average in psychology, Monaco was second on the team in scoring with 11 points on five goals and an assist. Monaco, along with being named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference and All-Tournament teams, garnered National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Academic Team accolades. The Female Inspirational Award was given to tennis' Sasha Edelstein (Haifa, Israel). Edelstein served six years in the Israeli army before coming to UMass and was considered an "outstanding athlete" in the army. The title is given to the best-ranked athletes in the country to enable them to continue playing sports while also serving in the military. Edelstein's stint in the army involved her working with computer programs after she had completed her basic training.
Edelstein went 15-9, including an 11-6 mark at No. 3, in singles play this year for the Minutewomen, who reached the conference finals. Edelstein also went 19-10 in doubles competition.
