The Barry University Athletic Department celebrated its 23rd annual Athletic Awards Banquet on Thursday, April 26, 2007, at the Signature Grand in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Awards were presented to athletes from every sport.
Women's soccer senior Liz Morgan and the Barry University softball team split the Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin Community Service Award. Morgan, an officer on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee was actively involved in the Safe Space Holiday party and was the driving force behind the College Athletes Supporting Troops campaign, providing boxes of supplies for troops in Iraq. The softball team assisted in the rebuilding of a homeless shelter for women, conducted a clothing drive and assisted at the Hope Center and the Special Olympics.
Alex Fernander earned Barry University Female Athlete-of-the-Year. She led the Buccaneers in this season to the Sunshine State Conference semifinals for the second straight year. Fernander was the Bucs' leading scorer and rebounder averaging 12.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Her 10.5 rebounds per game average also led the conference and ranked 17th in NCAA Division II. She was selected as a First-Team All-SSC and a WBCA All-Region selection for the first time in her career. She also helped anchor the Buccaneer defense which ranked second nationally in field-goal percentage defense and fourth in scoring defense.
Ryan Saunders, men's basketball, was named Male Athlete-of-the-Year. The Bucs' court general for the past four years, Saunders has led the Buccaneers to two 23-win seasons in 2005 and 2007, both years in which Barry received an NCAA tournament bid. This season he earned First-Team All-SSC for the first time. During his four-year career at Barry, he set school records with 120 games, all starts, and 578 career assists. As the Bucs' point guard, he also guided the Buccaneers to a .767 winning percentage during his tenure.
Barry's Professor Neil Miller Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year is split between men's tennis and women's golf. Patrick Rittenauer keeps the men's Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year award with the men's tennis team following behind three-time award winner Dirk Benninghaus. Rittenauer played number one in singles for most of the year recording a 9-1 singles record and ranks 11th in the ITA national rankings. He has led the Bucs back into the NCAA tournament for the 13th straight year. An international studies and political science major at Barry, he has a 3.945 GPA.
Meredith Kane earns her second Female Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year award. A four-year member of the women's golf team, she has helped the Barry University women's golf program to appearances to the NCAA Regional tournament, three out of four years. A sport management seamless program major, she has posted a 3.992 grade point average.
The softball team walked away with the CHAMPS/LifeSkills competition for the second time to become the first repeat winner in the history of the program. They won the initial competition in 2002-03. The diamond girls edged the women's soccer team by a scant six points, the closest spread in the competition's history.
Below is a list of all the award winners.
