MIAMI SHORES, Fla.—Barry University Athletics held the inaugural Bucky Awards on Tuesday, Apr. 26 in Broad Auditorium.
The Bucs celebrated the past year's (April 15, 2015 through April 1, 2016) accomplishments of the student-athletes with awards for Best Championship Performance, Breakthrough Athlete, Best Moment, Best Game, Comeback Athlete and Best Play.
BEST CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
The men's tennis team went 26-0 and captured the NCAA Division II National Championship for the third time in five years. It was the second time in three years that the Bucs had rolled up an undefeated season, becoming the only program in school history to do so.
BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE
Breakthrough Athlete recognizes a new or returning student-athlete whose performance has tremendously impacted his or her team for the first time for the better.
Freshman Tilda Larsson from women's golf is ranked as the #1 player in Division II by GolfStat. She has six top-5 finishes, including two first-place, and three more top-10 finishes and a winning record against all but one player in the top-20 in the nation. She has led the second-ranked Bucs to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in program history.
BEST MOMENT
Best moment is any accomplish that redounds with credit on Barry University Athletics and may include activities in and outside of competition.
The women's soccer team defeated the Tampa Spartans twice in overtime to win both the SSC Tournament and South Region Tournament titles. It was the first time that the Bucs had advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals since 2003.
BEST GAME
The rowing team dominated the 2015 NCAA Division II Regatta, winning both the varsity 4 and varsity 8 races. But the varsity 8 was particularly dominant, defeating second-ranked Mercyhurst by over eight seconds to take the title. The Bucs rowed an almost flawless race, demonstrating both superior athleticism and technical proficiency to win the first title in program history.
COMEBACK ATHLETE
The Comeback Athlete must have missed a significant amount of the prior season and return to play a prominent role on their team.
Softball senior Kayla Ogle, who was a first-team All-Sunshine State Conference pick as a junior in 2014, missed the whole season in 2015 and has returned to produce a Player of the Year-type season. She ranks among the league leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, runs scored and stolen bases.
BEST PLAY
Playing the defending national champions and arch-rivals Lynn, the Bucs fell behind 2-0 before storming back to tie the match 2-2 on a brilliant goal by Manuel Perez in the 56th minute. Having won a free kick just inside midfield, Pablo Georgakopoulos lifted a pass down the left sideline to Sergio Yepes. Yepes caught the ball with his chest and delivered a pass out of the air to Perez streaking down near the far post. Perez also caught the ball out of the air and blasted a shot past the Knights' keeper Jonny DeMoya for the equalizer.
The Bucs also presented Elise D'Angelo Lombardi with the Athletic Training Student of the Year award and Jessica Mora Nurquez with the Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin Service Award.
Lombardi is an exemplary student with knowledge beyond her years and is a tremendous role model for the younger students in the program.
Nurquez, an instructor in the Barry University CAATE Accredited Athletic Training Education Program, supervised the volunteer activities for the Sports Medicine Club, including medical volunteers at the Founders' 5K race in November and the ING Marathon in January, a Thanksgiving Food Drive, and a Christmas toy drive for Sheridan House. Additionally, she worked with the Miami Heat during their summer camps, served on the medical staff of the JCC Maccabi International Games and served as the activity leader for Athletic Training Month in March.
The Professor Neill Miller Scholar-Athletes of the Year went to Laine Cielena of volleyball and Renato Lombardi of men's tennis.
Cielena carries a 3.983 GPA in finance and is a repeat winner of the award. A native of Krimuldas Novads, Latvia, she led the team to a 14-12 mark with 129 kills and 71 blocks.
Lombardi has a 3.903 GPA also in finance. He was a second-team Academic All-America selection last season and helped lead the team to the national championship and an undefeated season. A native of Lausanne, Switzerland, he was the NCAA Elite 89 winner as a sophomore.
Senior Yunio Barrueta of men's basketball and Beth Desmond from rowing were named the 2015-16 Athletes of the Year.
Barrueta is another repeat winner. He followed up last season's highlights with an even better campaign this year, leading the Buccaneers to the Regional Championship and a berth in the Elite 8 for the first time in program history. He produced one of the finest seasons in school history, setting school records with 24.4 points per game, 804 total points, 285 field goals and 107 three-pointers. He was the only player in NCAA Division II to score more than 40 points three times this season. He also set school records for total points (1781), and total rebounds (858). He is the 10th men's basketball player to win the award and the team has taken in 11 awards in 32 years.
Desmond led the Bucs to their first-ever national championship. Rowing in the varsity 4, she led them to the individual title at the national regatta. The V4 became the first boat of its kind to win Sunshine State Conference Boat of the Year and did so unanimously. They posted an undefeated season, including wins at FIRA Championships, Knecht Cup Regatta, SSC Conference, SSC Championships, Dad Vail Regatta, and NCAA Championships. Voted captain by her teammates, she has advanced to the National Regatta each of her first three years and has the Bucs ranked first in the CRCA national poll heading into this week's SSC Regatta. She is the first rower to ever win the athlete of the year award.
The team award winners were also recognized.
