Xavier’s highest-acheiving competitors are celebrated with banquet and awards
By Claire McKinley, Staff Writer
A play on ABC’s ESPY awards, the XSPY awards are an annual celebration hosted by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to honor and appreciate the accomplishments of student athletes both on and off the field. The winners are decided based on votes from their peers, and the accolades can range from Best Player to Female and Male Athletes of the Year.
The event festivities kicked off in Cintas at 8 p.m. and lasted until around 10:30pm. Upon arrival, athletes were welcomed by a small entourage of paparazzi looking for a photo op and a blue carpet rolled out to greet them. This year’s pool of winners was selected from ten different sports and honor the students’ amazing athletic accomplishments, as well as commemorate their contributions to the Xavier community. These presst awards include The Musketeer Magis Award, The Musketeer Medal of Honor and The Benjamin Allen Student-Athlete Leadership Award.
Every year, The Musketeer Magis Award is given to a student who embodies all aspects of the Jesuit value. This student is someone who strives for excellence and seeks out doing more for the common good of others This year’s recipient was Courtney Prenger, a forward on the women’s basketball team.
The winners of the Musketeer Medal of Honor were Emma McMyler from women’s golf and Andrew Martin from men’s swimming. These medals are awarded to the female and male students who exceed expectations in scholarship, athletics, leadership and service while committing to bettering the Xavier community.
The Benjamin Allen Student-Athlete Leadership Award was collected by Jon Bernard from the men’s swim team. This award is given to someone who greatly impacts all of Xavier and has succeeded in making a holistic impact on the community with ingenuity, leadership and determination.
McMyler also won the award for Female Athlete of the Year. While Cole Jensen from the men’s soccer team and Martin from the men’s swim team were caught in a gridlock for Male Athlete of the year and tied.
Carrigan O’Reilly from the volleyball team and Jack Housinger from the baseball team won the Rev. Paul O’Connor Award. This year’s Thomas Sedler Awards were won by Pol Hernandez from the men’s soccer team and Julianne Libler from the women’s swim team.
Sean Miller, in his homecoming season and the men’s basketball team won Coach of the Year and Team of the Year, respectively. Desmond Claude won Male Rookie of the Year and Jack Nunge winning Best Play for his game-winning block against Kennesaw State in the NCAA Tournament. This year’s men’s hoops squad ended a four-year tourney drought for the program.
Other notable awards include the women’s soccer team winning Best Upset for their 4-1 2OT win at Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament. Female Rookie of the Year was won by Natalie Bain, a defender from the women’s soccer team, and Comeback Athlete of the Year was won by Cole Jensen, who also was named goalkeeper of the year by the Big East. Additionally, Best Single Game Performance was won by Luke Franzoni during the Baseball Team’s game vs. Creighton in Big East Tournament and his teammate Jack Housinger took home the award for best teammate.
