Female Student-Athlete of the Year:

Danyelle Shufelt, Basketball/Softball

A four-year contributor for the Monks’ women’s basketball and softball programs, Shufelt has excelled in all facets as a collegiate student-athlete. She has played in 277 contests while attending courses as a Biology/Pre-Physician's Assistant major during her dual-sport career. Her teams have posted a collective 200-80 (.714) overall record with her in uniform, an impressive total that includes a 120-55 (.686) mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play. A three-time All-Conference honoree, Shufelt has earned a pair of GNAC All-Academic accolades and recently received First Team Capital One Academic All-District® All-Academic honors.

Male Student-Athlete of the Year:

Neile Nelson Award:

Presented annually to the student-athlete who has set an example by displaying a high level of commitment to his/her team while performing a leadership role within the Saint Joseph's College campus community.

Sam Butts, Baseball

Butts, a three-year starting outfielder, 2013 team captain and two-time GNAC All-Academic honoree, has deservedly collected Male Student-Athlete of the Year and Neile Nelson Award accolades by a vote of the Saint Joseph’s Athletics staff. While taking courses in the demanding Exercise Science program, Butts also served as an Admissions Office Tour Guide and Athletic Training Intern during his time on campus and has raised the bar for those who follow in his footsteps.

Female Athlete of the Year:

Sarah Hawkes, Volleyball

Hawkes, a two-time Third Team All-GNAC honoree, earned First Team mention after posting a team-high and program-record 339 kills along with a .256 hitting percentage, 406 digs and 60 total blocks during her senior season. A three-time GNAC Player of the Week honoree last fall, Hawkes is the only St. Joe's player - and one of just four GNAC players - to have recorded career totals of 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs and leaves the SJC program as the Monks' all-time leader in kills (1,107), digs (1,229), solo blocks (146) and total blocks (261).

Male Athlete of the Year:          

Chad Rafferty, Baseball

Rafferty earned First Team All-GNAC honors for the second-consecutive season and capped his four-year career by going 7-2 with a 3.57 ERA and a 56/13 K/BB ratio in 63 innings this spring. He ranks as the Monks’ all-time wins leader with a 28-3 record over four seasons and is currently second in team history in career strikeouts (238), third in innings (237.2) and sixth in WHIP (1.19).

Father John Tokaz Award:     

Presented annually to the individual within the college community who has displayed extraordinary support of and assistance to the athletic department mission and to the Saint Joseph's College student-athletes.

Nick Zwald, Golf

A three-year member of event staff and intern during his senior year, Zwald grew into a tremendous asset for the Saint Joseph’s Athletics department and was a driving force behind all of the video content featured on the athletics website. Always friendly and helpful, no task proved to be too difficult or beneath him. The three-year member of the golf team and former president of the Sports Management Student Association worked in nearly every role as a member of the event staff during his three years and excelled in all of them.

Chris Kiernan Award:

The Chris Kiernan Award is named after the college’s first Director of Athletics and men’s basketball coach who later also served as the Dean of Students and the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. This award is presented to the student-athlete who has shown a consistent work ethic to develop as both a student and an athlete; who has displayed a strong commitment toward service of team and community and has proven a “never quit attitude” and the willingness to work through and overcome adversity.

Lauren Bailey, Lacrosse

Despite obstacles not only this season but also in the past, Bailey continued to have a positive attitude and hard work ethic. Having started playing lacrosse in college with no previous experience she embraced the fact that she was a bit behind the experienced players and worked harder.  She struggled to remain healthy and dedicated time and effort to physical therapy and painful rehabilitation to get ready for the season and pushed her body to the limit during her senior season. A two-time GNAC All-Academic honoree, Bailey served as a team captain during her final NCAA campaign and helped guide the Monks to the program’s first-ever GNAC Tournament victory.

Ashley Condon, XC/TF

Condon successfully juggled an impressive mix of responsibilities during her college running career. As a Nursing major, the four-year NCAA athlete worked as a Resident Advisor as well as logging hours on the SJC Athletics Event Staff and behind the front desk at the Alfond Center. A two-time GNAC All-Academic honoree, Condon also posted perhaps the most drastic improvement of any Monks runner in recent memory, as the senior recorded a career-best 20:33 time in the Rivier University Invitational on September 21st, 2012 - over six minutes faster than the effort she posted in her first college meet three years ago.