April 26, 2011
NORFOLK, VA-- Old Dominion seniors Adam Roscioli (Forest, VA.) of men's soccer, Kristofer Hagg (Skovde, Sweden) of men's swimming and diving and Alyssa Pietrobono (Newark, DE.) of women's soccer were named 2011 recipients of the Jack Wilkins/James Howard Scholar Athletes of the Year. Wrestling All-American James Nicholson (Des Moines, IA) and field hockey All-American Loran Hatch (Green Lane, PA.) were named Athletes of the Year by the Old Dominion University Alumni Association, at the annual Old Dominion University Athletic honors banquet, held at the Ted Constant Convocation Center on Tuesday night.
James Nicholson (Des Moines, IA) is the first CAA wrestler to win four consecutive championships. He is ODU's first two-time wrestling All-American since Buddy Lee did the same in 1982. He earned NCAA All-American honors with an eighth place finish at 125-pounds at the NCAA Championships. Nicholson compiled a 35-3 record and ranked fourth nationally. He completed his career with a 138-20 record which ties him for ODU's all-time record. Nicholson defeated 15 NCAA qualifiers this season and was recently selected CAA Wrestler of the Year for the second time and recipient of the Norfolk Sports Club's Tom Scott award as ODU's top senior. Nicholson is a three-time NWCA national All-Academic selection.
Loran Hatch (Green Lane, PA. )is the 2010 CAA Defensive Player of the Year, the CAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player and first team All-CAA selection. Hatch was named first team NFHCA All-American, making her the program's 29th. Hatch led the Lady Monarchs to a team-high 41 points on 19 goals and three assists. Her 19 goals tied for the CAA lead. As the CAA's top defensive player, Hatch helped anchor ODU's backline that boasted seven shutouts. Five additional opponents were held to just one goal. She was named to the NFHCA National Academic squad, and helped lead ODU to its 14th CAA title and the NCAA's second round.
The Jack Wilkins/James Howard Scholar Athletes of the Year are presented to the male and female senior athletes with the highest cumulative grade point average. Both Howard and Wilkins were instrumental in the formation of the ODU Intercollegiate Foundation, now the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation.
Alyssa Pietrobono (Newark, DE.) appeared in 12 games, with two starts. She has won several academic awards during her collegiate career, including the Dehardi Alumni Scholarship, the Goodman Award and the Tidewater Chapter VSCPA Outstanding Accounting Student Award. She will graduate with a perfect 4.0 grade point average in accounting.
Adam Roscioli (Forest, VA.), a defender and co-Captain on the Monarchs soccer squad where he was a two-time first Team CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. Nominated for the Lowes' Senior Award, Roscioli was named to the VCU/ Marriott Classic All-Tournament squad, and helped the Monarchs defeat second ranked North Carolina and advance to the second round of the NCAA College Cup with a win over defending national champion Virginia. Roscioli will graduate with a 3.91 grade point average in exercise science.
Kristofer Hagg (Skovde, Sweden) was recently named CAA Scholar Athlete of the Year for swimming and diving. Hagg placed 16th in the 200 free and 18th in the 500 free at the CAA Championships. He earned All-CAA honors in the 800 free relay. He will graduate with a grade point average of 3.91 in electrical engineering technology.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MOST VALUABLE PLAYERSBaseball: TBA (Will be named after completion of season)Men's Basketball: Frank Hassell (Chesapeake, Va.)Women's Basketball: Tia Lewis (Poulan, GA.)Field Hockey: Loran Hatch (Green Lane, PA)Football: Thomas DeMarco (Palm Desert, CA.)Men's Golf: Sam Wall (Essex, England)Women's Golf: Emma Gilmore (Moylough , Ireland)Women's Lacrosse: Sarah Geary (Springfield, Pa.)Women's Rowing: Allison Giegerich (Egg Harbor, NJ.)Men's Sailing: Dillon Paiva (Raleigh, NC.)Women's Sailing: Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.)Men's Soccer: Evan Newton (Virginia Beach, VA.)Women's Soccer: Ashley Kukura (Virginia Beach, VA.)Men's Swimming & Diving: Arni Arnason (Mosfellsbaer, Iceland)Women's Swimming & Diving: Erla Haraldsdottir (Njardvik, Iceland)Men's Tennis: Tobias Fanselow (Essen, Germany)Women's Tennis: Joanna Dobrowolska ( Warsaw, Poland)Wrestling: James Nicholson (Des Moines, IA)