Brandywine Delivers End-Of-Year Awards At 34th-Annual Banquet

MEDIA, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine closed out the 2021-22 athletic year at its 34th-annual all-sports banquet Wednesday, honoring more than 100 student-athletes for academic and athletic prowess.

During 2021-22, 98 Penn State Brandywine student-athletes received Penn State University Athletic Conference All-Academic Team accolades for earning a 3.0 GPA during their semester of competition, while 23 were honored on United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Academic Teams.

Athletically, Brandywine posted 30 All-PSUAC selections and 18 USCAA All-Americans. Alex Sydor was named PSUAC Men's Soccer Player of the Year, while Colin Hockenbrock was lauded as PSUAC Men's Basketball Newcomer of the Year.

In addition to receiving awards, Brandywine's men's soccer team received its national championship rings following the team's second USCAA title in November, a 3-0 victory over Five Towns College.

The night concluded with the department's annual individual awards.

Men's soccer senior Joey Cairy was presented with the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Cairy, a three-time all-conference selection and 2021 all-American, won two national championships and three PSUAC titles during the last four years. On campus, he serves as a member of the Sustainability Club and as a peer mentor for first-year students. Cairy has also volunteered as a youth basketball coach at the Media Youth Center, at Aston Community Day and at his local YMCA as a pre-K student-teacher.

Earning the Lloyd Vernon Heart of a Lion Award was another men's soccer senior, Khafren Smith. The Heart of a Lion Award is given each year to an athlete that exemplifies pride in Brandywine, a strong work ethic, kindness and joy for life. To receive the Heart of the Lion Award, nominees must have overcome a challenges during their time at Brandywine. Smith missed nearly two full seasons, one because of injury and a second due to COVID cancelling the 2020 soccer season, but bounced back to be one of the team's top scorers in 2021. He was a member of the USCAA national championship-winning teams during both of his full seasons at Brandywine.

The first-ever Distinguished Leader Award was earned by men's tennis sophomore Tanuj Gaikwad. The Distinguished Leader Award honors a student-athlete who is active as a leader among their team and in areas outside of athletics. Gaikwad served as a team captain for the tennis squad and often organized team workouts. On the court, he won 9-of-10 singles matches and is now 12-1 during his two-year singles career.

Senior men's basketball player Bryce Barrouk claimed the first-ever Joseph J. Quigley Student Staff Award. Barrouk has worked in the athletic department for three years as a gameday worker and in the fitness center. He spent the spring semester as an athletic intern and helped to raise more than $2,000 with his efforts in putting together Brandywine's 3s for THON Night.

Rounding out the individual awards was the NovaCare Service to Athletics Award, which was presented to campus nurse Roxann Gariffo. Gariffo has helped lead the athletic department and campus safely through the pandemic during the last two years.