Florida Atlantic University Athletics
2018 Owlspys
4/9/2018 12:00:00 AM | Academics
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BOCA RATON, Fla. - (April 9, 2018) - Florida Atlantic University's 2017-18 athletic year has been one for the record books. In fact, many of the 19 Owl record books have been rewritten this year. "Oh what a year it has been." The Owls gathered tonight in celebration and recognized superlative seasons by teams, individuals and coaches.
Highest honors of the year were bestowed, as Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to Aliona Bolsova of women's tennis. Bolsova currently holds a singles play national ranking of No. 2. She is undefeated this spring at 17-0 in the No. 1 spot. Coming out of the fall, her individual tournament accomplishments saw the sophomore post a rank of No. 2 nationally by ITA after a second-place finish at the ITA All-American Tournament in California. Additionally, she has played in tournaments scattered all over the world in an effort to improve her game, while maintaining above a 3.5 GPA.
Bolsova's counterpart, awarded Male Athlete of the Year, was football's Devin Singletary. Singletary's season ranks as one of the best in FBS not only this year, but all-time. He finished his sophomore season No. 1 nationally for rushing touchdowns (32), total touchdowns (33) and total points among non-kickers (198). He tallied 1,989 rushing yards and is the Owls' first football AP All-American (Second Team). He became just the fifth NCAA FBS running back since 1956 to reach the 30-touchdown plateau, following in the footsteps of Barry Sanders (37 for Oklahoma State in 1988), Monte Ball (33 for Wisconsin in 2011), Kapri Bibbs (31 for Colorado State in 2013) and Keenan Reynolds (31 for Navy in 2013). Additionally, Singletary's 33 touchdowns from scrimmage makes him one of just 10 to achieve that milestone in history, and he has the only four 200-yard rushing games in FAU history. Singletary was chosen as Conference USA MVP, was a Conference USA First Team selection, and was selected as an All-American by two organizations.
Academically, two student-athletes were recognized at the University's Honor's Convocation as the Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year. Greg Joseph, a senior kicker on the football team, earned male honors while Alex Miller, a senior catcher on the softball team, received the female honors. Both have provided outstanding contributions to their squads and both have excelled in class. Greg Joseph holds a 3.3 GPA in grad school and will complete his master's degree in Health Adminstration after earning his bachelor's degree in exercise science with a 3.59 GPA. Miller, a nursing major, holds a 3.84 GPA.
Two additional awards were given out, both for the first time in the history of the Owlspys, and both athletes will return in 2018-19. Ivone Martinez, from volleyball, led the country in assists with an average of 12.81 per set. The team's combined efforts was also ranked No. 1 nationally at 14.4 assists per set. The second honor was given to Singletary, as he led the nation in touchdowns scored and points. He tallied 33 rushing TDs, which is third all-time in the history of FBS football, behind Monte Ball and Barry Sanders.
Owlspy Award Winners
All-Freshman Team (female): Ashlyn Kitterman (soccer), Mackenzie Morris (beach volleyball), Abby Marshall (swimming & diving), Nathalia Boltinskaya (tennis), Megan Giovanniello (track and cross country), Sydney Nemtuda (volleyball), Tyana Robinson (basketball) and Shannon Diesel (cheer)
All-Freshman Team (male): Ferdinand Solberg (soccer), Andru Summerall (baseball), Willie Wright (football), Reilly Maguire (swimming & diving), Ignacio Garcia (tennis), Sean Barone (cross country), Karan Nalam (golf) and Charleston Carter (dance)
Coach of the Year: Jim Jabir (women's basketball)
Female Sportsmanship Award: Sigourney Kame (volleyball)
Male Sportsmanship Award: Cole Wisecarver (swimming)
Best Performance of the Year: Football Conference Championship
Student-Athlete Choice Award: Ricci Lattanzi
Funniest Action Shot of the Year: Sydney Riggs and Cailea Gibbs
Female Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Maddie Pung (soccer)
Male Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Ignacio Jimenez (tennis)
Female Community Service Award: Bethany Hardcastle (track)
Male Community Service Award: Greg Joseph (football)
Team Community Service Award: Men's soccer
Female OWLstanding Spirit Award: Elizabeth Mitchell (cheer)
Male OWLstanding Spirit Award: Drew Peden (baseball)
Female Athlete of the Year: Aliona Bolsova (tennis)
Male Athlete of the Year: Devin Singletary (football)
Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Alex Miller (softball)
Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Greg Joseph (football)
Owl Cup: Men's Soccer
Tuesday, April 10, 2018. Photos from the night's event will be added.