Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Athletics Acknowledges Student-Athlete Achievements at 2021 Owlspys
5/26/2021 9:00:00 PM | Football, Academics
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University athletics hosted the seventh annual Owlspys, an event planned and presented by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), on Wednesday night. The yearly award show was held virtually and will be aired again tomorrow, Thursday, at 9 a.m. at fausports.com.
This year's show was led by four hosts this year. SAAC president Sean Barone (men's cross country), SAAC vice president Logan Downey (men's swimming & diving) and women's cross country and track & field student-athletes Lauren Macon and Morgan Sharp hosted the 2021 event.
The show presented 20 awards, including the coveted "Student-Athlete of the Year." Erika Brok of beach volleyball and Daniel Skistad of men's soccer were named the female and male Student-Athlete of the Year, respectively.
Brok has gone above and beyond in the classroom and on the court during her four years at FAU. The Ormand Beach, Florida native is a mathematics major and recent graduate, having achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.84. She was named to the CCSA All-Academic Team, becoming the third student-athlete in program history to do so. The senior and her partner Mackenzie Morris are the all-time winningest pair in school history with 71 and were honored with AVCA First Team All-America honors and CCSA First Team nods this season. The tandem also earned their second AVCA Top-Flight selection for winning 75% of their matches this season. Brok holds the school record for most wins by an FAU individual and pair with 72.
Skistad has represented what being a student-athlete is all about. The International business and business management major maintained a 3.93 GPA to recently graduate summa cum laude. Skistad consistently boasted the best GPA on the men's soccer team, while being named to the President's List (4.0 GPA) and Dean's List (top 3% of college) for three consecutive semesters. He was one of 10 selected to the C-USA All-Academic Team and was a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region Team recipient. Skistad started in all 12 games he appeared in this season and earned his first career assist at Jacksonville in a 4-0 rout. The defender was instrumental in the team's four shutouts, while limiting the opposition to just 11 goals, the least amount of goals given up by an FAU team in school history. He was also recognized to the All-C-USA Third Team.
All-Freshman Team (Male): Nolan Schanuel (baseball), Nicholas Boyd (basketball), Evan Anderson (football), Jake Hibbert (golf), Emmanuel Abolo Carré (soccer), Jackson Kirk (swimming & diving)
Coach of the Year: Ryan Jamison (men's golf) and Capri Grotowski (beach volleyball)
Female Sportsmanship Award: Abby Marshall (women's swimming & diving)
Male Sportsmanship Award: Ahman Ross (football)
Best Performance of the Year: Baseball's Caleb Pendleton, for his two grand slams in the same inning in his first two collegiate at bats
Student-Athlete Choice Award: Mitchell Morgan (communications)
Funniest Action Shot of the Year: Ellie Austin (beach volleyball)
Female Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Cassidy Wasdin (women's soccer)
Male Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Mitchell Hartigan (baseball)
Female Community Service Award: Natalia Boltinskaya (women's tennis)
Male Community Service Award: Reilly Maguire (men's swimming & diving)
Team Community Service Award: Women's Tennis
Female OWLstanding Spirit Award: Natalia Boltinskaya (women's tennis)
Male OWLstanding Spirit Award: Dardan Kapiti (men's basketball)
Female Athlete of the Year: Justine Fournand (women's golf)
Male Athlete of the Year: Enrique Dimayuga (men's golf)
Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Erica Brok (beach volleyball)
Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Daniel Skistad (men's soccer)
Owl Cup: Beach Volleyball
This year's show was led by four hosts this year. SAAC president Sean Barone (men's cross country), SAAC vice president Logan Downey (men's swimming & diving) and women's cross country and track & field student-athletes Lauren Macon and Morgan Sharp hosted the 2021 event.
The show presented 20 awards, including the coveted "Student-Athlete of the Year." Erika Brok of beach volleyball and Daniel Skistad of men's soccer were named the female and male Student-Athlete of the Year, respectively.
Brok has gone above and beyond in the classroom and on the court during her four years at FAU. The Ormand Beach, Florida native is a mathematics major and recent graduate, having achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.84. She was named to the CCSA All-Academic Team, becoming the third student-athlete in program history to do so. The senior and her partner Mackenzie Morris are the all-time winningest pair in school history with 71 and were honored with AVCA First Team All-America honors and CCSA First Team nods this season. The tandem also earned their second AVCA Top-Flight selection for winning 75% of their matches this season. Brok holds the school record for most wins by an FAU individual and pair with 72.
Skistad has represented what being a student-athlete is all about. The International business and business management major maintained a 3.93 GPA to recently graduate summa cum laude. Skistad consistently boasted the best GPA on the men's soccer team, while being named to the President's List (4.0 GPA) and Dean's List (top 3% of college) for three consecutive semesters. He was one of 10 selected to the C-USA All-Academic Team and was a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region Team recipient. Skistad started in all 12 games he appeared in this season and earned his first career assist at Jacksonville in a 4-0 rout. The defender was instrumental in the team's four shutouts, while limiting the opposition to just 11 goals, the least amount of goals given up by an FAU team in school history. He was also recognized to the All-C-USA Third Team.
Staff Video
Owlspys Award Winners
All-Freshman Team (Female): Alivia Orveito (beach volleyball), Blanka Decker (golf), Kaitlyn Cunningham (softball), Maggie Casey (swimming & diving), Marisha Thompson (cross country), Madison King (track & field), Nikola Bartecka (volleyball), Terri Owens (cheer), Tatianna Ramos (dance)All-Freshman Team (Male): Nolan Schanuel (baseball), Nicholas Boyd (basketball), Evan Anderson (football), Jake Hibbert (golf), Emmanuel Abolo Carré (soccer), Jackson Kirk (swimming & diving)
Coach of the Year: Ryan Jamison (men's golf) and Capri Grotowski (beach volleyball)
Female Sportsmanship Award: Abby Marshall (women's swimming & diving)
Male Sportsmanship Award: Ahman Ross (football)
Best Performance of the Year: Baseball's Caleb Pendleton, for his two grand slams in the same inning in his first two collegiate at bats
Student-Athlete Choice Award: Mitchell Morgan (communications)
Funniest Action Shot of the Year: Ellie Austin (beach volleyball)
Female Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Cassidy Wasdin (women's soccer)
Male Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Mitchell Hartigan (baseball)
Female Community Service Award: Natalia Boltinskaya (women's tennis)
Male Community Service Award: Reilly Maguire (men's swimming & diving)
Team Community Service Award: Women's Tennis
Female OWLstanding Spirit Award: Natalia Boltinskaya (women's tennis)
Male OWLstanding Spirit Award: Dardan Kapiti (men's basketball)
Female Athlete of the Year: Justine Fournand (women's golf)
Male Athlete of the Year: Enrique Dimayuga (men's golf)
Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Erica Brok (beach volleyball)
Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Daniel Skistad (men's soccer)
Owl Cup: Beach Volleyball
Student-Athlete Video
Players Mentioned
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