LHU Athletics Presents Annual Talon Awards
LOCK HAVEN – Last week, the Lock Haven University Department of Athletics held its sixth annual Talons award presentation This year, the Talons were held virtually on social media.
Highlighting the night was the announcement of the 2019-20 Charlotte E. Smith and Bald Eagle award winners.
Charlotte E. Smith – Kayla Brathwaite (Field Hockey/Track & Field)
Among the awards is the Charlotte Smith Award, awarded to an outstanding female senior who has shown dedication to both academics & athletics and has made a lasting impact on Haven Nation.
The award is presented to LHU’s top senior female student-athlete. The award goes to a senior female student-athlete in recognition of her accomplishments in women’s athletics, outstanding leadership and academic achievement.
Brathwaite has been a model student-athlete both on the field and in the classroom. The senior was named to the Atlantic-10 First Team All-Conference this season and holds a 3.56 cumulative GPA. She also excelled on the track, sitting second in LHU history with a time of 42.80 in the 300 meters. She is also part of school records in two relay events, the 4×200 meters and the distance medley relay.
Brathwaite earned All-Region honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) and helped lead the Bald Eagle Field Hockey team to their first A-10 playoff appearance since 2014 and a 6-2 conference record. She was also named to the Division I NFHCA Senior All Star Game.
Bald Eagle – DJ Fehlman (Men’s Wrestling)
The Bald Eagle Award is presented annually to an outstanding male senior who has shown dedication to both academics and athletics and has made a lasting impact on Haven Nation.
This award goes to a senior male student-athlete who has demonstrated overall excellence in athletics, academics, and service, and whose efforts during his time at The Haven have made us all proud to have him represent not only his individual team, but also the athletics program as a whole.
Fehlman met and exceeded all the qualities of the Bald Eagle Award over his Haven career. A three-time Division I Wrestling national qualifier, he also was named a National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Academic All-American four times and holds a cumulative GPA of 3.8.
A 2019 EWL individual champion at 133 lbs., Fehlman helped lead the Bald Eagles to back-to-back team EWL championships in 2018 and 2019. Fehlman also reached the illustrious 100-win plateau as a Bald Eagle with a major decision in the team’s dominant victory over rival Bloomsburg. He finished his remarkable career with 113 wins, which ties him for 10th all-time in LHU history.
Other award winners included…
Coach of the Year: Aaron Russell (Head M&W Cross Country/Assistant, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field):
Coach Russell led the men’s cross country team to a runner-up finish at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships and a fourth place finish at the Division II Atlantic Region Championships. He also led the women’s cross country team to a sixth place finish in the PSAC and a fifth place finish in the Atlantic Region. Additionally, he coached seven individuals to All-Conference Honors, five individuals to All-Region Honors, six individuals to All-Academic Honors, and three individuals to national qualifier status.
Faculty Member of the Year: President Robert Pignatello
President Pignatello has been a constant supporter of Haven Athletics. Since being chosen as LHU’s 15th president in March 2018, Pignatello has become the student-athletes biggest supporter and can be found at nearly every Bald Eagle home event.
Athletic Trainer of the Year: Dakota Rosenberg
Dakota is extremely knowledgeable and always caring for injuries that come to him. He understands the importance of treatment and care and helps student-athletes in the best way possible to get them healthy as quickly as possible. In his time at The Haven, Dakota has demonstrated a true willingness to go above and beyond for the wellbeing of LHU student-athletes.
Male Break-Through Athlete of the Year: Luke Werner (Men’s Wrestling)
Originally planning on redshirting, Werner ended that in early December and never looked back on the way to a 31-5 overall record. The junior went 7-1 in duals and 4-1 in MAC duals, and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors from the NWCA. By way of a third-place finish at the 2020 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships in March, Werner was set to make his NCAA Championship debut before the tournament was cancelled.
Female Break-Through Athlete of the Year: Rileigh Devine (Women’s Basketball)
Devine etched her name in LHU history this season as she reached the 1,000-point milestone and finished with school records for 3-pointers made in a game (8), total season 3-pointers made (70) and total career 3-pointers made (203). She also earned her second All-PSAC honor this season and finished second in the PSAC in free throw percentage for the 2019-20 season.
Team All-In Award: Field Hockey
Lock Haven’s Field Hockey team had a standout season, finishing second in the A-10 conference with a dramatic ending to their season by almost pulling off an upset against the No. 12 ranked team in Division 1, Saint Joseph’s. Overall, the team ended their season 11-8 and their A-10 playoff appearance was the team’s first since 2014. The Bald Eagles finished the regular season on a roll, concluding the season with a four-game win streak. All four wins came by way of shutout victories, as Lock Haven outscored its opponents 11-0 in the final four games. In all, LHU won seven of its final eight games during the regular season, which included A-10 wins over La Salle, Virginia Commonwealth, Saint Louis and Saint Francis.
Male Rookie of the Year: Andrea DiSomma (Men’s Soccer)
DiSomma wasted no time transitioning to the collegiate game, scoring a PSAC-best 17 goals in his rookie season, putting him third in all of Division II in goals for the 2019 season. He finished fifth all-time at LHU for single season goals, and his three hat-tricks tied the LHU record. DiSomma was one of just two freshmen to be named a D2CCA All-American and earned both first team All-PSAC and All-Region.
Female Co-Rookies of the Year: Marena Lonardi (Women’s Basketball) & Jazmin Palma (Field Hockey)
Lonardi made an instant impact on the floor and led the Bald Eagles in scoring as a true freshman, averaging 13.4 points per game. She also shot an impressive 40.5% from the floor, averaged 4.0 boards per game, and was second on the team with 36 steals. Lonardi helped lead the Bald Eagles back to the PSAC playoffs for the second straight season with an overall 15-13 record.
Palma shone in her freshman season on the field hockey team. She took the league by storm and ranked among the Atlantic 10’s offensive leaders in most categories as she was named A-10 Rookie of the Year along with earning First Team All-Conference and All-Rookie Team honors. Palma led the A-10 in shots with 66 and led LHU with 16 points, thanks to five goals and a team-best six assists. Palma scored in five different games, with two of her five goals coming as game-winners. In wins over Colgate and Wagner, she registered four points in each game.
Male Most Valuable Player: Kyle Shoop (Men’s Wrestling)
Shoop closed out his senior season in style as a four-time NCAA Qualifier and twice was the NCAA Division I technical fall leader. He was a Division I All-American in 2019, and a three-time Southern Scuffle place winner. He leads all Haven wrestlers as the LHU technical fall leader with 45, and this season he cemented his place in LHU wrestling history as he finished second all-time for career wins at the Haven (131).
Female Most Valuable Player: Laurel Moyer (Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field)
Moyer consistently scored an abundance of points for both cross country and track & field as she continued to break school records and make program history. In cross country, Moyer ran to third place finishes at the PSAC and Atlantic Region Championships on route to her first NCAA National Championship berth. Accompanying her were All-Conference, All-Region and All-Academic honors. In indoor track she ran to school records in the 1,000 meters, the mile and the 3,000 meters. Moyer dominated at the PSAC Championships, winning the 5km run and finishing second in the 3000m and mile as she scored 26 of the Bald Eagles 35.5 points.
Community Leadership Award: Men’s and Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field
The Cross Country and Track & Field Teams exemplified everything about what it means to be a Bald Eagle. From volunteering at Lily’s Run, to helping conduct a high school tri-meet at their home course, to assisting in the Susquehanna River Cleanup. the team was a model of community service and leadership.
