LOUDONVILLE, NY — Siena Athletics welcomed its 360 athletes to its annual end-of-year celebration as part of the third annual "Bernie's" awards show, which took place inside the UHY Center on campus on Tuesday, May 5.
 
The Bernie Awards were once again spearheaded and produced by Siena's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), with Hailey Deptula (Women's Lacrosse), Ava Vesey (Water Polo), and Marcus Homa (men's cross country and track) serving as the co-hosts of the evening.
 
Accomplishments both on the field and in the classroom were celebrated, including honoring the top athletic and academic performances of teams and individuals and recognizing 83 graduating members who completed either undergraduate or graduate studies. The event featured a special senior ceremony for graduating members of all programs, an invocation from Fr. Kevin Mullen, hors d'oeuvres, and a 2025-26 Year in Review video prior to the awards ceremony.
 
Assistant Athletic Director for Advising, Anthony Pelliccia, and Assistant Advisor for Student Athlete Development, Megan Daviero, commenced the awards portion of the evening by presenting the Siena Athletics Academic Excellence Awards. They presented individual awards to the three true seniors who possessed the highest cumulative senior student athlete GPA's in their respective schools. Cross Country and Track runner Connor Thomas earned the honor for the highest cumulative GPA in the School of Business with a 4.0 GPA (a six-time member of the 4.0 club), Women's Soccer's Iona Snape received acclaim with a perfect 4.0 GPA in the School of Science (a six-time 4.0 club member as well), and Women's Soccer Jess Knaub earned the honor for the School of Liberal Arts with a 4.0 cumulative GPA (a three-time 4.0 club member).
 
Last year's Siena Female Rookie of the Year Catherine Rogers of Women's Soccer presented the awards for the Male and Female Rookies of the Year. 
The 2025-26 Siena Female Rookie of the Year was awarded to Hillsborough, NJ native Francesca Schiro of Women's Basketball. The ECAC Rookie of the Year was the unanimous MAAC Rookie of the Year, MAAC All-Rookie Team member and Second Team All-MAAC selection. Schiro was a seven-time Rookie of the Week winner, tying for second most in league history and led the Saints, averaging 17.1 points per game—second in the MAAC and fourth among freshmen in the nation.
 
The 2025-26 Siena Male Rookie of the Year was awarded to Men's Cross Country and Track standout Austin Ferrin. The Auburn, NY native re-established the bar as he set a new freshman program record in the men's one-mile event, clocking in at 4:08.78 at the Fastrack National Invitational. It was also the fourth fastest time overall in program history. Ferrin also had a first-place finish in the 3,000-meter (8:32.74) to open the indoor track season at the Crowell Invitational on the campus of Army West Point and had the sixth fastest 1,500-meter with a time of 3:51.01 at the Bison Outdoor Classic at Bucknell. 
 
The five finalists for the 2025-26 Siena University Male Rookie of the Year Award were Ferrin, Francis Folefac from basketball, Martin Piedeleu from soccer, Steven Ramirez from baseball and Mateja Stefanovic from tennis.
 
The five finalists for the 2025-26 Siena University Female Rookie of the Year were Schiro, Mary Claire Deacy from volleyball, Hailey Deptula from lacrosse, Clara Samko from swimming and Kaiya Rain Tucker from basketball. 
 
Siena Strength & Conditioning coaches Julianne Librizzi were next up to present the Iron Saint awards. They presented one student athlete from their respective teams as the Iron Saint Team Award winners, and then crowned the 2025-26 Iron Saint Individual Award winners for their hard work and leadership in the weight room. This year's honorees were Tyler Sausville from baseball, Brendan Coyle from men's basketball, Connor Kiel from men's golf, Colby LeBlanc from men's lacrosse, Zackary Kacic from men's soccer, Matteo Castellazzi from men's tennis, Evan Wattie from men's cross country and track, Carlie Venables from softball, Mea Amedio from swimming, Mary Claire Deacy from volleyball, Alden Yergey from women's basketball, Julia Kret from women's golf, Grace Jones from women's lacrosse, Quincy Frommelt from water polo, Anna Swyers from women's soccer, Andrea Vargas from women's tennis, and Mattingly O'Rourke from women's cross country and track. 
The Iron Saints of the Year were awarded to Justice Shoats from men's basketball, Alejandro Perez Jorda from men's soccer, Catherine Williamson from water polo and Gracie Goewey from softball.
 
The all-coveted Iron Saint awards were followed by the Grasshopper Leadership Award. Van Wagner General Manager of Sponsorships Lynne Young introduced Amanda August, the CEO of Grasshopper Heating and Cooling, to present the award that honors the student athlete who demonstrates exceptional leadership both in competition and in the community. Junior Gaylynn Kirn of the women's swimming team was named the winner. 
Next was the Outstanding Teammate award, with men's soccer Christian Amaral presenting the award to his teammate, Alejandro Perez Jorda. 
 
Next up were the Comeback Player of the Year Awards, presented by Siena Assistant Athletic trainers Rebecca Sanger, Caitlin Moeller, Erik Lindstrom, and Emily Gulitti to a male and female athlete who persevered through major injuries to have successful seasons. Softball's Emmalynn Skatt received the Female Comeback Award, while Baseball's Sam Falace won the men's award. 
 
The Saints Supporting Saints award was presented by men's basketball senior Brendan Coyle, who he presented to his teammate Chris Torres. The award goes to someone who defies what it means to be "all in" for Siena. They support everyone around them with a blend of heart and high energy. 
The Fr. Mychal Judge O.F.M. Saint of the Year was presented by Saints Alive! Advisory Council Member Bob Davey. Established to recognize a Siena student athlete who truly makes a difference. Fr. Mychal Judge was a member of the Siena community, a Franciscan friar and a chaplain to the New York City Fire Department who became symbol of courage, compassion, and selfishness, most notably for his heroic ministry during the September 11 attacks. The inaugural award went to Ava Vesey. 
Assistant Vice President / Deputy Director of Athletics Lori Anctil presented the 2025-2026 S.A.I. N.T.S. Cup award, which honors the team who has made the largest impact on the local community over the last year in its community service efforts. The 2025-26 S.A.IN.T.S. Cup award was presented to Siena Women's Basketball, who won the award for performing several community service opportunities in the local community under the leadership of head coach Terry Primm.
 
The Staff MVP award honored a member of the Siena College Athletic Staff who went above and beyond with their work ethic and attitude during the 2025-26 school year. Senior Associate Athletic Director Drew Santandera presented this year's Siena Athletics Staff MVP Award to Assistant Athletic Director / Facilities Lias Levin. 
 
The 2025-26 Mohawk Chevy Electric Moment of the Year was presented by Corporate Branding Director Nathanael Greklek. As voted on by the Siena Athletics student body, the moment of the year went to Campbell Stalker's overtime golden goal against Iona in the MAAC Men's Soccer Semifinals. It was a breakthrough moment for the Saints, who had their season end in the MAAC Semifinals 15 previous times. The second-seeded Saints would go on to capture their first MAAC Championship with a 2-1 victory over top-seeded Sacred Heart, clinching their first berth into the NCAA Tournament.
 
Siena Vice President / Director of Athletics John D'Argenio then presented the awards for the Siena College Male and Female Student Athletes of the Year.
 
The 2025-26 Siena University Male Student Athlete of the Year is Soccer's Lucas Almeida. A driving force behind a historic season for Siena men's soccer, Almeida helped lead the Saints to its first ever MAAC Championship and a NCAA Tournament appearance, finishing 9-5-5 overall with a program-record eight-match unbeaten streak. The junior earned First Team All-MAAC and Second Team All-ECAC honors, becoming just the second player in program history to receive ECAC recognition. He led the MAAC with 25 points, ranking Top-25 nationally and became the program's first 20-point scorer since 2019.
 
The five finalists for the 2025-26 Siena University Male Student Athlete of the Year Award were Almeida, Lacrosse's Logan Banek, Basketball's Gavin Doty, Lacrosse's Patrick Radomski, and Basketball's Justice Shoats.
 
The 2025-26 Siena University Female Student Athlete of the Year is Softball's Gracie Goewey. A dominant two-way force, Goewey led the Saints in both batting average and ERA, hitting .383 while posting a 2.62 mark in the circle, ranking among the top performers in the MAAC in both categories. In the circle, she made history as just the first MAAC Pitcher of the Year in program history while earning All-MAAC First Team honors. She totaled 14 wins, seven shutouts – a single-season program record –and 158 strikeouts while throwing a no-hitter against Manhattan. She also led the conference in saves and complete games, anchoring one of the league's top pitching staffs. At the plate, she was just as impactful, reaching base at a .485 clip while slugging .664 with seven home runs and 27 RBI.
 
The five finalists for the 2025-26 Siena University Female Student Athlete of the Year Award were Goewey, Soccer's Cate Burns, Softball's Emma Petersen, Lacrosse's McAllister Salter, Basketball's Francesca Schiro and Water Polo's Catherine Williamson. 
 
The evening also included Siena's graduating athletes gathering for a group photo wearing their graduation sashes in front of the picturesque backdrop of the Grotto. D'Argenio then welcomed the seniors back inside the UHY Center for brief closing remarks and a champagne toast, thanking them for their countless contributions during their time in Loudonville.