April 26, 2010

BALTIMORE - Loyola University Maryland seniors Heather Cooke and Collin Finnerty were the 2010 recipients of the Ernest Lagna and John R. Moller Awards, respectively, as the top female and male student-athletes who excel in athletics, scholarship and character.

The awards, and many others were presented on Monday evening at the 2010 Loyola Athletic Awards Banquet held in McGuire Hall on the Evergreen Campus.

Cooke, a four-year women's soccer letterwinner, was an All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference First Team honoree as a senior and Second Team member her sophomore and junior seasons. She led a Loyola defense that allowed just over one goal a game, and she helped the Greyhounds to an undefeated MAAC regular-season record in 2009. Cooke and the Greyhounds advanced to the NCAA College Cup in 2009, and she also earned Regional All-America honors following the season.

Finnerty is a co-captain and leading scorer for the Loyola men's lacrosse team that is currently ranked sixth nationally with two games to play in its season. An outstanding leader on and off the field, Finnerty was a member of the Teawaaraton Award Watch List, an honor given annually to the top lacrosse player in the United States. He is widely considered one of the most dangerous shooters in college lacrosse, and he has earned several ECAC Player of the Week awards during his career.

Several other awards were handed out to Loyola senior student-athletes, beginning with the Unsung Hero Awards.

A senior who battled through injury plagued seasons earlier in her career, Alexandra Beaver of the women's cross country team persevered to compete at high level as a senior and was a respected leader of her team. The men's Unsung Hero Award went to men's soccer's Jonatnan Navas. Another student-athlete who endured injury, Navas contributed off the field as a team manager during his sophomore and junior seasons and returned to the team as a senior. However, he suffered another injury, but his positive, reliable and inspirational contributions were still felt throughout the team.

Women's Leadership Award Recipient Amanda Meehan was a four-year starter for the women's soccer team, and she helped the Greyhounds win a MAAC Championship in 2009. Her penalty kick in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament catapulted the Greyhounds to the title. Her male counterpart on the awards' stand was Tennant McVea. Now a professional soccer player in Finland, McVea was a three-year captain for the Greyhounds, a three-time MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and a 2008 All-America First Team honoree.

Theresa Ferraina and Tony Lewis of the women's soccer and men's basketball teams, respectively, earned the Medals of Merit. Ferraina graduated last May with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, and she has maintatined that mark in graduate school. This year, she was the MAAC Offensive Player of the Year for the Greyhounds. Lewis has been a critical part of the men's basketball team despite playing through injuries. He has been an engaging figure on campus and an excellent student.

Suzanne Lee and Donny Lind were the recipients of the Student Service Awards. Lee has worked throughout the athletic department for four years, and Lind was a men's basketball manager.

The women's soccer team earned the award for the highest team grade point average, and Ferraina and Daniel Keenan of the men's crew team received awards for having the highest grade point averages of seniors.

In addition to the departmental awards, the following student-athletes received awards from their teams: