Athletics Holds Annual Recogniton Banquet for Student-Athletes

Posted: May 05, 2011

On Wednesday April 26, the Suffolk University Athletics Department held their annual year-end banquet honoring the 13 varsity sports teams for the 2010-11 seasons.

Senior Jeff Rose (Collinsville, Conn.) of the Hockey team was awarded the department’s 2011 Alumni Charles Law Student-Athlete Award. In 1946 Charles Law established Suffolk University's Athletic program and remained as the University Director for 33 years. Law coached basketball at Suffolk for 30 years, winning the admiration of his players and peers as "Dean of New England Basketball Coaches" and directing his last two teams to NCAA Division III post-season tournament competition, completing his career with 295 victories. Serving also as the President and Treasurer of the New England Basketball Coaches Association, Charles Law was nominated for membership to the Citizen Savings Athletic Foundation's Coaches Hall of Fame. In honor of the late Charles Law, this award is given to a student-athlete who has excelled in academics and athletics.

Rose finishes a stellar four-year career in between the pipes for the Rams as the Suffolk goaletender. Rose finished the 2010-11 season posting an .897 save percentage while yielding a 3.56 goals against average starting 23 of the Rams’ 24 games between the pipes. Named the 2009-10 ECAC Northeast Goalie of the Year, Rose finishes his four-year career as the all-time leader in most statistical categories in Suffolk program history for goalkeepers. In 91 starts Rose posts a 38-47-6 record, while stopping 91 percent of the shots he faced, allowing 3.16 goals per game, while recording four shutouts in that period. Rose finished 2009-10 with one of the best statistical seasons ever put together by a Suffolk netminder. His .919 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average were the best in a single season in Suffolk’s program history. Rose also served as team captain this past season as a senior, while serving as an Assistant Captain as a junior. Aside from his outstanding work on the ice, Rose and the Rams contributed many efforts in the community that included multiple Toys for Tots drives, as well as working with the Boston City Public Schools system in 2010 as part of a Special Olympics program. This past season, Rose oversaw a Breast Cancer Awareness drive along with his teammates. For it the Rams skaters raised funds for the disease and wore special pink game sweaters during three home contests that were self-funded to raise attention.

Seniors Allan Ray (Lynn, Mass.) of Men’s Basketball and Monica Cioffi (East Boston, Mass.) of the Softball team were honored with the Charles Melanson Unsung Hero Award. Ray served as a three-year captain for the Suffolk Hoops team, while also doing work within the Athletics Department that included overseeing the Suffolk Intramural Basketball season for undergraduate students on campus. Along with the Men’s Basketball team, Ray took part in the Rams’ Skills and Drills Clinics that would include Suffolk Basketball players going to local schools and reading to elementary school children and then hosting basketball skills session practice in the Ragan Gymnasium. Cioffi has been an integral member of the Suffolk University Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) for her four year career. As member of the SAAC, Cioffi and other student-athletes have done numerous community work, highlighted by the annual Breakfast With Santa. During that event the Rams host children from the local Chinatown YMCA during Christmas time for a chance to meet Santa Claus and hand out presents to the youngsters as well as serving them a meal. Cioffi is set to graduate this May with a degree in Sociology as she boasts a 3.8 cumulative grade point average. She was recently accepted into Boston College’s Lynch School of Education.

Seniors Alex Hernandez-Vallant (Newton, Mass.) of the Women’s Tennis team and Paul Weisser (Longmeadow, Mass.) of the Hockey team were honored with the Athletics Departmental Recognition Award. Hernandez-Vallant has served as a head of the Suffolk University SAAC during her four-year tenure. As a junior she served as Treasurer for the SAAC, while taking over the reigns as President her senior year. Along with the numerous community efforts put together by the SAAC, Hernandez-Vallant has also overseen projects within the Athletics department that included posters and calendars around campus promoting Suffolk’s student-athletes and athletic teams. Weisser, was one of the Rams leading scorers this year on the ice as he also served as an Assistant Captain, but also helped take the lead on the many off-ice contributions Suffolk made within the local community. Weisser served as a student Ambassador in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Suffolk welcoming and providing information about the University to prospective incoming students.

Other Award winners include:

Men’s Cross-County

Most Valuable Player – Matthew Bly

Coaches Award – Justin Mark

Women’s Cross-Country

Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player – Bridget Evangelista

Golf

Most Valuable Player – John Pettoruto

Rookie of the Year – Cody Martin

Coaches Award – Mario Massimino

Men’s Soccer

Most Valuable Player – Jack DeJesus