Athletics Holds Annual Recognition Banquet for Student-Athletes

On Wednesday April 23, the Suffolk University Athletics Department held their annual year-end banquet honoring the 13 varsity sports teams for the 2013-2014 seasons.

Seniors Jennifer Ruys (Wallingford, Conn.) of the Women’s Basketball team and Jake Cintolo (Wrentham, Mass.) of the Baseball team were awarded the department’s 2014 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.

Ruys finished a stellar four-year career being named for the second consecutive year as one of the Great Northeast Athletic Conferences’ (GNAC) top five players earning first team honors at forward. Ruys averaged 16.6 points per game in 23 games on the season. Ruys was the league's fifth leading scorer as she also recorded eight double-doubles on the season. Ruys also posted a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game for Suffolk. In four seasons Ruys was the second highest scorer in program history with 1,486 points scored in 102 games played. Ruys is Suffolk's all-time leader with 561 field goals made and an 81.1 percent shooting percentage from the free-throw line. Ruys has averaged 14.6 points per game throughout her career. She has a 3.723 GPA as a Biology major.

Cintolo was named a Pre-Season All-American by D3Baseball.com for the 2014 season. He is hitting .276 on the season (29-for-105) in 30 games with 10 doubles, two home runs and 23 RBI. He has been a New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-Region selection in each of his previous three seasons. In 2013 he was also named a Capital One Academic All-District selection. Cintolo is now four hits shy of the GNAC record (239) set by Alex Hurley of Johnson & Wales University in 2007. He is the all-time career leader in program history in hits with 235 and doubles with 61. Cintolo has been named a GNAC All-Conference selection in each of his three seasons, a GNAC Academic All-Conference selection in two, and in 2011 was named the GNAC's Rookie of the Year. He has a 3.438 GPA as a Marketing major.

Senior Katie Babb (Manchester, N.H.) of the Volleyball team was honored with the Charles Melanson Unsung Hero Award. This award is in honor of Charles Melanson who volunteered countless hours to the Athletic Department as a team manger. This award is presented to a student-athlete whose contribution to the Athletic Department exemplifies the attributes of an unsung hero. Babb was a four-year staple on the Volleyball team. Babb was instrumental in getting the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee recognized by the Student Government Association as an official club for the first time in school history.

Junior Djibril Niang (Dakar, Senegal) of Men’s Soccer team was honored with the Carol Maggio Departmental Recognition Award. This award is dedicated in the honor of Carol Maggio, the department’s longtime Administrative Assistant who served Suffolk for over 18 years. The award is given to a person who has been a valuable asset in the day-to-day operations of the Athletics Department. Niang was the second leading scorer this year on the Men’s Soccer team scoring four goals. Niang is a significant part of the student-athlete community and Suffolk University.

Other Award winners include:

Men’s Soccer

MVP – Andres Cohen

Rookie of the Year – Ben Daniels

Defensive Player of the Year – Jeff Williams

Coaches Award – James Harvey

Women’s Soccer

MVP – Taylor Miranda

Coaches Award – Gabrielle Balestrier

Team Player Award – Meghan McHale

Courage Award – Hannah McNulty

Most Improved – Melissa Brouilette