By Julia Sparco
Elm Staff Writer
Of the winter sports awards, eight athletes were awarded for their exceptional performance during season as either Most Improved Player or Most Valuable Player. These were given to members of the men’s and women’s basketball and swim teams.
Senior Dallas Marshall of the Washington College men’s basketball team was awarded Men’s Basketball’s Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row.
The last four years for Marshall have been incredible on and off the court. He scored a total of 1,015 points and is a member of the 1,000-point club. He is the first student-athlete to enter the club since 2012.
Marshall is a business major who currently holds a 3.42 GPA and was on the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll twice. He was also named in the All-Centennial Conference Second team last year and this year in the Centennial Conference Scholar-Athlete of the year for men’s basketball.
He played a big role in the last two years helping his team get to the Centennial Conference Tournament. He is the team captain and has finished his career averaging 10.5 points per game.
Marshall also successfully started all 25 games this year and played in all of his games of his career.
Senior women’s basketball player Caitlyn Clark has also received the Most Valuable Player award, serving as the team captain, she has led the team to a great season sending her career with an average of 1.9 steals a game, and 8.7 points per contest, a career best.
Clark was a two-time MVP for the Shorewomen and a four-year starter. She has made a tremendous impact on and off the court. She is academically strong with a 3.41 GPA and has qualified three times for the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll.
She is a leader and an achiever, scoring 68 points in the team’s first four games of the season this year. She was also named Shorewoman of the week twice this year and player of the game three times.
“I feel very honored to receive most valuable player for this past season,” said Clark. “I have some pretty amazing teammates that I was lucky enough to play alongside and they made me better every day.”
Junior Daniel Brown was Men’s Basketball Most Improved Player for the second year in a row. Brown was one of the top post players in the Centennial Conference. He averages 11.9 points a game after averaging 5.8 as a sophomore.
He improved his shooting percentage and led the team in rebounds, averaging 6.1 per game. In the 100-99 game win against Gettysburg he scored a three-point shot with 2.2 seconds to go in the double overtime.
Brown was named the Goose Nation TV Shoremen Player of the game four times and Shoreman of the week three times during his season.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized. All Glory to God for this honor. I work hard for the legacy and people of WC hoping I can make my stamp in history. With that being said, there’s still more work to be done. As I move in my senior year, I am my motivation is at an all-time high to do my best. I still have a lot to prove to myself.”
Crystal Jones was named women’s basketball’s most improved player. This sophomore scored 8.7 points per game after her sophomore season only scoring 1.8 points per game.
She gets is always quick for rebounds and is a strong defensive and offensive player for the Shorewomen. She might not have started a game last year but this year she started 22 out of the 25 games, wow.
Her highlight was when she held the team together having 11 points with two free throws with 0.2 seconds left and secured the win at 64-63 against Ursinus.
Gage Mandrell has earned WC swimming’s, Most Improved Player Award.
Only a first-year student, he finished 6th place in the Centennial Conference Championships for the 1650 freestyle.
He became the fourth faster swimmer in the program history for this event and also finished ninth in the 500 freestyle, being the third best time for the history. He was named two-time Shoreman of the week as a freshman.
Being a four-time Goose Nation TV Award, Mandrell also earned honor against Salisbury, St. Mary’s, Swarthmore, and York College by winning a total of nine individual races in that stretch. Ending the year Mandrell was named Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team.
“I was truly honored to be recognized as MIP for the 2019-2020 swim season,” Mandrell said. “Having my coaches award me with this honor showed me that they recognized all the hard work I put in throughout the season and how much I improved. I personally think my teammates should be recognized in this honor too. They pushed me to be the best person I could be and made sure I strived for greatness in and out of the pool. It motivates me to continue working hard and being a team figure for the next three years.”
Winning the most valuable player award for WC men’s swim comes a second time winner, junior Andrew Feely.
He earned a bronze medal this year in the 100-backstroke event in school record time of 50.95 seconds at the Centennial Conference Championships. He now has three gold medals in the 200 Backstroke.
He is the first swimmer in history to complete such a success. He also had been named two-time Shoreman of the week this year along with another two-time Goose Nation TV Shoremen Swimmer of the Meet.
Kristina Curley won the Most Improved Player award for Washington College Women’s Swim. Being only a freshman, Curley was a top 10 finisher of the Centennial Conference Championships. And finished 9th place on the 1650 freestyle, and 10th on the 500 freestyle.
She has the fastest times for this season in both the 500 and 1650 freestyles. She was also named Goose Nation TV Shorewoman Swimmer of the Meet and won 2 events in their meet against Salisbury.
Sophomore Teresa Draves won Most Valuable Player for WC women’s swimming. In the Centennial Conference Championships, she has three top seven finishes among earning 5th in 200 IM, 6th in 200 Backstroke and 7th in 400 IM.
She also helped the team earn bronze medals in the 200 Medley Relay and 800 Freestyle Relay teams. She was named Shorewoman of the week three times and also the Goose Nation TV Shorewoman Swimmer of the meet three times.
“It makes me feel honored to be able to contribute and be on such amazing team,” Draves said. “I am proud of the hard work done throughout the season. Not just by me but by my teammates who push me every day to be better in and out of the pool. And my coaches who put so much time and effort into the sport and the team and who push us to be our best. Ultimately, I feel thankful for my team because I know my season would not have been successful without them.”