LANGHORNE, Pa. - The Cairn University Department of Athletics hosted the annual Highlander Student-Athlete Awards Banquet on Sunday evening at the G. Patrick Stillman Complex and the gymnasium inside the Mason Activity Center.
 
The Highlander Student-Athlete Awards Banquet honored team reognition, as well as several annual awards and recognition of top athletic achievements throughout the 2021-22 athletic and academic year.
 
Highlighting the event was the awarding of Cairn's five traditional senior awards, one of the most time-honored traditions of Cairn Athletics. Receiving one of these five senior awards is the highest honor of a Highlander's career. (David C. Unger Award for Service, Randy Ostien Award for Courage and Perseverance, Dan Richner Athletic Leadership Award, Clarence E. Mason Award for Athletic Excellence, Martha MacCullough Award for Athletic Recognition).
 
The David. C Unger Award for Service was presented to men's soccer senior David Wadding (Smithtown, NY / Stony Brook School). The Randy Ostien Award for Courage and Perseverance went to women's soccer and women's basketball senior Dakota Hitchner (Ocean City, NJ / Atlantic Christian). The female recipient of the Dan Richner Athletic Leadership Award was women's soccer and women's tennis senior Sarah Jackson (Milltown, NJ / Middlesex County College), while the male recipient the award was men's tennis senior Brad Garges (Perkasie, PA / Pennridge). Hitchner collected her second senior honor of the evening when she was named the female recipient of the Clarence E. Mason Award for Athletic Excellence, while baseball senior Joshua Melchior (Boyertown, PA / Valley Forge Baptist Academy) collected the honor on the men's side. The evening was rounded out with the presentation of the Martha MacCullough Award for Athletic Recognition, the highest award one can receive in the Athletic Department; which was bestowed upon men's golf senior Ryan Borrmann (Warminster, PA / William Tennant).
 
The following is a list of all the other awards presented at Sunday's ceremony:
 
Department Awards:
Male Rookie of the Year: Jesse Brittain, Men's Soccer
Female Rookie of the Year: Emily Petty, Women's Cross Country
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Joshua Melchior, Baseball
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Aubrey Eshelman, Women's Cross Country
Male Athlete of the Year: Josh Moyer, Men's Volleyball
Female Athlete of the Year: Paige Kemper, Women's Tennis/Women's Volleyball
Student-Worker of the Year: Stefanya Barron, Department Photographer
 
Most Improved Player:
From women's soccer: Dakota Hitchner and Lauren Costa
From men's soccer: Jacob O'Brien
From women's cross country: Jeneba Koroma
From men's cross country: Tim Colgan
From women's volleyball: Hendryl Peabody
From women's basketball: Kailee Sobrino
From men's basketball: Matt Lucas
From men's volleyball: Shea Scott
From men's tennis: Joel Kim
From women's tennis: Rachel Campbell-Robertson
From men's lacrosse: Daniel Mwangi
From women's lacrosse: Hendryl Peabody and Kaylee Bose
From golf: Danny Smullen
From baseball: Cameron Culver
From softball: Emma Holmes
 
Highlander Award (representing Christ-like leadership):
From women's soccer: Ellen Beck
From men's soccer: Joshua Smith
From women's cross country: Isabella Palladino
From men's cross country: Brian Jennings
From women's volleyball: Kali Burres
From women's basketball: Markie Watson
From men's basketball: Andrew Aycoth
From men's volleyball: Joshua Hoagland
From men's tennis: Michael Wilson
From women's tennis: Brianna Miller
From men's lacrosse: Jonathan Balsamo
From women's lacrosse: Julia Markey
From golf: Eric Jacobs
From baseball: Joshua Melchior
From softball: Kacey Wees
 
Team MVP:
From women's soccer: Sarah Jackson
From men's soccer: Josh Goodyear
From women's cross country: Emily Petty
From men's cross country: Nicholas Palladino
From women's volleyball: Allison Barnes
From women's basketball: Dakota Hitchner
From men's basketball: Jesse Rivera
From men's volleyball: Josh Moyer
From men's tennis: Brad Garges
From women's tennis: Paige Kemper
From men's lacrosse: Nico Cione
From women's lacrosse: Kaitlyn Gedicks
From golf: Ryan Borrmann
From baseball: Samuel Spadea
From softball: Abbi Heacock