Meisler & Hanson Named to ASUN Winners For Life team
5/8/2018 2:10:00 PM | General
LakePoint, Ga. - The ASUN Conference is proud to announce the Winners for Life team members for both the Fall 2017 and Winter 2017-18 semesters. Two student-athletes from each of the eight institutions in the conference were honored for their display of excellence on and off the playing surface.
The Winners for Life team honors a campus citizen that is respected as one who shares and/or demonstrates the ASUN Core Values: Education, Honesty, Student-Athlete Experience, Fairness, Health, Ambition, Respect, Diversity, Inclusion, Leadership, Responsibility, Sportsmanship. To be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must have competed in the current academic year in an ASUN sponsored sport and be in good academic standing at his/her university.
North Florida's Mackenzie Meisler and Tesh Hanson were selected to represent the Ospreys on the ASUN Winners for Life Teams. Meisler has spent the past six years volunteering with Top Soccer, a program dedicated to helping special needs kids and providing them an opportunity to learn soccer skills. She is a biology major and has been a member of the Dean's List in all three years. Meisler also has earned ASUN All-Academic Team honors for three consecutive years. She played over 1,400 minutes, starting all 16 games for the Ospreys this past season. She tallied one assist and helped North Florida put together seven shutouts. Hanson is a graduate student getting her Masters in Management with the Ospreys. She spearheaded a marketing campaign for the Mental Health Awareness that was promoted by the women's basketball team. Hanson was instrumental in garnering support from local organizations, while also participating in numerous community service events. On the basketball court, Hanson put together another great season averaging 11.3 PPG while pulling down 6.5 RPG for the Ospreys. She had 17 games in double figures and now ranks eighth in the UNF record books for rebounding average and ninth in scoring average.
FGCU's women's soccer standout Ashley Parks and women's basketball senior Taylor Gradinjan take home the honors for the Eagles. Parks is an Accounting and Taxation graduate student who has been recognized on the AD Honor Roll seven times in her distinguished FGCU career. An ASUN All-Academic Team selection in 2017, Parks was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection and earned ASUN Defensive Player of the Year recognition this past fall. Her play along the backline helped FGCU become one of the best defenses in the country, and helped the team win the ASUN Regular Season and Tournament title in every season she played. Like Parks, women's basketball star Taylor Gradinjan also is a graduate student and one of the top three-point shooters in ASUN and FGCU history. Off the court, she did 89 community service hours with multiple projects, including serving at the Midwest Florida Food Bank and working with Spring Creek Elementary students. The Health Science major was a three-time All-Academic team selection and graduated with Magna Cum Laude. She ranks among the top-10 in program history in several categories, including career points (1,257), three-point field goals made (300), and three-point field goal percentage (.373).
Jacksonville is represented on the Winners for Life Team through men's soccer student-athlete Sebastian Ramirez and women's basketball star Kayla Gordon. Ramirez, who is a Finance major at Jacksonville, has played an intricate role in the team's success in recording over 1,000 community service hours. He also is very involved on campus with SAAC and helped fundraise over $3,500 the past two years for cancer research. He has been a consistent presence on the President's and Dean's List during his time at JU. He made 14 starts and 17 total appearances this past season, scoring a game-winning goal against Stetson. Gordon is one of the most decorated student-athletes to ever play in Jacksonville's women's basketball program. The Kinesiology major joined the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound club during the 2017-18 season and was also a vital member on the team that gave the Dolphins its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth a couple of seasons ago. She was honored as the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection this past season. She holds the role of SAAC Treasurer at Jacksonville and has helped with the program's fundraising efforts to help local cancer patients.
Kristi Piedimonte and Nick Masterson have made a tremendous impact both on and off the court during their careers at Kennesaw State. Piedimonte, a Nursing major, became the program's first-ever CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American during her final season on campus. She graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA in December and was a constant presence on the ASUN All-Academic Team, earning recognition in each of the last three seasons. On the court, Piedimonte helped Kennesaw State reach its first-ever NCAA Tournament this past season. She was crowned ASUN Setter of the Year in addition to being the Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She became just the eighth student-athlete in ASUN history to surpass 4,000 career assists. Masterson is a two-time ASUN All-Academic Team selection, while also garnering CoSIDA Academic All-District honors for two consecutive seasons during his time at Kennesaw State. He was named a President's Scholar in 2015, while also finishing on the Dean's List in four semesters. On the court, Masterson was one of the top three-point shooters in the nation and surpassed 1,000 career points. He finished his career shooting over 54 percent from behind the arc.
Lipscomb's Kate Mason and Ryan Speer were honored as Winners for Life selections by the Bisons. Mason, a senior Accounting major and starting goalie for the Bisons, has been the SAAC President on campus the past two years. She has organized several projects that the student-athletes have performed, including Project Life and One Shirt One Body. She holds a 3.83 cumulative GPA and is a Delta Mu Delta business honor society member. In her first major season of action on the field, Mason came up big for the Bisons with 74 saves and a save percentage of 76.0 percent. She posted five shutouts in leading the Bisons to a regular season title and the ASUN Championship Final in 2017. Speer, an indoor track and field student-athlete, has been an active member off the track for the Bisons during his career. He has completed a mission trip in 2015 to the Dominican Republic, while also serving as an Athletes in Action Running Camp counselor in 2016. He has been a mainstay volunteer at Carter Lawrence Elementary School, helping kids with homework and after-school games. He is a multi-champion on the track, winning the 800m twice in his career. He also was a distance medley champion in 2018 and qualified for the NCAA East Regional.
Karen David and Kelly Guarino from NJIT have been selected to represent the Highlanders on the Fall and Winter Winners for Life teams. David, the starting goalie for the women's soccer program, has been the program's representative on NJIT's SAAC the past two seasons. She has been a Student Operations Assistant in the athletic department since 2014 and also works as a Student Ambassador, providing campus tours for Admissions. She is actively involved in volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, Newark Boys & Girls Club and Soles for Souls. On the pitch, she finished her career with a .836 save percentage and 209 career saves. She was a team captain for 2016 and 2017. Guarino continues to defy the odds in her Highlander career as the senior Business major battled back from injury problems. She serves on the SAAC Committee and has volunteered for Special Olympics, St. John Soup Kitchen and Hope & Future Community Center. On the court, she averaged 12.5 PPG and tied her career-high this season with a 24-point outing against North Florida. She scored in double figures in 11 of her last 12 contests this season.
USC Upstate's Kaleigh Kelley and Riley Popplewell were honored on the Winners for Life Team for the Fall and Winter semesters. Kelley has been involved with SAAC as the Upstate President for 2017-18 while also serving as ASUN SAAC President the previous season. She has been FCA President the past two seasons and worked with Habitat for Humanity, Miracle League and Spartanburg Soup Kitchen during her career. On the volleyball court, Kelley became the program's all-time Division I career digs leader this past season with 1,556, finishing second overall in USC Upstate history. She ranked sixth in the ASUN in digs and digs per set as the libero helped the Spartans get back to the ASUN Championship. Popplewell, only a sophomore, has made a tremendous impact in the Spartanburg community since joining USC Upstate. She has worked with Miracle League, Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity among others. She is involved with Bible School and has visited nursing homes in the community. She was honored as the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year and contributed 8.7 PPG and 3.1 RPG on the court for the Spartans this season. She posted one double-double against Stetson with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Rounding out the Fall and Winter Winners for Life teams are Stetson's Sarah Collins and Abayomi Iyiola. Collins is the most prolific goal scorers in Stetson women's soccer history, as the senior finished her career with 37 goals, including nine goals this season. She was a First Team All-Conference selection in each of the past three seasons, while also garnering United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region second team recognition in 2017. Off the field, she has been a veteran leader on Stetson's Leadership Academy. She also has been the Marketing Chari for the Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity the last three years. The finance major as been on the Dean's List in every year since 2016. She also was voted to the ASUN All-Academic Team in 2016 and 2017. Iyiola, only a freshman on campus, became the men's basketball representative to SAAC this past semester. He participated in a cancer walk and has helped with walking local children to school in the morning. On the court, Iyiola made an instant impact, averaging 10.1 PPG and 6.2 RPG in 32 games of action. He was voted to the ASUN All-Freshman Team and finished the campaign with four double-doubles.
The Winners for Life team honors a campus citizen that is respected as one who shares and/or demonstrates the ASUN Core Values: Education, Honesty, Student-Athlete Experience, Fairness, Health, Ambition, Respect, Diversity, Inclusion, Leadership, Responsibility, Sportsmanship. To be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must have competed in the current academic year in an ASUN sponsored sport and be in good academic standing at his/her university.
North Florida's Mackenzie Meisler and Tesh Hanson were selected to represent the Ospreys on the ASUN Winners for Life Teams. Meisler has spent the past six years volunteering with Top Soccer, a program dedicated to helping special needs kids and providing them an opportunity to learn soccer skills. She is a biology major and has been a member of the Dean's List in all three years. Meisler also has earned ASUN All-Academic Team honors for three consecutive years. She played over 1,400 minutes, starting all 16 games for the Ospreys this past season. She tallied one assist and helped North Florida put together seven shutouts. Hanson is a graduate student getting her Masters in Management with the Ospreys. She spearheaded a marketing campaign for the Mental Health Awareness that was promoted by the women's basketball team. Hanson was instrumental in garnering support from local organizations, while also participating in numerous community service events. On the basketball court, Hanson put together another great season averaging 11.3 PPG while pulling down 6.5 RPG for the Ospreys. She had 17 games in double figures and now ranks eighth in the UNF record books for rebounding average and ninth in scoring average.
FGCU's women's soccer standout Ashley Parks and women's basketball senior Taylor Gradinjan take home the honors for the Eagles. Parks is an Accounting and Taxation graduate student who has been recognized on the AD Honor Roll seven times in her distinguished FGCU career. An ASUN All-Academic Team selection in 2017, Parks was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection and earned ASUN Defensive Player of the Year recognition this past fall. Her play along the backline helped FGCU become one of the best defenses in the country, and helped the team win the ASUN Regular Season and Tournament title in every season she played. Like Parks, women's basketball star Taylor Gradinjan also is a graduate student and one of the top three-point shooters in ASUN and FGCU history. Off the court, she did 89 community service hours with multiple projects, including serving at the Midwest Florida Food Bank and working with Spring Creek Elementary students. The Health Science major was a three-time All-Academic team selection and graduated with Magna Cum Laude. She ranks among the top-10 in program history in several categories, including career points (1,257), three-point field goals made (300), and three-point field goal percentage (.373).
Jacksonville is represented on the Winners for Life Team through men's soccer student-athlete Sebastian Ramirez and women's basketball star Kayla Gordon. Ramirez, who is a Finance major at Jacksonville, has played an intricate role in the team's success in recording over 1,000 community service hours. He also is very involved on campus with SAAC and helped fundraise over $3,500 the past two years for cancer research. He has been a consistent presence on the President's and Dean's List during his time at JU. He made 14 starts and 17 total appearances this past season, scoring a game-winning goal against Stetson. Gordon is one of the most decorated student-athletes to ever play in Jacksonville's women's basketball program. The Kinesiology major joined the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound club during the 2017-18 season and was also a vital member on the team that gave the Dolphins its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth a couple of seasons ago. She was honored as the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection this past season. She holds the role of SAAC Treasurer at Jacksonville and has helped with the program's fundraising efforts to help local cancer patients.
Kristi Piedimonte and Nick Masterson have made a tremendous impact both on and off the court during their careers at Kennesaw State. Piedimonte, a Nursing major, became the program's first-ever CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American during her final season on campus. She graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA in December and was a constant presence on the ASUN All-Academic Team, earning recognition in each of the last three seasons. On the court, Piedimonte helped Kennesaw State reach its first-ever NCAA Tournament this past season. She was crowned ASUN Setter of the Year in addition to being the Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She became just the eighth student-athlete in ASUN history to surpass 4,000 career assists. Masterson is a two-time ASUN All-Academic Team selection, while also garnering CoSIDA Academic All-District honors for two consecutive seasons during his time at Kennesaw State. He was named a President's Scholar in 2015, while also finishing on the Dean's List in four semesters. On the court, Masterson was one of the top three-point shooters in the nation and surpassed 1,000 career points. He finished his career shooting over 54 percent from behind the arc.
Lipscomb's Kate Mason and Ryan Speer were honored as Winners for Life selections by the Bisons. Mason, a senior Accounting major and starting goalie for the Bisons, has been the SAAC President on campus the past two years. She has organized several projects that the student-athletes have performed, including Project Life and One Shirt One Body. She holds a 3.83 cumulative GPA and is a Delta Mu Delta business honor society member. In her first major season of action on the field, Mason came up big for the Bisons with 74 saves and a save percentage of 76.0 percent. She posted five shutouts in leading the Bisons to a regular season title and the ASUN Championship Final in 2017. Speer, an indoor track and field student-athlete, has been an active member off the track for the Bisons during his career. He has completed a mission trip in 2015 to the Dominican Republic, while also serving as an Athletes in Action Running Camp counselor in 2016. He has been a mainstay volunteer at Carter Lawrence Elementary School, helping kids with homework and after-school games. He is a multi-champion on the track, winning the 800m twice in his career. He also was a distance medley champion in 2018 and qualified for the NCAA East Regional.
Karen David and Kelly Guarino from NJIT have been selected to represent the Highlanders on the Fall and Winter Winners for Life teams. David, the starting goalie for the women's soccer program, has been the program's representative on NJIT's SAAC the past two seasons. She has been a Student Operations Assistant in the athletic department since 2014 and also works as a Student Ambassador, providing campus tours for Admissions. She is actively involved in volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, Newark Boys & Girls Club and Soles for Souls. On the pitch, she finished her career with a .836 save percentage and 209 career saves. She was a team captain for 2016 and 2017. Guarino continues to defy the odds in her Highlander career as the senior Business major battled back from injury problems. She serves on the SAAC Committee and has volunteered for Special Olympics, St. John Soup Kitchen and Hope & Future Community Center. On the court, she averaged 12.5 PPG and tied her career-high this season with a 24-point outing against North Florida. She scored in double figures in 11 of her last 12 contests this season.
USC Upstate's Kaleigh Kelley and Riley Popplewell were honored on the Winners for Life Team for the Fall and Winter semesters. Kelley has been involved with SAAC as the Upstate President for 2017-18 while also serving as ASUN SAAC President the previous season. She has been FCA President the past two seasons and worked with Habitat for Humanity, Miracle League and Spartanburg Soup Kitchen during her career. On the volleyball court, Kelley became the program's all-time Division I career digs leader this past season with 1,556, finishing second overall in USC Upstate history. She ranked sixth in the ASUN in digs and digs per set as the libero helped the Spartans get back to the ASUN Championship. Popplewell, only a sophomore, has made a tremendous impact in the Spartanburg community since joining USC Upstate. She has worked with Miracle League, Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity among others. She is involved with Bible School and has visited nursing homes in the community. She was honored as the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year and contributed 8.7 PPG and 3.1 RPG on the court for the Spartans this season. She posted one double-double against Stetson with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Rounding out the Fall and Winter Winners for Life teams are Stetson's Sarah Collins and Abayomi Iyiola. Collins is the most prolific goal scorers in Stetson women's soccer history, as the senior finished her career with 37 goals, including nine goals this season. She was a First Team All-Conference selection in each of the past three seasons, while also garnering United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region second team recognition in 2017. Off the field, she has been a veteran leader on Stetson's Leadership Academy. She also has been the Marketing Chari for the Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity the last three years. The finance major as been on the Dean's List in every year since 2016. She also was voted to the ASUN All-Academic Team in 2016 and 2017. Iyiola, only a freshman on campus, became the men's basketball representative to SAAC this past semester. He participated in a cancer walk and has helped with walking local children to school in the morning. On the court, Iyiola made an instant impact, averaging 10.1 PPG and 6.2 RPG in 32 games of action. He was voted to the ASUN All-Freshman Team and finished the campaign with four double-doubles.
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