Rutgers Athletics Honors 2017-18 Award Winners

Aug 22 | General, Men's Lacrosse, Men's Track & Field, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Wrestling

Student-Athletes to be honored during football’s season opener on Sept. 1

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers Athletics will honor five current student-athletes and eight former Scarlet Knights who collected awards in 2017-18 during halftime of the Rutgers football game against Texas State on September 1 at High Point Solutions Stadium.

Recipients of the Werblin Award, Headley-Singer Award, Coursen Award and Athletic Director's Excellence Award, as well as the descriptions of each accolade, are all listed below.

Werblin Award
Awarded to a male or female student-athlete who, either as an individual or member of a team, received national recognition or has won a national championship during the most recent academic year.

Coursen Award
Awarded annually to a member of the most recent graduating class (May, 2018) who, throughout his/her career at the University, demonstrated the following characteristics: has participated in the intercollegiate athletics program and proved himself to be an athlete of outstanding ability, and has shown determination, courage, modesty and self-discipline and who, with unselfish devotion to his teammates and generous fairness to his opponents, has represented Rutgers University to the highest of standards.

Headley-Singer Award
Awarded annually to a member of the most recent graduating class (May, 2018) who, throughout his/her career at the University, demonstrated the following characteristics: has participated in the intercollegiate athletics program and proved herself to be an athlete of outstanding ability, and who has shown determination, courage, modesty, and self-discipline, and who, with unselfish devotion to her teammates and generous fairness to her opponents, has represented Rutgers University to the highest of standards.

Athletic Director's Excellence Award
Awarded to a student-athlete who attended Rutgers University - New Brunswick for at least four semesters, accumulated a 3.5 or higher GPA throughout the academic year, earned All-America honors or regional first-team accolades during the specific year and demonstrated leadership and character.

Casey Murphy, Women's Soccer (Headley-Singer Award, Werblin Award, AD's Excellence Award)
The 2018 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient earned numerous accolades throughout her standout career. The Bridgewater native's resume boasts her status as a two-time All-American, two-time Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year, two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection, and two-time All-Region First Team honoree. In the classroom, Murphy was tabbed a Scholar All-American and Academic All-Big Ten her senior season. In 2017, Murphy was named a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist after leading the Big Ten and ranking first in the nation in GAA (0.267), save percentage (.924) and second in shutout percentage (.762). Overall, she stopped 73 of 79 opponent shots on goal, allowing just six goals in 21 starts. Murphy became Rutgers all-time career shutouts leader in 2017 with 45 total clean sheets in just three years of action. She redshirted the 2016 season to compete for the U.S. Under-20 Women's National Team at the U-20 FIFA World Cup. The goalkeeper's career total is a mark that ranks second in Big Ten history and fourth in the NCAA among active career leaders. Murphy was selected 13th overall by Sky Blue FC in the 2018 NWSL College Draft. She is signed to a professional contract with Montpellier Hérault Sport Club of France.

Michael Rexrode, Men's Lacrosse (Coursen Award, Werblin Award, AD's Excellence Award)
A Second Team All-American, Rexrode was named an All-American for the second straight season. Rexrode was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten. The Leesburg, Va. native had 25 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers this season. A recipient of the 2018 Big Ten Medal of Honor, Rexrode started all 55 games on defense in his career, recording 111 ground balls and 55 caused turnovers. The two-time team captain and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection was a Senior CLASS Award First Team All-American, Scholar All-American, First Team All-ECAC and Second Round draft pick by the Florida Launch.

Jermaine Griffith, Men's Track and Field (Coursen Award, Werblin Award)
Griffith collected Second Team All-America honors in the 4x400, helping Rutgers secure an 11^th-place result with a time of 3:06.30 at the 2018 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. Griffith also contributed to a second-place finish in the 4x400 at the 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and helped set a school record in the event at Penn Relays with a time of 3:04.67. Griffith, who also owns the school indoor record in the 600m with a time of 1:16.12, is a four-time All-American for the Scarlet Knights.

Addison Walkowiak, Swimming and Diving (Werblin Award, AD's Excellence Award)
Walkowiak is the most decorated diver in program history. This past season, she became the program's first Big Ten All-Conference performer with a silver medal in 1-meter diving, and later became the program's first 1-Meter Diving All-America honoree with an Honorable Mention 11th place finish at NCAA Championships. She has earned nine weekly awards from the Big Ten over her career, including six Diver of the Week accolades. An NCAA Championships qualifier in all four of her seasons, she also owns three titles in the NCAA Zone A Championships and graduates as the school record holder on both the 1- and 3-meter diving events, resetting both records in 2018. Out of the pool, Walkowiak is a two-time CSCAA Scholar All-American, three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a member of the Rutgers Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She is Rutgers' nominee for the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year Award and a recipient of the Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship, which she will use pursuing an accelerated nursing degree.

Jules Heningburg, Men's Lacrosse (Werblin Award)
Heningburg earned his second straight All-American accolade when he was voted a 2018 USILA All-America recipient. A First Team All-Big Ten attackman, he led the team with 37 goals, 35 assists and 72 points this season. The Tewaaraton Award Semifinalist paced the Big Ten in assists and points in the regular season and in conference games (12 assists and 23 points in five conference games). The Maplewood, N.J. native finished his career second all-time at Rutgers in points (207), seventh in goals (117) and eighth in assists (90). A two-time team captain, he had 11 multi-goal games this season and three game-winning goals. He was a First Round draft pick by the Florida Launch, the first ever Major League Lacrosse first round selection in program history.

Christian Mazzone, Men's Lacrosse (Werblin Award)
A 2018 All-American, Mazzone was also a Second Team All-Big Ten Selection. The midfielder scored 29 goals with nine assists for 38 goals while also collecting 40 ground balls and causing eight turnovers. In conference games, he was third in the Big Ten with 12 goals. The Stony Brook, N.Y. native scored in every game this season, holding the second longest goal-scoring streak of any midfielder in the nation dating back to last season. A team captain, Scholar All-American and four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, Mazzone was a Third Round draft pick by the Ohio Machine.

Scott DelVecchio, Wrestling (Werblin Award)
DelVecchio went from unseeded to All-American with his sixth-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships this past March, giving Rutgers wrestling multiple All-Americans for the third consecutive season. The South Plainfield, New Jersey, native earned a come-from-behind upset over No. 7 Austin DeSanto of Drexel in the Round of 12 to lock up his first-career All-America designation in his third-career NCAA appearance. DelVecchio finished his varsity career with 88 career victories (including 26 wins in 2017-18), tied for 23^rd all-time in program history. DelVecchio is also a two-time Big Ten Championships placewinner and finished in third at the 2017 Midlands Championships.

Nick Suriano, Wrestling (Werblin Award)
Suriano finished the 2018 season 25-1, highlighted by the program's first-ever appearance in a national final. The 2018 All-American closed out the campaign with 17 wins by bonus points, which included eight tech falls, six major decisions and three pins. The Paramus native picked up wins over eight ranked foes in 2017-18, including a 2-0 decision over then-No. 1 Darian Cruz in the 2018 NCAA Championships semifinal bout. Suriano, who also became the program's first-ever regular-season No. 1 ranked wrestler in his respective weight class, placed at the Big Ten Championships in 2018 and secured RU's first individual title at the 2017 Midlands Championships.

Rudy Winkler, Track and Field (Werblin Award)
Winkler capped his lone Rutgers season with First Team All-America status for the fourth straight year of his career, finishing fourth in the nation at the NCAA Championships in June. At the 2018 Big Ten Championships, Winkler collected the hammer throw title and First Team All-Big Ten accolades, setting the Rutgers' school record for the third time and establishing a new Big Ten Championship standard. Winkler also claimed a USATF National Hammer Throw title and was named the USTFCCCA DI Mid-Atlantic Region Field Athlete of the Year.

Taj Burgess, Track and Field (Werblin Award)
Burgess collected Second Team All-America honors in the 400m with a time of 46.16 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing 16th in the nation. During the 2018 outdoor campaign, Burgess also earned a silver medal in the 400m and the 4x400m at the 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Championships, was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection and helped set a school record in the event at Penn Relays with a time of 3:04.67.

Boaz Madeus, Track and Field (Werblin Award)
Madeus collected Second Team All-America honors in the 400m hurdles and in the 4x400, helping Rutgers secure an 11^th-place result with a time of 3:06.30 at the 2018 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. Madeus also contributed to a second-place finish in the 4x400 at the 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and helped set a school record in the event at Penn Relays with a time of 3:04.67.

Izaiah Brown, Track and Field (Werblin Award)
Brown collected his third consecutive 400m title at the 2018 Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships. Brown collected Second Team All-America honors in the 4x400, helping Rutgers secure an 11^th-place result with a time of 3:06.30 at the 2018 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. Brown also contributed to a second-place finish in the 4x400 at the 2018 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and helped set a school record in the event at Penn Relays with a time of 3:04.67.

Zo Aris, Track and Field (Werblin Award)
Aris collected Second Team All-America honors in the 4x400, helping Rutgers secure an 11^th-place result with a time of 3:06.30 at the 2018 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships.