Glatz, Mullins Earn Big Ten Medal of Honor
Jun 17 | General
Scarlet Knights celebrate historic 2020-21 season during 7th Annual R Awards
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers Athletics celebrated the successes of the 2020-21 competition season during the 7th Annual R Awards in a virtual ceremony. Student-athletes, Gianna Glatz (field hockey) and Kieran Mullins (men's lacrosse) were recipients of the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor, Adam Charalambides (men's lacrosse) and Amirah Ali (women's soccer) were named the Men's and Women's Bauer Athlete of the Year, respectively.
The Scarlet Knights completed one of the most historic seasons in department history, posting the best winning percentage in Big Ten-only competition since joining the league in 2014. Eight teams appeared in the national coaches/media polls and 10 programs qualified for postseason play in the NCAA Championships as a team or individual.
The Big Ten Medal of Honor, awarded annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each member institution who have demonstrated excellence on and off the field throughout their college career. In its 107th year, the award is the conference's most exclusive honor and the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence.
Mullins was also the recipient of the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Scholarship, which awards a $10,000 scholarship for achievements in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities and leadership. Sophia Cauogno (rowing) and Justin Davidovicz (football) earned Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarships. Each year, two student-athletes competing in intercollegiate athletics from each of the 14 Big Ten institutions planning to continue their education at a graduate degree program are each awarded a $7,500 scholarship.
Additionally, academic awards were presented for the most improved team grade-point-average and highest team grade-point-average. The Spirit Performer of the Year award was bestowed on Camryn Spina, while the annual True Grit Award was presented to the team of doctors, nurses and trainers who worked tirelessly to keep the Scarlet Knights tested and protected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most Improved Men's Team GPA: Cross Country and Baseball
Most Improved Women's Team GPA: Lacrosse and Rowing
Highest Men's Team GPA: Cross country
Highest Women's Team GPA: Golf
Big Ten Medal of Honor - Kieran Mullins (men's lacrosse)
Mullins finished a stellar career for the Rutgers men's lacrosse program as one of the top producing point-scorers in program history on the field while achieving incredible accomplishments off the field. Mullins ended his RU career with 127 career goals (seven all-time at RU) and 103 career assists (sixth all-time at RU), to place second on Rutgers' all-time leaderboard with 230 career points.
A three-time All-Big Ten selection, he has earned multiple off-field recognitions as well. Mullins majored in cell biology and neuroscience while minoring in health and sociology in preparation for a medical school career. A four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, the Islip, N.Y. native earned the Wayne Duke Award and Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship, and was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the National Collegiate Athlete Honor Society. He was also a Senior CLASS Award Finalist in 2021.
Big Ten Medal of Honor - Gianna Glatz (field hockey)
Glatz excelled for the Scarlet Knight field hockey program as the team's goalkeeper, leading the squad to nine wins, including a pair of victories over No. 4 Northwestern, which marked the highest ranked wins in program history. A First Team All-American, Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten selection, Glatz led a dominant RU defense with a 1.01 goals-against average, .783 save percentage and five shutouts. With her in the cage, Rutgers surrendered just 15 goals all season.
Glatz has been a spectacular representative and leader off the field. A multiple-time team captain and participant in the U.S. National team program, Glatz has had multiple leadership positions with Rutgers' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She is a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. Glatz has also earned Rutgers' Chancellor's Leadership Award and the Athletic Director's Excellence Award.
Bauer Athlete of the Year - Adam Charalambides (men's lacrosse)
Charalambides was named an All-American after leading the men's lacrosse program with 44 goals and 61 points en route to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004 and first NCAA Tournament win since 2004.The Georgetown, Ontario native was sixth nationally with 3.38 goals-per-game and 13th at 4.69 points per game. A First Team All-Big Ten selection, he had 12 multiple-goal games, including seven total goals in two NCAA Tournament games. It was his third career 40-goal season, while tying his career-high in points. Charalambides finished his career with 149 goals (second all-time at Rutgers) and 201 career points (fifth all-time at Rutgers). He also was selected to play in the USILA's Senior All-Star Game.
Bauer Athlete of the Year - Amirah Ali (women's soccer)
Ali became the program's first ever three-time All-American after pushing RU to its ninth straight NCAA Tournament and second straight Big Ten semifinal. The Voorhees, New Jersey, native was named a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist for the second straight season as well as earning her fourth All-Big Ten honor and third All-Region accolade. Ali was also named a Senior CLASS Award Finalist and a United Soccer Coaches College Player Award of Distinction recipient. In the classroom, the criminal justice major is an Academic All-Big Ten and Dean's List honoree.
Freshman of the Year - John Poznanski (wrestling)
Poznanski, a 2021 All-American, became the highest true freshman finisher at the national tournament in program history with his fourth-place result in St. Louis. Along with senior Sebastian Rivera (141), Poznanski helped RU secure two NCAA Championship semifinalists for the second consecutive national tournament. Poznanski also finished third at the 2021 Big Ten Championships and closed his first collegiate season 11-4, including eight wins over ranked foes and a 3-1 record in dual action.
Freshman of the Year - Hannah Heideveld (rowing)
Heideveld, an Amsterdam, Netherlands native, earned Rutgers rowing its first major Big Ten award when she was named the conference's 2021 Freshman of the Year. Heideveld rowed on the Scarlet Knights' Varsity 8 boat, which placed fifth in the country after racing the grand final of the NCAA Championships. The boat also earned its first conference medal with a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships. The Scarlet Knights placed seventh at the NCAA Championships, the program's best showing at the national race. The team also posted its best finish at the Big Ten Championships, placing third overall. RU set program records in points, medal-winning boats and All-Big Ten selections at the conference meet. Rutgers was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country, the highest CRCA ranking in program history.
Sophomore of the Year - Jackson Turley (wrestling)
Turley finished eighth at the 2021 NCAA Championships competing at 174 pounds, helping Rutgers wrestling secure three All-Americans in the same year for the first time in program history. After a first-round loss at the championships, Turley wrestled back four consecutive victories to lock up All-American accolades, which included wins over two top-10 seeds. A reserve to begin the 2021 campaign, the Virginia native closed out his sophomore season with 10 wins, including six victories by bonus and a team-high three pins.
Sophomore of the Year - Hannah Joyner (gymnastics)
Joyner made history her sophomore season, becoming the first Scarlet Knight to eclipse a score of 9.9 in all four events. Joyner, the school record holder on beam with a 9.950, became just the third gymnast in Rutgers history to advance to Nationals and first ever to do so on beam. She earned All-Big Ten First Team accolades for the second straight season, highlighted by a third-place finish in the All-Around and on beam at the conference championships. The criminal justice major was named an Academic All-Big Ten recipient for Winter 2021.
Junior of the Year - Aron Cruickshank (football)
Cruickshank, the Big Ten Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten selection, was an honorable mention All-American by Phil Steele. The only player in the Big Ten, with two kickoff return touchdowns, Cruickshank averaged 26.8 yards on 25 kickoff returns. He picked up 671 combined kick returns yards to rank fourth nationally and first in the Big Ten. That included a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Purdue that sparked a 17-0 scoring run to overcome a 10-point deficit and pull ahead for a road victory. Then against Nebraska, Cruickshank ripped off a 98-yard kickoff return to put the Scarlet Knights ahead in the third quarter.
Junior of the Year - Femke Paulis (rowing)
Paulis, a Dalen, Netherlands native, was named Second Team All-Big Ten after helping lead the Rutgers Varsity 8 boat to a runner-up finish at the conference regatta and earning the boat's first medal at the Big Ten Championships. Paulis and the Varsity 8 went on to place fifth in the nation with their finish in the grand final of the NCAA Championships, boosting Rutgers' seventh-place team finish at the national regatta - a program record. The team also posted its best finish at the Big Ten Championships, placing third overall. RU set program records in points, medal-winning boats and All-Big Ten selections at the conference meet. Rutgers was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country, the highest CRCA ranking in program history.
Senior of the Year - Colin Kirst (men's lacrosse)
Colin Kirst was a Third Team All-American and was named the Big Ten Specialist of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten and to the USILA's Senior All-Star Game after a stellar season leading men's lacrosse to an NCAA Tournament appearance and first round victory. Kirst, the starting goalkeeper for the Scarlet Knights, led the Big Ten in save percentage (.566) and saves per game (13.77, sixth nationally) and posted a 10.77 goals-against-average. The Bernardsville, N.J. native excelled in the NCAA Tournament, making 17 saves and holding Lehigh to five goals in a first-round win, then stopping 16 shots against No. 1 UNC.
Senior of the Year - Gianna Glatz (field hockey)
Glatz was a standout for a field hockey program that won nine games, including four top-10 victories with a pair of wins each over then-No. 4 Northwestern and No. 9 Penn State. The squad was ranked seventh nationally. Glatz was a First Team All-American, the program's first to reach that status since 1993, and one of just two goalkeepers on the First Team. The Medford, N.J. native was also named the Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year and was a First Team All-Big Ten selection and finalist for National Player of the Year. Glatz posted a 1.01 goals-against average, .783 save percentage and five shutouts.
The Scarlet Knights completed one of the most historic seasons in department history, posting the best winning percentage in Big Ten-only competition since joining the league in 2014. Eight teams appeared in the national coaches/media polls and 10 programs qualified for postseason play in the NCAA Championships as a team or individual.
The Big Ten Medal of Honor, awarded annually to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each member institution who have demonstrated excellence on and off the field throughout their college career. In its 107th year, the award is the conference's most exclusive honor and the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence.
Mullins was also the recipient of the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Scholarship, which awards a $10,000 scholarship for achievements in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities and leadership. Sophia Cauogno (rowing) and Justin Davidovicz (football) earned Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarships. Each year, two student-athletes competing in intercollegiate athletics from each of the 14 Big Ten institutions planning to continue their education at a graduate degree program are each awarded a $7,500 scholarship.
Additionally, academic awards were presented for the most improved team grade-point-average and highest team grade-point-average. The Spirit Performer of the Year award was bestowed on Camryn Spina, while the annual True Grit Award was presented to the team of doctors, nurses and trainers who worked tirelessly to keep the Scarlet Knights tested and protected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most Improved Men's Team GPA: Cross Country and Baseball
Most Improved Women's Team GPA: Lacrosse and Rowing
Highest Men's Team GPA: Cross country
Highest Women's Team GPA: Golf
Big Ten Medal of Honor - Kieran Mullins (men's lacrosse)
Mullins finished a stellar career for the Rutgers men's lacrosse program as one of the top producing point-scorers in program history on the field while achieving incredible accomplishments off the field. Mullins ended his RU career with 127 career goals (seven all-time at RU) and 103 career assists (sixth all-time at RU), to place second on Rutgers' all-time leaderboard with 230 career points.
A three-time All-Big Ten selection, he has earned multiple off-field recognitions as well. Mullins majored in cell biology and neuroscience while minoring in health and sociology in preparation for a medical school career. A four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, the Islip, N.Y. native earned the Wayne Duke Award and Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship, and was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the National Collegiate Athlete Honor Society. He was also a Senior CLASS Award Finalist in 2021.
Big Ten Medal of Honor - Gianna Glatz (field hockey)
Glatz excelled for the Scarlet Knight field hockey program as the team's goalkeeper, leading the squad to nine wins, including a pair of victories over No. 4 Northwestern, which marked the highest ranked wins in program history. A First Team All-American, Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten selection, Glatz led a dominant RU defense with a 1.01 goals-against average, .783 save percentage and five shutouts. With her in the cage, Rutgers surrendered just 15 goals all season.
Glatz has been a spectacular representative and leader off the field. A multiple-time team captain and participant in the U.S. National team program, Glatz has had multiple leadership positions with Rutgers' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She is a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. Glatz has also earned Rutgers' Chancellor's Leadership Award and the Athletic Director's Excellence Award.
Bauer Athlete of the Year - Adam Charalambides (men's lacrosse)
Charalambides was named an All-American after leading the men's lacrosse program with 44 goals and 61 points en route to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004 and first NCAA Tournament win since 2004.The Georgetown, Ontario native was sixth nationally with 3.38 goals-per-game and 13th at 4.69 points per game. A First Team All-Big Ten selection, he had 12 multiple-goal games, including seven total goals in two NCAA Tournament games. It was his third career 40-goal season, while tying his career-high in points. Charalambides finished his career with 149 goals (second all-time at Rutgers) and 201 career points (fifth all-time at Rutgers). He also was selected to play in the USILA's Senior All-Star Game.
Bauer Athlete of the Year - Amirah Ali (women's soccer)
Ali became the program's first ever three-time All-American after pushing RU to its ninth straight NCAA Tournament and second straight Big Ten semifinal. The Voorhees, New Jersey, native was named a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist for the second straight season as well as earning her fourth All-Big Ten honor and third All-Region accolade. Ali was also named a Senior CLASS Award Finalist and a United Soccer Coaches College Player Award of Distinction recipient. In the classroom, the criminal justice major is an Academic All-Big Ten and Dean's List honoree.
Freshman of the Year - John Poznanski (wrestling)
Poznanski, a 2021 All-American, became the highest true freshman finisher at the national tournament in program history with his fourth-place result in St. Louis. Along with senior Sebastian Rivera (141), Poznanski helped RU secure two NCAA Championship semifinalists for the second consecutive national tournament. Poznanski also finished third at the 2021 Big Ten Championships and closed his first collegiate season 11-4, including eight wins over ranked foes and a 3-1 record in dual action.
Freshman of the Year - Hannah Heideveld (rowing)
Heideveld, an Amsterdam, Netherlands native, earned Rutgers rowing its first major Big Ten award when she was named the conference's 2021 Freshman of the Year. Heideveld rowed on the Scarlet Knights' Varsity 8 boat, which placed fifth in the country after racing the grand final of the NCAA Championships. The boat also earned its first conference medal with a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Championships. The Scarlet Knights placed seventh at the NCAA Championships, the program's best showing at the national race. The team also posted its best finish at the Big Ten Championships, placing third overall. RU set program records in points, medal-winning boats and All-Big Ten selections at the conference meet. Rutgers was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country, the highest CRCA ranking in program history.
Sophomore of the Year - Jackson Turley (wrestling)
Turley finished eighth at the 2021 NCAA Championships competing at 174 pounds, helping Rutgers wrestling secure three All-Americans in the same year for the first time in program history. After a first-round loss at the championships, Turley wrestled back four consecutive victories to lock up All-American accolades, which included wins over two top-10 seeds. A reserve to begin the 2021 campaign, the Virginia native closed out his sophomore season with 10 wins, including six victories by bonus and a team-high three pins.
Sophomore of the Year - Hannah Joyner (gymnastics)
Joyner made history her sophomore season, becoming the first Scarlet Knight to eclipse a score of 9.9 in all four events. Joyner, the school record holder on beam with a 9.950, became just the third gymnast in Rutgers history to advance to Nationals and first ever to do so on beam. She earned All-Big Ten First Team accolades for the second straight season, highlighted by a third-place finish in the All-Around and on beam at the conference championships. The criminal justice major was named an Academic All-Big Ten recipient for Winter 2021.
Junior of the Year - Aron Cruickshank (football)
Cruickshank, the Big Ten Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten selection, was an honorable mention All-American by Phil Steele. The only player in the Big Ten, with two kickoff return touchdowns, Cruickshank averaged 26.8 yards on 25 kickoff returns. He picked up 671 combined kick returns yards to rank fourth nationally and first in the Big Ten. That included a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Purdue that sparked a 17-0 scoring run to overcome a 10-point deficit and pull ahead for a road victory. Then against Nebraska, Cruickshank ripped off a 98-yard kickoff return to put the Scarlet Knights ahead in the third quarter.
Junior of the Year - Femke Paulis (rowing)
Paulis, a Dalen, Netherlands native, was named Second Team All-Big Ten after helping lead the Rutgers Varsity 8 boat to a runner-up finish at the conference regatta and earning the boat's first medal at the Big Ten Championships. Paulis and the Varsity 8 went on to place fifth in the nation with their finish in the grand final of the NCAA Championships, boosting Rutgers' seventh-place team finish at the national regatta - a program record. The team also posted its best finish at the Big Ten Championships, placing third overall. RU set program records in points, medal-winning boats and All-Big Ten selections at the conference meet. Rutgers was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country, the highest CRCA ranking in program history.
Senior of the Year - Colin Kirst (men's lacrosse)
Colin Kirst was a Third Team All-American and was named the Big Ten Specialist of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten and to the USILA's Senior All-Star Game after a stellar season leading men's lacrosse to an NCAA Tournament appearance and first round victory. Kirst, the starting goalkeeper for the Scarlet Knights, led the Big Ten in save percentage (.566) and saves per game (13.77, sixth nationally) and posted a 10.77 goals-against-average. The Bernardsville, N.J. native excelled in the NCAA Tournament, making 17 saves and holding Lehigh to five goals in a first-round win, then stopping 16 shots against No. 1 UNC.
Senior of the Year - Gianna Glatz (field hockey)
Glatz was a standout for a field hockey program that won nine games, including four top-10 victories with a pair of wins each over then-No. 4 Northwestern and No. 9 Penn State. The squad was ranked seventh nationally. Glatz was a First Team All-American, the program's first to reach that status since 1993, and one of just two goalkeepers on the First Team. The Medford, N.J. native was also named the Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year and was a First Team All-Big Ten selection and finalist for National Player of the Year. Glatz posted a 1.01 goals-against average, .783 save percentage and five shutouts.
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