Update: Mask Wear is Now Required Per UMaine System Update

GORHAM, Maine  – After a two-year hiatus, the University of Southern Maine Department of Athletics is excited to gather in person and recognize its 57 senior student-athletes during the 23^rd Annual Senior Honors Banquet.  The Huskies' Senior Honors Banquet brings together USM Athletics staff, the departing members of the student-athlete community and their families to celebrate the significant contributions, academic achievements and outstanding playing careers of USM's senior student-athletes from the Huskies' 22 NCAA Division III intercollegiate teams.
 
The 2022 Huskies' Senior Honors Banquet will be held on Sunday, May 1 at Sheraton at Sable Oaks in South Portland, Maine.  As part of the evening's celebration, student-athletes and their families along with members of the Athletic Department and University administration will enjoy a dinner, and departing seniors will receive a commemorative plaque featuring an action photo from their playing career sponsored by Norway Savings Bank.
 
"We have many reasons to celebrate our student-athletes and their careers as Huskies," said long-time Director of Athletics Al Bean. "Student-Athletes at the University of Southern Maine are known and recognized for their integrity, sportsmanship and fair play, outstanding academic achievements, valuable contributions to our campus and surrounding communities, and, of course their competitive success and winning ways.  The Athletics Department Honors Night is one of our staff's favorite events to attend, and we are grateful to return to celebrating this fantastic even in person again.  It is a grand tradition that allows us to thank our student-athletes for their time, hard work, commitment, and for representing the University of Southern Maine with distinction."
             
During the evening, Huskies' Athletics will also recognize several student-athletes for their outstanding academic, athletic and community service contributions, and will announce the recipients of this year's department awards: the Paula D. Hodgdon Leadership Award, the Roland Wirths Memorial Award, the Kimberly M. Turner Award, and the Albert D. Bean, Jr. Leadership Award.  Huskies' Athletics will also recognize the achievements of members of the USM Athletic Department community who may be recognized for their achievements in service, leadership and academics at the University's Leadership Gala.
 
The Hodgdon Leadership Award is presented annually to the female student-athlete who exemplifies the qualities of the former USM Field Hockey Coach/faculty member who was a pioneer in women's athletics: the recipient is a valuable member to their team, displays loyalty, leadership, dedication, and commitment.  The 2022 Hodgdon Leadership Award nominees are Shannon Colbert, women's ice hockey; Jennifer Darasz, women's lacrosse;  Samantha Ellis, field hockey; Maddie Fornaiser, women's cross country, track & field; Victoria Harris, women's basketball; Sophia Lindsay, women's volleyball; Jackie Luckhardt, women's basketball; Rona Scott, softball; Hannah Shields, softball; and Sophia Slovenski, women's volleyball, track & field.
 
Presented annually since 1980, the Wirths Award is named in honor of the former Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram sportswriter who was a strong supporter of USM Athletics.  The award is given to a student-athlete who best exemplifies the characteristics of Wirths and his writing.  Wirths often wrote about the overachiever, the person small in stature who made a big difference.  He was interested in stories of the heart, people who made a real difference, and the inspirational leader.  The 2022 Wirths' nominees are Katie Bagley, women's basketball; Brianna Doty, women's ice hockey; Samantha Ellis, field hockey; Tyler Gardiner, men's ice hockey, tennis; Antoine Grace, wrestling, men's track & field; Jaequan Grant, men's track & field; Derek Malinowski, men's lacrosse; and Lauren Miller, softball.
 
The Kimberly M. Turner Award and the Albert D. Bean, Jr. Leadership Award are in their fifth year as department initiatives.  The Turner Award is given annually to a student-employee or volunteer who has consistently made significant contributions to the USM Athletic Department and has demonstrated the many positive traits synonymous with Turner: work ethic, leadership, extraordinary commitment, respect, attention to detail, and compassion.  The 2022 nominees for the Turner Award are Colby Dexter, baseball, game management; Brianna Doty, women's ice hockey, equipment room, lobby/fitness center; Tyler Gardiner, men's ice hockey, tennis, athletic health care, lobby/fitness; Brook Kulis, softball, learning center; Cullen McIntyre, photography; and Rona Scott, softball, athletic communications, game management.
 
The Bean Leadership award will be presented annually to the junior or senior male student-athletes who demonstrate the leadership qualities of compassion, respect, guidance, and worth ethic displayed by Al Bean.  The finalists for the 2022 Bean Award are Jonathan Bartuccio-Pereira, men's ice hockey, tennis; Tyler Gardiner, men's ice hockey, tennis; Nick James, men's lacrosse; Maverick Lynes, men's ice hockey; Tanner McClure, men's ice hockey; Jake Peavey, wrestling; Arlo Pike, baseball, and Nick Ritmo, men's ice hockey.
 
Two student-athlete speakers will be a part of the evening's events: Sophia Slovenski and Antione Grace.  Grace, the 2020 Roland Wirths Memorial Award winner as a junior, is a four-year member of the Huskies' wrestling and track & field programs. Completing his degree in Psychology, Grace was the 2021 Little East Conference Track Athlete of the Year. Grace is also captain of the wrestling team, and is civically involved as a founding member of Huskies' Student-Athlete Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (SADIE) Committee. 
 
Slovenski, another two-sport athlete (women's volleyball, track & field), is the 2021 NCAA Division III National Champion in the javelin and is a three-time All-American earning the rare accolade in the pole vault and javelin during her career.  Majoring in Health Science, Slovenski is a CoSIDA Academic All-American, a member of Huskies' SADIE and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and recently completed a fundraising effort to bring a chapter of Strong Girls United to the University of Southern Maine. 
 
The 2022 USM Athletics Honors Banquet promises to be an event celebrating all of the accomplishments of Husky student-athletes while recognizing the conclusion of many outstanding academic and athletic careers of 57 of USM's ~450 student-athletes  who participate in one or more of the University's 22 Division III intercollegiate teams. 
 
Huskies' athletics proudly embraces the NCAA Division III philosophy and places the highest priority on the overall quality of the educational experience and on the successful completion of all students' academic programs, maintaining an environment in which a student-athlete's athletic activities are conducted as an integral part of the student-athlete's educational experience. USM Athletics achieves this through the five key developmental areas: Academic Achievement, Athletic Performance, Personal Development, Career Development and Service to Community.  Forty-four different majors are represented by the Huskies' student-athletes with pursuits range from Theatre to Social Behavioral Sciences, to Physics and Liberal Studies.  Collectively, the Huskies' student-athletes have an outstanding 3.24 grade point average and 215 student-athletes were recognized this year as William B. Wise Scholar-Athletes. Each of the Huskies' 22 intercollegiate programs has representation among the 212 student-athletes that were honored.