Post on: Fall 2010 UB Athletic Awards

UB Fall 2010 Player Awards

BY CHRIS HOGAN

MANAGING NEWS EDITOR

Coach of the Year: Leo Uzcategui – Women’s Volleyball

Uzcategui led the Purple Knights to 25-5 overall record and an impressive 11-1 in East Coast Conference play while compiling a streak of 13 consecutive wins at one point during the season. Two of his players earned first team all ECC and UB made it to the East Regional’s Final Round before losing to Dowling College to end the season.

Player of the Year: TIE Linda Velaj – Women’s Soccer & Markus Naglestad – Men’s Soccer

Both players led first respective teams in scoring this season while each earning first team all ECC. Velaj led the lady Purple Knights with 20 goals and a total of 47 points, while finishing tied for second all time in goals in UB history with 60. Naglestad led the men’s soccer team with 15 goals and tallied 39 points.

Players of the year for each class

Freshman of the Year: Markus Naglestad – Men’s Soccer

In addition to leading his team in scoring, Naglestad was also named ECC Offensive player of the year, Rookie of the year and earned Second team Daktronics Division II All America honors.

Sophomore of the Year: Rich Lubrano – Men’s Cross Country

Out of the eight races this year, Lubrano was the top finisher for the team on three occasions at the Post University meet, the Mitchell College Quad Meet and at the ECC Championship Match.  His head coach Mike Ruane called him the most improved runner of the 2010 season.

Junior of the Year:  TIE Katie Stanley – Women’s Soccer & Patric Brundin ­– Men’s Soccer

Each player finished second on the team in scoring and goals. Stanley also earned first team all ECC and was named to the 2010 Second Team All-East Region Team while racking up eight goals and accumulated 21 points, while Brundin, who missed the first five game of the year due to a knee injury, finished the season strong by being named to second team all ECC and scored the overtime goal against St. Thomas Aquinas College to propel the UB into the ECC finals.

Senior of the Year: Linda Velaj – Women’s Soccer

Velaj, who was a named to the ECC first team all four years and has helped led the Purple Knights to four consecutive NCAA playoff berths, finished her career second all time in goals scored. In her senior year, she scored three hat tricks against Bentley University, Wilmington University and St. Thomas Aquinas College, but her hat trick in the first round of the 2010 NCAA playoffs against Franklin Pierce University was the biggest highlight of the season for her.