Award Recipient Bios 

Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Nathan Roberts, Club Baseball
Finalists: Jackson Catanzaro (M. Volleyball), Bryce Kirk (M. Soccer), Giovanni Palombo (ACHA D1 Hockey), Ryan Riffner (CHE D4 Hockey), Nathan Roberts (Baseball), Tyler Weekley (ACHA D3 Hockey)

The 2024 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award is given to graduating senior and president of the Men's Club Baseball Team, Nathan Roberts. The senior from St. Mary's, PA is graduating with a double major in Sport Management and Marketing with a certificate in sales. Nate has maintained a 3.5 GPA, held leadership positions in various campus clubs, and had six internships over his four years at RMU. He was also named this year's Outstanding Sport Management Student of the Year and has been awarded multiple scholarships for all his academic achievements. 

On the field, Nate has been a crucial member of the RMU Club Baseball team since he came to campus in September 2020. He has been an admirable leader as team president for the last year and has helped grow the team in numbers. The utility player is crucial in the line-up as he has spent time at 2nd base, 1st, and 3rd while proving to be the team's third starting pitcher this year. Nate is a contact hitter and his RBI and on-base percentage prove how much value he has given to this team in his last season as a Colonial. Nate has also been a great asset to the campus rec department this past year helping maintain the back end of our club sports website, and we are proud to name him the 2024 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Elizabeth Sarasnick, Women's Club Volleyball
Finalists: McKenna Longoria (Golf), Shannon Mahoney (Esports) Amara Marrese (W2 ACHA Hockey), Brianna Medved (W2 ACHA Hockey), Kenzie Olewine (W. Volleyball), Elizabeth Sarasnick (W. Volleyball)

The 2024 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award is given to graduating senior and president of the Women's Club Volleyball Team, Elizabeth Sarasnick. Liz is a senior from Bridgeville, PA graduating with a bachelor's degree in PR and Advertising with a minor in accounting. Upon graduation, Liz plans on working at BNY Mellon as an analyst. Her impressive 3.87 GPA combined with her commitment both in and out of the classroom proves how deserving she is of this award. Liz has been the president of the women's club volleyball team for the past three years and has gone above and beyond for her team running practices, managing their two teams, and being a friend to so many of the players.

In addition to her amazing leadership, Liz, an outside hitter and defensive specialist, has helped her team place in every tournament this season and walk away with two first place finishes. Liz has helped grow the women's club volleyball program in numbers and skills since she arrived at RMU, and the outpour of support she got in the nominations makes us proud to name her the 2024 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Teams of the Year: Esports and CHE Men's D4 Club Hockey
Finalists: Esports, Men's CHE D4 Hockey, Men's Club Soccer, Men's Club Volleyball, Women's Club Volleyball

The 2024 Team of the Year award is given to two programs that have shown great success this year.

The CHE Men's Division 4 Club Hockey team has taken major strides over the past couple of years and earned the title of back-to-back CHE champions. In addition to their second consecutive championship title, they excelled throughout the 2023-2024 season finishing with a final regular season record of 14-1 and going 9-0 in divisional play. The tremendous amount of hard work from this team throughout the season earned them a spot as the #1 seed heading into playoffs. Despite initial struggles after the inauguration of the Men's Division 4 team only a few years ago, the culture built around this team is undeniably strong. Between the coaching staff, returners, and newcomers, The Men's D4 Hockey team has been put on the map, and is currently a force to be reckoned with, earning them the Team of the Year award. 

The second team being given this award is the Esports program. Esports has seen major growth in numbers, growth within the players, and amazing winning potential. In the fall semester alone, Esports won their first three championships and earned four more this spring semester. The Esports program's inclusivity has resulted in unprecedented growth over the past few years, and players excel in the amazing environment created. In just a few short years, Esports has won championships, made appearances in nationals, and has shown tremendous growth in numbers during that time. All of RMU's individual Esports rosters compete in every major collegiate Esports competition/league available and was named a 2023 Top Collegiate Varsity Esports Program. The Esports players have certainly proven to be some of the top contenders, rightfully earning them the 2024 Team of the Year award.  

Rising Star Team of the Year: Men's Soccer and Women's Rugby
Finalists: ACHA D3 Hockey, Baseball, Cross Country/Track & Field, Men's Soccer, Ultimate Frisbee, Women's ACHA D2 Hockey, Women's Bowling, Women's Rugby

This year's Rising Star Team of the Year award is given to two teams that have shown major growth on and off the field this year. 

Women's Club Rugby team has gone after every opportunity to grow and improve their program on and off the field making them a great choice for this award. This past fall marked the 10-year celebration of the women's rugby team and the team has had many fantastic students become members of the rugby family. Every year has been an adventure, and this year's team has been excited to live the legacy started in 2013 by a dedicated group to bring women's rugby to the RMU campus. The recruitment efforts have been on the rise and the new talent this growing team has inherited has produced great results on the field. On the outside looking in, the women's rugby team has proved to be close-knit, and uberly passionate about their sport resulting in growing success. We would also like to extend a special thank you to head coach Angela Smarto for being the backbone of this program and helping it grow into what it is today!

The second team being recognized is the Men's Club Soccer Team. This team has exemplified the meaning behind this award, and their work in the community and on the field has earned them this recognition. Men's Club Soccer hosted its first-ever student-led youth soccer tournament last summer to fundraise for their program and connect with the youth soccer communities. The event was a huge success and they will be putting on the 2nd annual Colonial Classic this summer. They have proven to be great role models for youth players and have found ways to keep the team united off the field. In addition to the great community work they are initiating, they have also seen growth and success this season on the field. They secured the most wins since 2019, placed 4th out of 9 teams in a very competitive conference, outscored opponents 27-16, and saw 10 different players score throughout the season. The roster size has doubled over the past two years, and being a student-run team has not deterred them from going after their highest potential.