Bull Run - 2017 Bull Run AwardsWhere Buffalo Fans Hang Outhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48083/bullrun-fave.png2017-06-18T17:13:54-04:00http://www.ubbullrun.com/rss/stream/155859232017-06-18T17:13:54-04:002017-06-18T17:13:54-04:002017 Bull Run Awards: Team and Overall Bulls of the Year
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<figcaption><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></figcaption>
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<p id="CjVVbq"><a href="http://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/14/15801682/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-fall-sports"><strong>Day 1 - Wednesday: Fall Sports</strong></a></p>
<p id="ZwRS2B"><a href="https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/15/15810730/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-winter-sports"><strong>Day 2 - Thursday: Winter Sports</strong></a></p>
<p id="ELWbKO"><a href="https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/16/15820290/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-spring-sports"><strong>Day 3 - Friday: Spring Sports</strong></a></p>
<p id="KayyxM"><a href="https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/17/15824218/2017-bull-run-awards-coach-rookies-fan-favorite-and-clutch-moment-of-the-year"><strong>Day 4 - Saturday: Coach of the Year, Men's and Women's Rookie of the Year, Clutch Moment of the Year, Fan Favorite</strong></a></p>
<p id="Fhw37N"><strong>Day 5 - Sunday: Team of the Year, Men's Overall Bull of the Year, Women's Overall Bull of the Year</strong></p>
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<h3 id="17bimv">Team of the Year- Men’s Tennis</h3>
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<cite><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></cite>
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<p id="GFgwGR">Going undefeated in MAC play is one thing, but doing that with a virtually new roster is unheard of. UB Men’s Tennis came out of nowhere to deliver the first team championship of the 2016-17 academic year for UB Athletics in dominant fashion. </p>
<p id="4iyjch">The Bulls finished the year with just six losses to their name, five of them being Ivy League opponents who all finished in the top-six of the ITA Northeast region and #12 Texas A&M. With that on their resume and the fact that they took home a MAC Championship, it’s a no-brainer why Men’s Tennis is our team of the year. </p>
<p id="fyWrRS"><em>Honorable Mentions: Women’s Tennis, Men’s Swimming and Diving, Men’s Soccer</em></p>
<h3 id="Fqj1eo">Men’s Sports Bull of the Year- Mason Miller, Men’s Swimming and Diving</h3>
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<p id="Sw3Ew4">Mason Miller had a hand in <strong>SIX</strong> MAC Championships this year in the final season for Men’s Swimming and Diving. Only two athletes came anywhere close to that number—Megan Burns (5) and Joshua Gali (3). Also, put into perspective that the Men’s team had eight MAC Championships in total this season. </p>
<p id="yRcFax">So if Miller doesn’t exist on Men’s Swim/Dive this year, three-fourths of the Men’s first place finishes and their third place overall finish in the MAC Championships would’ve been in jeopardy. That’s plenty to argue why he was the best UB Athletics had to offer on the men’s side this year. </p>
<p id="n2mA3l"><em>Honorable Mentions: Joshua Gali, Russell Cicerone, Bryan Lantry</em></p>
<h3 id="EYI5Ff">Women’s Sports Bull of the Year- </h3>
<h3 id="XvVehL">Megan Burns*, Women’s Swimming and Diving</h3>
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<p id="fdNsKP">For the second year in a row, Megan Burns was one of the outright best in UB Athletics. Winning a total of five MAC Championships, up three from last year and bringing her grand total to 10. That’s an unbelievable number and it definitely puts her in the conversation as one of the five greatest Bulls of all time. There’s absolutely no question to this pick because let’s be honest, what other athlete on the women’s side comes close to her in accomplishment and in how much her dominance means to the team?</p>
<p id="JODGFY"><em>Honorable Mentions: Tanja Stojanovska, JoAnna Smith</em></p>
<p id="L2bn25"><em>*2016 Winner</em></p>
<p id="RDFilp">***</p>
<p id="z1UsbP">That’ll do it for us. Thanks for another great year and congrats to all of the honorees this week!</p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/18/15826434/2017-bull-run-awards-team-and-overall-bulls-of-the-yearRobby Johnson2017-06-17T17:17:47-04:002017-06-17T17:17:47-04:00Bull Run Awards: Coach, Rookies, Fan Favorite, and Clutch Moment of the Year
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<figcaption>Bull Run’s 2017 Coach of the Year, Lee Nickell (center) | <a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></figcaption>
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<p id="CjVVbq"><a href="http://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/14/15801682/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-fall-sports"><strong>Day 1 - Wednesday: Fall Sports</strong></a></p>
<p id="ZwRS2B"><a href="https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/15/15810730/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-winter-sports"><strong>Day 2 - Thursday: Winter Sports</strong></a></p>
<p id="ELWbKO"><a href="https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/16/15820290/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-spring-sports"><strong>Day 3 - Friday: Spring Sports</strong></a></p>
<p id="KayyxM"><strong>Day 4 - Saturday: Coach of the Year, Men's and Women's Rookie of the Year, Clutch Moment of the Year, Fan Favorite</strong></p>
<p id="XpFqmn"><strong>Day 5 - Sunday: Team of the Year, Men's Overall Bull of the Year, Women's Overall Bull of the Year</strong></p>
<h3 id="6rtHFJ">Coach of the Year- Lee “Nails” Nickell</h3>
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<p id="L5BWDS">It’s a story that we’re getting a little used to covering, but it’s still fun to watch it when it unfolds. Nails Nickell’s roster was depleted after last year. Only two players —Tony Miller and Ethan Nittolo — came back this season, leaving Nickell to assemble a virtually new roster. </p>
<p id="DAXxSv">Bringing in four freshman and a pair of juniors, expectations weren’t high for the bunch coming into the season. Had they gone 11-8 again like a year prior it’d be a good sign for what’s to come. But, Nickell’s squad destroyed all expectations, and that came to light when the Bulls started playing against Ivy League foes. The Bulls gave Yale and Harvard trouble, losing each on a 4-3 decision; but they did manage to run through Brown 5-2. </p>
<p id="tMVrjf">Buffalo’s only losses were against Ivy League opponents and to nationally ranked Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament, which is nothing short of amazing for a team packed to the brim with freshmen. Nickell pulled a Nate Oats, and did it even better. </p>
<p id="nJQ1nl">With his second MAC Championship, he’s the first UB head coach to win more than one and we’d be very surprised if Nails doesn’t lead the Bulls to more in the future. </p>
<p id="G2ZyHp"><em>Honorable Mentions: Kristen Maines, John Stutzman**, Stu Riddle**, Andy Bashor, Vicki Mitchell</em></p>
<p id="fVXIWN"><em>**2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<h3 id="srZT29">Men’s Rookie of the Year- Villhelm Fridell</h3>
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<p id="RXFq6c">Villhelm Fridell was on fire this season. There’s not much I can add to what I said <a href="https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/16/15820290/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-spring-sports">yesterday</a>, but I don’t think there’s a single freshman at UB that isn’t one of his teammates that had a viable argument against him. </p>
<p id="LL8qaL"><em>Honorable Mentions: Hao Sheng Koay, Rikard Lindqvist, Quate McKinzie</em></p>
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<h3 id="eNdGpA">Women’s Rookie of the Year- Summer Hemphill</h3>
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<p id="u3ma63">For much of the season, she sure didn’t look like or play like a freshman. Summer Hemphill became a key piece to a team that was already loaded with depth this season, averaging 6 points and 7.4 boards a contest. A double digit performance was not uncommon for the freshman, with her most notable performance being 15 points and a whopping 17 rebounds in a 65-54 thrashing of Ohio. </p>
<p id="E7NGn8">Hemphill played with poise and maximum effort. She went after the rebound harder than anyone on the team and did her best to leave everything on the court and it paid off for her. Keep an eye on Hemphill these next three years as she develops into one of the better forwards in UB history.</p>
<p id="p8DiGP"><em>Honorable Mentions: Stephanie Ward, Scout McLerran Theresa Onwuka, Jessica Goldyn</em></p>
<h3 id="af3ZxS">Clutch Moment of the Year- </h3>
<h3 id="gu0NPb">Brian Dudek’s walkoff homer in UB Baseball’s last-ever home game</h3>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">WHAT A FINISH! The Bulls close out their final home game ever in fashion with a walk-off homer by senior <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianDudek8">@BrianDudek8</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NCAACWS">@NCAACWS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/espn">@espn</a> <a href="https://t.co/jmbxH013nm">pic.twitter.com/jmbxH013nm</a></p>— Louie Spina (@UBLouieSpina) <a href="https://twitter.com/UBLouieSpina/status/864607748725645312">May 16, 2017</a>
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<p id="f2he3A">This one’s bittersweet. </p>
<p id="KJDkzj">Sometimes in sports you get hit with the bitter reality, and sometimes you witness magic. You don’t know which you’re going to get, but for some reason the Bulls were graced with the latter. </p>
<p id="2bd18l">UB Baseball had to finish their final season knowing that this was it. Playing at Amherst Audobon Field for the final time in program history, Brian Dudek stepped up to the plate with the Bulls tied at nine apiece in the 10th inning with Niagara. The senior drilled a pitch deep and the wind helped it get over the outfield wall. </p>
<p id="MMdSUr">Home run, UB wins 10-9. </p>
<p id="kw7EWx">The Bulls never gave up and put on one more show in the name of four programs that didn’t deserve their fate.</p>
<p id="Ub9THZ"><em>Honorable Mentions: Men’s Tennis’ MAC Championship comeback; UB Football’s comeback against Army.</em></p>
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<h3 id="2vJPK5">Fan Favorite- Christian Pino</h3>
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<p id="HPhFAC">The first Bull Run Award we’ve left up to the fans and it was a close race, but the greatest player in UB history edged out Stephanie Reid by just a single vote among a diverse voting pool that included entrees like Raheem Johnson, Andy Kotelnicki, Brandon Berry, Justin Moss, and some player named “T.” </p>
<p id="4nRT3B">But even so, Christian Pino had a cult following in his time at UB because let’s face it, how do you root against him? Pino made blowout games fun and it’s no shocker that the fans agree with everyone here at Bull Run. UB Basketball will never be the same without this legend. </p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/17/15824218/2017-bull-run-awards-coach-rookies-fan-favorite-and-clutch-moment-of-the-yearRobby Johnson2017-06-16T16:34:30-04:002017-06-16T16:34:30-04:002017 Bull Run Awards: Best of Spring Sports
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<figcaption><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></figcaption>
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<p id="CjVVbq"><a href="http://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/14/15801682/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-fall-sports"><strong>Day 1 - Wednesday: Fall Sports</strong></a></p>
<p id="ZwRS2B"><a href="https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/15/15810730/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-winter-sports"><strong>Day 2 - Thursday: Winter Sports</strong></a></p>
<p id="ELWbKO"><strong>Day 3 - Friday: Spring Sports</strong></p>
<p id="KayyxM"><strong>Day 4 - Saturday: Coach of the Year, Men's and Women's Rookie of the Year, Clutch Moment of the Year, Fan Favorite ——-> </strong><a href="https://goo.gl/forms/dRMfC3iSBuq9Ple52"><em><strong>VOTE HERE</strong></em></a></p>
<p id="tfuhEK"><strong>Day 5 - Sunday: Team of the Year, Men's Overall Bull of the Year, Women's Overall Bull of the Year</strong></p>
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<h2 id="Ef4hwH">Spring Sports</h2>
<h3 id="3udont">Baseball- Vinny Mallaro*</h3>
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<p id="dXcyDN">This year’s UB Baseball team had several contenders and it’s quite a toss up. Chris Kwitzer, Ben Haefner, and Brian Dudek all had great seasons. But for the second year in a row, it’s hard to pick against Mallaro for the extra edge he gives the entire team. </p>
<p id="uQdpxf">He batted a little worse in UB’s final season at .285, but the rest of his stats are on par with if not better than the rest of his teammates. What stands out among the rest is his 51 runs batted in. If you have guys that can get on base, it’s great and all, but what’s even more crucial is being able to bring them to home plate. Add in his perfect fielding average and the fact that he had twice as many homers as the next guy and it’s very hard to have an argument against Mallaro. </p>
<p id="Yxh2E7"><em>Honorable Mentions: Chris Kwitzer, Ben Haefner, Brian Dudek</em></p>
<p id="k2NpVp"><em>*2016 Winner</em></p>
<h3 id="am4trb">Softball- Jessica Goldyn</h3>
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<p id="F8U1SG">It was another tough season for UB Softball and for the second year in a row the Bulls relied on a freshman to get the job done. UB struggled from the mound and in return they needed as much offense as possible to make up for it. </p>
<p id="Ok2m9x">Jessica Goldyn brought as much to the table as possible for UB, and the box scores show it with her near the top of almost every statistical category. She finished the season with a .289 average, but what was most impressive was her 23 stolen bases—far and away from the next best Bull in that category. If UB was going to make up for the pitching with offense, then Goldyn was your best option, making her the most important part of this year’s team. </p>
<p id="oyaHqy"><em>Honorable Mentions: Leandra Jew, Jenelle Martinez</em></p>
<h3 id="jTuh5c">Men’s Tennis- Villhelm Fridell</h3>
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<p id="8lK78f">If you follow Men’s Tennis, you’re probably a little shocked that we’re not giving this to Hao Sheng Koay this year. Hao Sheng had an amazing season and even managed to receive All-MAC first team honors. But, we believe that Villhelm Fridell was a bigger asset to the Bulls this season and deserves the recognition. </p>
<p id="7Kk8jG">Fridell typically played at fourth singles and although he wasn’t the top guy, he was the most consistent and produced the most wins for the Bulls, especially as MAC play came to a close. The freshman finished 21-8 this year and 11-3 in fourth singles play. When conference play came around, he went a scorching 6-1. Fridell was that extra point that Buffalo almost always relied on to grab some close wins. This was seen in the MAC Championship and he was also on his way to beating Texas A&M’s fourth singles player. It’s for these reasons, that we had to go with Fridell this year.</p>
<p id="OtQMIR"><em>Honorable Mentions: Hao Sheng Koay, Vidit Vaghela, Filip Grbic</em></p>
<h3 id="HNuQ5N">Women’s Tennis- Tanja Stojanovska*</h3>
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<p id="X8dRCW">Tanja Stojanovska has been the most important piece for UB Women’s Tennis in the past two seasons. Leading the way with another incredible season, Stojanovska was the most valuable player in this year’s MAC tourney and was named to the All-MAC first team. </p>
<p id="HQwDtg">It’s simply a no-brainer that she was the most valuable player to this year’s team and the way she clinched the Bulls’ first MAC title in nine years only adds to the resume. Stojanovska lost the second against Miami’s Nelli Ponomareva to tiebreakers before she went on a tear in the the third set in a triumphant 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 match win to clinch the title. </p>
<p id="9S9Cne"><em>Honorable Mentions: Chantal Martinez-Blanco**, Margarita Kotok</em></p>
<p id="uPZkMG"><em>*2016 Winner</em></p>
<p id="ZCZTy7"><em>**2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<h3 id="yopu8p">Men’s Track and Field- Joshua Gali</h3>
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<p id="G9hLSx">Joshua Gali had an amazing year with the Bulls on the track. His indoor performance alone already merits MVP honors but he also made plenty of noise this spring in outdoor.</p>
<p id="gt01ne">Gali was named the MAC’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete in indoor competition after having part in <strong>THREE</strong> MAC Championships with the 200m, 400m, and as a member of the winning 4x400m relay. Months later in outdoor MAC competition, Gali added a trio of silver medals (200m, 400m, 400m relay) and another gold to his name with the 4x400m relay.</p>
<p id="nALbCT">Still, he wasn’t done yet. Flash forward to the NCAA East Prelims and Gali was rewriting the history books. First it was a new school record in the 400m with a zooming 46.33 seconds. Then, he became the first Bull in program history to break the 21 second barrier in the 200m with a blistering time of 20.95. Finally, he was a member of the 1600m relay, which broke another program best with a time of 3:08.50. </p>
<p id="BFOgUd"><em>Honorable Mentions: Ryan Billian, Devon Patterson</em></p>
<h3 id="VK9ix6">Women’s Track and Field- Emma Siuciak</h3>
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<p id="j4zpop">She didn’t compete in outdoor, but like Joshua Gali, her indoor pursuits are more than enough to merit her as MVP. Emma Siuciak will leave UB as one of the best all-around athletes to don the blue and white after breaking the program record in the Pentathlon. </p>
<p id="KCDreo">Getting three points past the 4000 mark, Siuciak also broke the school record for the high jump in the process by clearing the bar at 1.79m (That’s a little over 5-10 for you people who use the bad system of measurement). Even in the events she didn’t break the school record in she was solid. She was just under the 12m mark in the shot and her 5.69 meter jump in long jump was second best against her competition. Because of this outstanding performance, all signs point to Siuciak this year.</p>
<p id="rmQ36l"><em>Honorable Mentions: Selina Von Jackowski, Miranda Daucher</em></p>
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<h4 id="8ZUATt">***</h4>
<p id="RPyHVg">Congrats to the honorees on great seasons! Stay tuned tomorrow for Coach of the Year, Rookies of the Year, Clutch Moment of the Year, and Fan Favorite! Today is the last day to vote for fan favorite.</p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/16/15820290/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-spring-sportsRobby Johnson2017-06-15T16:00:01-04:002017-06-15T16:00:01-04:002017 Bull Run Awards: Best of Winter Sports
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<figcaption><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></figcaption>
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<p>Another tumultuous year has passed, which means it’s time for the annual Bull Run Awards</p> <p id="0UrB1A">This is the third year of the Bull Run Awards, which we started after the 2014-15 season, our first covering each and every UB team. As always the Awards will be spread out over five days, covering each of the three seasons and two day's worth of special awards:</p>
<p id="CjVVbq"><a href="http://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/14/15801682/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-fall-sports"><strong>Day 1 - Wednesday: Fall Sports</strong></a></p>
<p id="ZwRS2B"><strong>Day 2 - Thursday: Winter Sports</strong></p>
<p id="ELWbKO"><strong>Day 3 - Friday: Spring Sports</strong></p>
<p id="KayyxM"><strong>Day 4 - Saturday: Coach of the Year, Men's and Women's Rookie of the Year, Clutch Moment of the Year, Fan Favorite ——-> </strong><a href="https://goo.gl/forms/dRMfC3iSBuq9Ple52"><em><strong>VOTE HERE</strong></em></a></p>
<p id="en5hOA"><strong>Day 5 - Sunday: Team of the Year, Men's Overall Bull of the Year, Women's Overall Bull of the Year</strong></p>
<h2 id="EiZpyJ">Winter Sports</h2>
<h3 id="IO5tvj">Men’s Basketball- Blake Hamilton*</h3>
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<cite><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></cite>
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<p id="Us3uDF">After becoming one of the most integral parts to UB’s championship season last year, Blake Hamilton was tasked with an even bigger role this time around. UB lost their starting point guard, causing head coach Nate Oats and co. to move Hamilton to the top of the key in a point-forward role and lead the team this season. </p>
<p id="hnNk5x">Although there were growing pains for Hamilton at that role, by the end of the season we were seeing the best UB basketball since Nate Oats came to Buffalo as an assistant coach. Hamilton put in the work to make the Bulls competitive and if it wasn’t for a few bad refs, he might have another MAC Championship ring on his finger. </p>
<p id="CqFIL5"><em>Honorable Mentions: Dontay Caruthers, David Kadiri, CJ Massinburg**, Christian Pino</em></p>
<p id="XPOJ0W"><em>*2016 Winner</em></p>
<p id="Gb4WtH"><em>**2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<h3 id="vy4dLl">Women’s Basketball- JoAnna Smith*</h3>
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<cite><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></cite>
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<p id="N6m2Z9">She had a slower start than the year before, but UB’s depth may be to blame. Regardless, if the Bulls went without JoAnna Smith this year, the odds of winning any game would sharply decrease. Smith’s consistent dominance has been a staple of the past two years of UB Basketball and I don’t think any fan will truly appreciate what she’s done until next season when she’s not on the court.</p>
<p id="e5JXPR">JoAnna is the type of player that will elevate the players on the floor around her. She had the green light to take any shot, but you didn’t see reckless shots hurled towards the basket. If there wasn’t a good shot, Smith passed it back to her floor general—selflessness at its best. When the best player on your team is unselfish, you’re going to win a lot of games, and Smith did just that. </p>
<p id="zifYTF"><em>Honorable Mentions: Stephanie Reid***, Cassie Oursler**, Theresa Onwuka, Summer Hemphill</em></p>
<p id="WjRZEn"><em>*2016 Winner</em></p>
<p id="EIDcNn"><em>**2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<p id="e0e7qi"><em>***2015 and 2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<h3 id="dhdEYt">Wrestling- Bryan Lantry</h3>
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<p id="gMmTfx">Continuing the Stutzman Renaissance of UB Wrestling, Bryan Lantry lead the way for the Bulls this year. Finishing with a 22-8 record this season, Lantry took his talents all the way to the NCAA Championships and was a sudden victory away in overtime from becoming only the second Bull to receive Division I All-American status.</p>
<p id="mrt1zv">But Lantry’s season isn’t painted by a single day at the NCAA Championships. Only once did he lose a match to someone who wasn’t in the top-30 of the 133 weight class rankings and by the time conference season was upon him, he was collecting wins left and right. With two more years of eligibility, there’s plenty of time for Lantry to reach even greater heights. </p>
<p id="eHqMgc"><em>Honorable Mentions: Jake Gunning**, Kyle Akins***</em></p>
<p id="7VcLWA"><em>**2016 Winner</em></p>
<p id="tLY3oZ"><em>***2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<h3 id="935gVt">Men’s Swimming and Diving- Mason Miller*</h3>
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<cite><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></cite>
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<p id="jxMCID">There’s no argument for anyone not named Mason Miller. Helping the Bulls to an array of podiums at the MAC Championships last year, Mason cleaned house in the final season for UB Men’s SwimDive. </p>
<p id="EZhc5b">So let’s just list out what he did at the MACCs because it’ll be faster than for me to argue why he was the best on the team this year:</p>
<ul>
<li id="Ovknsa">
<strong>THREE</strong> Individual MAC Championships (50 free, 100 free, 50 fly)</li>
<li id="9KkaDi">Winning member of the 400 free relay</li>
<li id="ELhCeY">Winning member of the 200 medley relay</li>
<li id="24Zdjt">Winning member of the 400 medley relay</li>
<li id="uNdrnf">All-MAC recipient</li>
</ul>
<p id="XJpZze">Oh, and he was named the MAC’s most outstanding swimmer. </p>
<p id="Gy7cT8"><em>Honorable Mentions: Hudson Carroll, Itai De La Vega**</em></p>
<p id="iERTka"><em>*2016 Winner</em></p>
<p id="RVAchp"><em>**2015 and 2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<h3 id="y7s95C">Women’s Swimming and Diving- Megan Burns*</h3>
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<cite><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></cite>
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<p id="AMQMfC">You see that photo above this sentence? Yeah, that’s what the word “dominance” looks like. Megan Burns continues to add to the trophy shelf and the history books in her time at UB. Again, let me list just a small portion of what she did this year:</p>
<ul>
<li id="zN9tCr">
<strong>THREE </strong>individual MAC titles (50 free for the third straight year, 100 free, 200 free)</li>
<li id="GYgqhE">Winning member of the 800 free relay</li>
<li id="BpkUF2">Winning member of the 200 free relay</li>
<li id="26NoNu">23rd at the NCAA Championships in both the 50 free and 100 free</li>
</ul>
<p id="1Z49jP">Oh, and she was the MAC’s most outstanding swimmer.</p>
<p id="2WMFRg"><em>Honorable Mentions: Abbey Croce, Hannah Miller, Sarah Baxter**</em></p>
<p id="PLm5ND"><em>*2015 and 2016 Winner</em></p>
<p id="CXMbf1"><em>**2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<h4 id="LO3RqP"></h4>
<h4 id="glBfD2">***</h4>
<p id="SefOUI">Congrats to the honorees on great seasons! Stay tuned tomorrow for the Spring Sports Awards!</p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/15/15810730/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-winter-sportsRobby Johnson2017-06-14T16:00:02-04:002017-06-14T16:00:02-04:002017 Bull Run Awards: Best of Fall Sports
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<figcaption><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></figcaption>
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<p>Another tumultuous year has passed, which means it’s time for the annual Bull Run Awards</p> <p id="0UrB1A">This is the third year of the Bull Run Awards, which we started after the 2014-15 season, our first covering each and every UB team. As always the Awards will be spread out over five days, covering each of the three seasons and two day's worth of special awards:</p>
<p id="CjVVbq"><strong>Day 1 - Wednesday: Fall Sports</strong></p>
<p id="ZwRS2B"><strong>Day 2 - Thursday: Winter Sports</strong></p>
<p id="xA4DI2"><strong>Day 3 - Friday: Spring Sports</strong></p>
<p id="KayyxM"><strong>Day 4 - Saturday: Coach of the Year, Men's and Women's Rookie of the Year, Clutch Moment of the Year, Fan Favorite ——-> </strong><a href="https://goo.gl/forms/dRMfC3iSBuq9Ple52"><em><strong>VOTE HERE</strong></em></a></p>
<p id="rU96jv"><strong>Day 5 - Sunday: Team of the Year, Men's Overall Bull of the Year, Women's Overall Bull of the Year</strong></p>
<h2 id="Ir7V2j">Fall Sports</h2>
<h3 id="ENVa85">Football- Jordan Johnson*</h3>
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<cite><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></cite>
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<p id="EPy3fb">For the second time, we’ve selected Jordan Johnson for this award. Last year, the now Bills running back had over a thousand all-purpose yards and 12 touchdowns. This year his numbers dropped off a bit, but then again, so did the entire offense. Johnson proved yet again how valuable of an asset he is on the ground with almost the same amount of yards and six touchdowns on the season.</p>
<p id="ROMHyP">An utterly dominant performance against Akron showed off the ceiling of this talented back. The Buffalo native ran for 282 yards, breaking a 25-year-old UB rushing record. Simply put, the effort and elusiveness that night was suffocating and was able to capture UB’s second and final win of the season. </p>
<p id="NRlny6"><em>Honorable Mentions: Mason Schreck, Khalil Hodge, Ishmael Hargrove</em></p>
<p id="gI1MCu"><em>*2016 Winner</em></p>
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<h3 id="B55FfO">Men’s Soccer- Russell Cicerone*</h3>
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<p id="RnMRoc">Last year he won MAC player of the year with an impressive 12 goals and 8 assists on the season. This year, he still managed to top that in the final season of UB Men’s Soccer. We all had huge expectations for the current Timbers 2 player this year and he delivered from day one, literally and figuratively. </p>
<p id="QjEIYg">Once again, Cicerone was the go-to guy with 14 goals to his name. His five-goal effort versus Daemen and two-goal shredding of Niagara will not be forgotten. But most of all, his perfect free kick during overtime to assist the game-winning score against Bowling Green in the MAC semi-finals will be priceless in our minds. </p>
<p id="nrdfUx"><em>Honorable Mentions: Braden Scales, David Enstrom, Joseph Kuta**, Ryan Pereira</em></p>
<p id="KgtHyK"><em>*2015 and 2016 Winner</em></p>
<p id="uQBsG9"><em>** 2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<p id="JIfRsy"></p>
<h3 id="w3NCKp">Women’s Soccer- Carissima Cutrona</h3>
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<p id="sfRg7E">Coming into the 2016 UB Women’s Soccer season, someone needed to step up and help fill the void that the graduated Kassidy Kidd left. Carissima Cutrona did just that. Earning second team All-MAC accolades, the Williamsville native brought home 10 goals and an assist—a sharp increase in scoring production from her previous season. </p>
<p id="ouPwCl">Cutrona had a pair of two-goal games in 2016, each in 3-1 efforts versus St. Bonaventure and Navy respectively. She also had back-to-back games with a goal twice, further cementing her impact on a team that will look to get back to their winning ways this upcoming season. </p>
<p id="sUNg6e"><em>Honorable Mentions: Julia Benati**, Moira Petrie, Nicole Gerritz</em></p>
<p id="o06yAd"><em>**2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<p id="noc2mH"></p>
<h3 id="CgVDkj">Men’s Cross Country- Barrett Kemp*</h3>
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<p id="qcYAtU">Once he got back into the thick of things midway through the season, Barrett Kemp was more of an asset to UB Cross Country than the year before, especially because of the departure of Cameron Bruce. Kemp lead the way for the Bulls in both the MAC Championships and the NCAA Northeast Regionals, garnering 7th and 37th place finishes respectively in each. Thanks to Barrett’s feat in the Northeast Regionals, the Bulls were able to finish eighth overall, the second best performance UB history. </p>
<p id="Io3rKd"><em>Honorable Mentions: Andrew Berge, Jack Jibb</em></p>
<p id="uASpv1"><em>*2016 Co-Winner</em></p>
<h3 id="CYBUhS">Women’s Cross Country- Stephanie Ward</h3>
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<cite><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></cite>
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<p id="0fSOuM">Stephanie Ward is only a freshman, but she’s already made a name for herself at UB. Ward became the highest finishing freshman in program history at the MAC Championships with her 13th place 21:44.40 result in the 6K. Then, just a week later the freshman showed off her potential at Regionals, finishing 21st and being named to the All-Region team. That also had never been done by a freshman in UB’s history. With Ward leading the way, UB Women’s Cross Country has a very bright future.</p>
<p id="wuGyn7"><em>Honorable Mentions: Morgan Mahoney, Rachel Barich**</em></p>
<p id="CXbkrl"><em>**2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<p id="jg4K8p"></p>
<h3 id="Zy0zOx">Volleyball- Cassie Shado*</h3>
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<cite><a href="http://ubbulls.com">UB Athletics</a></cite>
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<p id="kDWRgc">Cassie Shado as the MVP for this past season’s volleyball team? Yeah, it’s a no-brainer. The senior-to-be led the MAC in hitting percentage at .400, which is also the second best in school history. Huge performances from Shado were common occurrences—hitting at .769 against Bucknell and her dominating 22 kill effort at Akron comes to mind. There’s no telling how much UB’s young roster would’ve struggled without her. For a team looking to make a rebound next season, Shado will be right at the forefront yet again. </p>
<p id="qJFJDf"><em>Honorable Mentions: Megan Wernette**, Valisha Watkins**, Scout McLerran</em></p>
<p id="rVTsWv"><em>*2015 and 2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<p id="YxchUe"><em>**2016 Honorable Mention</em></p>
<p id="SkKv5c"></p>
<p id="fKuc1F">***</p>
<p id="tstOw8">Congrats to the honorees on great seasons! Stay tuned tomorrow for the Winter Sports Awards!</p>
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https://www.ubbullrun.com/2017/6/14/15801682/2017-bull-run-awards-best-of-ubs-fall-sportsRobby Johnson