BOCA RATON, Fla. – (March 20, 2019) – As the 2018-19 academic year nears its conclusion, Florida Atlantic University athletics took a pause from competition, uniforms and team-oriented activities to don party dresses or suits on Monday night for the 2019 Owlspys, an event organized and presented by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Once again the Owlspys, hosted by SAAC President and baseball player Nick Swan, recognized top teams and individual achievements and highlighted off-the-field talents through performances by the FAU dance team and a musical performance by redshirt freshman quarterback Cordel Littlejohn.
The night’s highest honors were awarded to Ebba Blomqvist, a senior defender on the women’s soccer team, who earned female student-athlete of the year and Harrison Bryant, a junior tight end on the football team who was named male student-athlete of the year.
Blomqvist became one of the more decorated players in recent program annals, building on her junior campaign with First Team United Soccer Coaches All-South Region honors, as well as her second-straight First Team All-Conference USA nod. She started and played in all 21 matches for the co-regular season C-USA champs, tallying 1,870 out of a possible 1,916 minutes on the pitch, scoring three goals and adding two assists. The native of Skovde, Sweden also was lauded for her efforts in the classroom, as a First Team C-USA All-Academic member as well as to the United Soccer Coaches Women’s Scholar All-South Region team. The biology major holds a 3.643 GPA.
Bryant, a Gray, Georgia native, ended his junior campaign second on the team with 45 receptions for 662 yards and added four touchdowns. Bryant lead all Conference USA (C-USA) tight ends in receiving yards and was listed No. 13 among all league receivers in average yards per game, while placing No. 11 in total yards. He was a First Team All-C-USA selection, was part of the 11-member C-USA All-Academic football team and was named Second Team All-American by PFF. Bryant is a health administration major and holds a 3.688 GPA.
Owlspy Award Winners
All-Freshman Team (female): Juliette Gauthier (basketball), Savannah Pesante (beach volleyball), Arielle Keating (golf), Hailey Landrus (soccer), Myah Murray (softball), Taylor Downs (swimming and diving), May Kimhi (tennis), Lauren Macon (cross country), Jamesha Moore (track and field), Zophia Dulaney (cheer) and Trinity Kuether (dance)
All-Freshman Team (male): Hunter Cooley (baseball), Jericho Cooey (cross country), Michael Forrest (basketball), BJ Etienne (football), Bruce Morrison (golf), Alonso Coello (soccer), Michael Cannatelli (swimming and diving) and Kirac Bekisoglu (tennis)
Coach of the Year: Patrick Baker (women’s soccer)
Female Sportsmanship Award: Sydney Riggs (volleyball)
Male Sportsmanship Award: Gerald Hearns (football)
Best Performance of the Year: Beach Volleyball
Student-Athlete Choice Award: Dasha Cherkasov
Funniest Action Shot of the Year: Ignacio Garcia (men’s tennis)
Female Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Carly Scarbrough (beach volleyball)
Male Outstanding Academic Achievement Award: Hagay Jalon (soccer)
Female Community Service Award: Kelsey Witkay (swimming and diving)
Male Community Service Award: Sully Zagerman (soccer)
Team Community Service Award: Men’s Soccer
Female OWLstanding Spirit Award: Fayth Davis (softball)
Male OWLstanding Spirit Award: Karlis Silins (men’s basketball)
Female Athlete of the Year: Mary O’Hara (soccer)
Male Athlete of the Year: Tyler Frank (baseball)
Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Ebba Blomqvist (soccer)
Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Harrison Bryant (football)
Owl Cup: Women’s Soccer
A 2019 Owlspy photo gallery will be added to FAUSports.com on Tuesday.
– FAUSports.com –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (Beach Volleyball, Men’s Swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and have captured two bowl games. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU Cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit fau.edu.
