Dining with Champions award finalists announced; fan voting now open

Dining with Champions is Millersville Athletics' annual celebration of its best and brightest student-athletes. This year, fans can help decide the winners of four awards. The winners will be announced at the May 21 event. This year's Dining with Champions is free to attend but all attendees must register in advance.  

Cast your vote for the most deserving student-athlete in each of the four award categories: Distinguished Scholar-Athlete, Community Service, Female Career Achievement and Male Career Achievement. 

DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR-ATHLETE

The Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award is presented to the senior student-athlete who has achieved a high cumulative GPA while also excelling in all aspects of being a student-athlete. 

Anthony Calamia, Men's Soccer

• 3.94 GPA (Accounting and Finance)
• All-PSAC East Second Team and D2CCA/USC All-Atlantic Region Second Team selection in 2021
• Four-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete
• Tied for the team lead in goals and shots in 2021
• Helped his team to three-straight PSAC titles and three NCAA Tournament berths including a run to the national quarterfinals in 2021

Kelsey Heckert, Women's Tennis

• 3.91 GPA (Mathematics)
• All-PSAC East First Team Singles in 2018-19 and All-PSAC East First Team Doubles in 2020-21
• Two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and a three-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete
• Helped the team to a PSAC runner-up finish in 2021 and a PSAC East Championship in 2022
• Owns a 40-24 all-time singles record and 38-22 career doubles record
• Has gone 9-0 in singles vs. the PSAC East over the last two seasons and is 13-0 in her career in PSAC East doubles matches

James Sullivan, Men's Basketball

• 3.91 GPA (International Studies)
• All-PSAC East First Team selection in 2022 and an All-PSAC East Second Team pick in 2020
• Two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 and four-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete
• Ranks 23rd all-time in scoring (1,330 points) and ranks in the top 10 in steals and 3-pointers as well as second all-time in games played
• Helped team to first PSAC East title since 2007 and the first championship game appearance and NCAA Tournament since 2008

Cassandra Vogel, Women's Golf

• 3.99 GPA (Business Administration)
• Four-year starter for the golf team
• Three-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete and two-time WGCA All-American Scholar
• Three career top-10 finishes and 12 career top-25 finishes
• Has helped her team to a three tournament wins in 2021-22

COMMUNITY SERVICE

The Community Service Award is presented to the student-athlete or team who goes above and beyond in their efforts to serve. 

Meredith Fagan, Field Hockey

• A graduate student with a bachelor's degree in psychology and now studying school counseling, Fagan has spent the last four years volunteering at Camp Dragonfly, an offering of Hospice of Central Pa., which offers a place for children ages 6-15 who are grieving the death of a family member. Prior to attending Millersville, Fagan lost her mother to cancer, and through firsthand experience, Fagan helped children cope with their loss and aid in the healing process. 

Sam Fried, Softball

• In addition to her efforts with softball and serving on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Fried is a devoted and dependable worker in the athletic department. She works with athletic training, and in the fall and spring semesters, she assisted with COVID testing, starting at 6 a.m., three times each week. Fried also works with athletic operations and is a valuable part of making sure gameday runs smoothly for other sports. 

Ilana Jacobson, Women's Swimming

• Jacobson is a member of Millersville's SAAC and also spent hours volunteering away from campus. Jacobson assisted with youth swimming meets at Cumberland Valley and Hampton Township, and assisted a teacher at an area elementary school with organizing the classroom and with student support. Additionally, Jacobson worked in child services at her synagogue, Temple Beth El. 
   

Garrett Lowe, Baseball

• Even while balancing school and baseball, Lowe has been an active member in fire service for two years. He currently serves both York County Station 54 in Stewartstown and Blue Rock Fire and Rescue (Station 905). As a fire service member, he is on call to respond to medical emergencies, fires, accidents and fire alarms. In the past year, Lowe has been called out to five structure fires and numerous emergencies such as cardiac arrests, brush fires and vehicle accidents. Lowe comes from a family of firemen and paramedics and he hopes to be a professional firefighter. 
   

Leah Miksa, Women's Swimming

• A member of the Millersville University Honors College, Miksa devotes time to a variety of community functions both on and off campus. In the summer of 2021, she worked with the YMCA of Bucks County to develop a fundraising campaign to help those in need afford to send kids to summer camp. Through Lubavitch of Bucks County, Miksa provides support for religious school teachers in the winter, helping them build a diverse network of social, educational and religious programming. On campus, Miksa participated in the events such as the Day of Caring, cleaning up on a local playground. 

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (FEMALE)

The Career Achievement Award is presented to the seniors who have excelled at the highest level in competition, making a significant impact for his or her team.

Lauren Downey, Women's Soccer

• A three-time All-PSAC selection, including first team recognition in 2021
• Named United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Atlantic Region Second Team in 2021
• An outstanding defender who helped Millersville to the first two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history, its first NCAA Tournament win, a school record for wins in a season, and the second PSAC title game appearance in program history
• Totaled 65 career starts over four seasons
• Led the team in assists as a senior
• Named to the USC All-Region Scholar Team

Lauren Lister, Women's Basketball

• Millersville's all-time leading scorer and one of just 15 players in PSAC history to score over 2,000 career points
• Set the career scoring record by more than 400 points
• Owns single-season scoring record, scoring 25.5 points per game in 2019-20
• Named PSAC East Athlete of the Year in 2019
• Three-time All-PSAC East First Team selection and a two-time All-Atlantic Region Second Team honoree
• Voted CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team in 2021
   

Aliyah Striver, Women's Track & Field

• Two-time PSAC Indoor Championships Field Athlete of the Meet 
• Two-time PSAC indoor champ in the shot put and a champ while winning the weight throw once and finishing runner-up once
• A three-time All-PSAC finisher at the PSAC Outdoor Championships, placing top-three in the hammer and shot put
• A four-time USTFCCCA All-Atlantic Region honoree
• A 2020 national qualifier and All-American in the indoor shot put
• Qualified for the 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the shot put
• A USTFCCCA All-Academic Team member
• Helped team to a runner-up finish at the PSAC Outdoor Championships in 2019

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (MALE)

Carlos Martinez-Lucas, Men's Tennis

• The 2019 PSAC Athlete of the Year--one of just three Marauders to ever win the award
• Won the 2021 PSAC Doubles Championship
• Entered senior season as a two-time All-PSAC First Team selection in singles and a first team doubles pick in 2021
• Ranks first in Millersville history in career singles winning percentage and is fourth in career doubles wins
• A three-time PSAC Athlete of the Week so far in 2022
• Has been the No. 1 player in Millersville's lineup for four seasons, guiding the team to postseason appearances each year

Caden Najdawi, Men's Basketball

• Voted the 2022 PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year, becoming just the second player in program history to win the award
• Two-time All-PSAC East Second Team selection
• Scored over 1,000 career points and finished career ranked in Millersville's top 10 in rebounding and blocked shots
• A four-year starter who took Millersville to four PSAC Tournament appearances and a banner 2021-22 season that included the team's first PSAC East title since 2007, a PSAC runner-up finish and its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2008

Luke Trainer, Baseball

• Already a two-time All-PSAC East First Team selection and on his way to a third honor in 2022
• Consensus All-Atlantic Region First Team pick in 2021
• Led the PSAC in RBIs in 2021 and currently among the PSAC leaders in hitting, on base percentage and RBIs in 2022
• Ranks in the top five all-time at Millersville in career RBIs and is projected to finish in the top 10 in doubles, runs and hits
• Helped team to two PSAC East titles and three NCAA Tournament berths