JAMAICA, NY --- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College department of athletics celebrated the 2018-19 academic year Friday evening with The YESPYS, the 44th annual Athletic Awards Banquet, held inside York College Gymnasium.

Sophomore Shawn Nemoto (men's cross country, volleyball, indoor/outdoor track & field), a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) track & field team representative, and freshman Kristina Sierra (women's basketball), a SAAC treasurer and women's basketball team representative, helped recognize the outstanding athletic accomplishments as emcees for the night.



The event opened with welcoming remarks by director of athletics Deneé Barracato and vice president for student development Vincent Banrey.


Provost Panayiotis Meleties presented the department's Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award to sophomore Adedayo Epemolu, who owns a a 3.915 grade-point average as a economics major competing on the men's soccer and indoor/outdoor track & field teams.  


VP Banrey also presented the Team Academic Award to men's tennis, who boast a collective 3.094 GPA.  This marked the third-straight Academic Team of the Year garnered by men's tennis. The award honors a team with the highest combined GPA for the academic year.     

The department of athletics gave out SAAC recognition awards by recognizing a select group of campus personnel for their contributions that contribute to further enhancing the student-athlete experience:

• Beverly Brown (Financial Aid Office)
• Dr. Jay Choi (Counseling Center)
• Anthony Lane (Buildings & Grounds)
• Marcia Moxam Comrie (Marketing/Communications)
• Glen Roew (Buildings & Grounds)
• Eastman Tsang (Department of Foreign Language)

CUNYAC Scholar-Athletes, CUNYAC All-Stars and CUNYAC Sportsmanship Team recipients from the 2018-19 academic year were also recognized.

Each team gave out the following awards:
Men's Cross Country           
Most Outstanding                   Terrell Trumpet
Newcomer of the Year            Quavan Maupin
Coaches Award                      Keshawn Ross

Women's Cross Country
Most Outstanding                   Emely Cuevas
Newcomer of the Year            Jaylene Coye
Coaches Award                      Shalanie McIntosh

Men's Soccer
Most Outstanding                   Rohan Burrell
Newcomer of the Year            Johan Bermeo
Coaches Award                      Adedayo Epemolu

Women's Soccer
Most Outstanding                   Geraldine Guese
Newcomer of the Year            Elodie Dorvile
Coaches Award                      Taylor Bellmon

Women's Tennis
Most Outstanding                   Geraldine Guese
Newcomer of the Year             Rimsha Razi
Coaches Award                      Monique James

Women's Volleyball
Most Outstanding                   Chayana Jimenez
Newcomer of the Year             Kiara Gonzalez
Coaches Award                      Shamonie Miller

Men's Swimming
Most Outstanding                   Jeremy Chao
Newcomer of the Year            Arafath Hussain
Coaches Award                      Anthony Nazario, Jr.

Women's Swimming             
Most Outstanding                   Mariela Rosario
Newcomer of the Year            Isis Funez
Coaches Award                      Nicolasa Restituyo

Men's Indoor Track & Field
Most Outstanding                   Dammon Trimmingham
Newcomer of the Year            Shevon Walker
Coaches Award                      Keshawn Ross

Women's Indoor Track & Field
Most Outstanding                   Kalice Hitchman
Newcomer of the Year            Destiny Scott
Coaches Award                      Emely Cuevas

Men's Basketball
Most Outstanding                   Darin Dove
Newcomer of the Year            Devine Chisholm
Coaches Award                      Luca Tamer

Women's Basketball              
Most Outstanding                   Mac-Dege Dessources            
Newcomer of the Year            Ellma Hodzic
Coaches Award                      Keyla Cabrera

Men's Volleyball
Most Outstanding                   Kevin Campbell
Newcomer of the Year            Fatmir Glavatovic
Coaches Award                      Philton Paul

Cheerleading
Most Outstanding                   Kerry-Ann Bailey
Newcomer of the Year            Venecia Washington
Coaches Award                      Valerie Hernandez

Men's Tennis
Most Outstanding                   Ralph Ramos
Newcomer of the Year            Tanvir Hossain
Coaches Award                      Luis Portorreal

Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Most Outstanding                   Rojhn Miller
Newcomer of the Year            Shevon Walker
Coaches Award                      Keshawn Ross

Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Most Outstanding                   Kalice Hitchman
Newcomer of the Year            Destiny Scott
Coaches Award                      Ellma Hodzic

Softball
Most Outstanding                   Nicole Ovelheira
Newcomer of the Year            Rosenery Chicaiza
Coaches Award                      Dorianny Rojas


The 2018-19 senior class of 19 (listed below) were presented with Senior Awards and a tribute video for their dedication to York College Athletics.

• Kerry-Ann Bailey (Cheerleading)
• Rohan Burrell (Men's Soccer)
• Malik Campbell (Men's Track & Field)
• Jeremy Chao (Men's Swimming)
• Argenis Contreras Sanabria (Women's Swimming, Softball, Volleyball, Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field)
• Darin Dove (Men's Basketball)
• Rosalis Espinal (Women's Soccer)
• Taishaun Forehand-Jenkins (Men's Basketball)
• Valerie Hernandez (Cheerleading)               
• Brandon Herriot (Men's Basketball)
• Maliqe John (Men's Basketball)
• Dayana Moscoso (Women's Soccer)
• Ralph Ramos (Men's Tennis)
• Nicolasa Restituyo (Women's Swimming, Softball, Volleyball)
• Oscar Rojas (Men's Soccer)
• Sheahna Roscher (Women's Basketball)
• Isaiah Segarra (Cheerleading)
• Harry Silva  (Men's Volleyball)
• Dammon Trimmingham (Men's Indoor/Outdoor Track & Field)

The evening culminated with the department's remaining major awards.

The Female and Male Athlete of the Year Awards were claimed by freshman Mac-Dege Dessources (women's basketball) and senior Rohan Burrell (men's soccer), respectively.  This award recognizes the top female and male student-athlete who had the most successful season of competition.

Dessources finished the season as the NCAA Division III leader in rebounds (403) and rebounds per game (16.1).  She also ranked among the nations best in defensive rebounds per game (2nd, 10.0), offensive rebounds per game (4th, 6.0), blocked shots (16th, 68), blocked shots per game (14th, 2.72) and double-doubles (43rd, 10).  Dessources was selected as a five-time CUNYAC Rookie of the Week honoree and led the league in blocked shots, blocked shots per game, rebounds, rebounds per game, offensive rebounds, offensive rebounds per game, defensive rebounds and defensive rebounds per game.  She was also a member of the outdoor track & field team.



Burrell Jr. made a great impact on the season with a team-leading 25 points and 12 goals.  He finished the campaign ranked second in the CUNYAC in goals per game (0.8) and tied for third in goals en route to earning CUNYAC All-Star status.  Burrell Jr. also ranked 37th in the nation in goals per game (0.8), 63rd in goals and 65th in points per game (1.67).


The Team of the Year went to men's basketball, who produced three more wins from a season ago, and developed a CUNYAC Rookie of the Year in Devine Chisholm as well as placing Taishaun Forehand-Jenkins on the CUNYAC All-Star Second-Team.  Men's Basketball also collected five CUNYAC Weekly honors and ranked second in the league in fewest turnovers (372), and third in total rebounds per game (40.28, 75th in nation) and free-throw percentage (70.6).  This award goes to a team that was deemed to have had the best overall season with not only success on the field of play, but also factors in off-the-field matters such as embodying community spirit and consistently representing the school with character and integrity.


The Coach of the Year was awarded to head women's basketball coach Anastasia Bitis.  Bitis developed a CUNAYC All-Sportsmanship Team honoree, Keyla Cabrera, as well as an NCAA individual Rebounding Champion, Mac-Dege Dessources.  With a total of five CUNYAC weekly honors throughout the season, Bitis' program concluded the year ranked second in the nation in rebounds per game (51.0) in addition to finishing fifth in defensive rebounds per game (32.0) and seventh in offensive rebounds per game (7.0), all of which led the CUNYAC.  This award honors a coach who has demonstrated an exemplary ability to develop and improve individual and team performance both on and off the field of play throughout the year.  


The "I am a Cardinal" Award, which is given to the student-athlete who most embodies the team-first principles of sportsmanship, mutual respect, commitment and discipline, was awarded to senior Argenis Contreras Sanabria, who competed on the women's volleyball, softball, swimming and indoor/outdoor track & field teams during her time as a Cardinal.

The Career Award is given to one female and one male student-athlete who was deemed to have the most impactful career with a minimum of three years played at York College.  Each honoree must have exhausted eligibility (in their primary sport, if applicable) or be a graduating student-athlete. Seniors Nicole Ovelheira (softball) and Dammon Trimmingham (men's indoor/outdoor track & field) were named this year's recipients of the Career Awards.


Ovelheira was a four-year starter who set the tone for the program during her time as a Cardinal.  She garnered back-to-back CUNYAC All-Star nods to become just the second Cardinal in program history to do so.  In 2019, she became the program's all-time leader with 93 hits and tied the York's career record for runs batted in (66) and single-game record for hits (5).


Trimmingham competed in all four years as a member of the men's indoor and outdoor track & field teams.  As a three-time CUNYAC All-Star, Trimmingham was recently crowned the CUNYAC Champion in the shot put at the 2019 CUNYAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.  He won the weight throw event at the 2018-19 CUNYAC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Trimmingham also qualified for both the ECAC Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the hammer event as a senior.

The Female and Male Newcomer of the Year Award, which is awarded to the top newcomers who had the most successful first season as a Cardinal, went to junior Geraldine Guese (women's soccer, tennis, swimming, indoor/outdoor track & field) and freshman Devine Chisholm (men's basketball), respectively.  


Guese was named to the CUNYAC Women's Tennis All-Star Team as well as being recognized as the CUNYAC Sportsmanship Award winner for women's soccer.  She also contributed to a first-place finish in the 4x400 at the 2018-19 CUNYAC Indoor Track & Field Championships.  


Chisholm averaged 9.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 25 games played to earn the CUNYAC Rookie of the Year award. He also was recognized three times during the season as the CUNYAC Rookie of the Week.   
   
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