RICHMOND, Va, (June 27, 2024) – The CAA has announced the 20 recipients of the prestigious Leadership and Sport Excellence Award for the 2023-24 academic year.
The award mimics the Chuck Boone Leadership Award in football and the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award in men’s and women’s basketball. One student-athlete, who represents the highest standards of teamwork, integrity, leadership, and sportsmanship in his or her academic and athletic achievements, was selected in each of the other 21 sports sponsored by the Conference.
After evaluating the nominees, the CAA’s Faculty Athletic Representatives voted on the winners.
The 2023-24 CAA Leadership and Sport Excellence Award winners are as follows:
Baseball:
Brendan Pattermann, Stony Brook – Pattermann posted a 3.81 GPA while earning his bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. The senior is a conference SAAC member and the Stony Brook institutional SAAC President. As President, Pattermann organized the most successful campus food drives, providing gift baskets for their Easter Basket Giveaway. On the field, Pattermann made 44 appearances out of the bullpen during his career, posting a 6-2 record with six saves and 51 strikeouts in 75.0 innings.
Men’s Cross Country:
Zane Jackson, Elon – Jackson has accumulated a 3.685 GPA in pursuit of his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Biology. A two-year team captain, Jackson has provided valuable leadership throughout the program and the Elon community. His impact on local youth is evident in tutoring elementary children and working with the Boys and Girls Club. In cross country, Jackson has three top-25 finishes at the CAA Championship, including a 10th-place effort in 2022, earning him All-CAA honors.
Women’s Cross Country:
Aubrey Schaffer, Towson – Schaffer graduated with a 3.958 GPA while completing her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. In addition, she occupied the role of SAAC President at Towson. As president, she has assisted in numerous community service activities, and her leadership is the main reason Towson ranks nationally in community service amongst the HelperHelper challenge. Also, a leader on the cross country team, Schaffer was the top finisher for the Tigers in all five competitions this fall, including her best-ever placement at the CAA Championship.
Field Hockey:
Jayden Moon, William & Mary – Moon recently completed a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Kinesiology while recording a 3.77 GPA. The Virginia native has given back to the pets and wildlife of her community, taking part in volunteer veterinary work for Paradoc’s Animal Hospital and researching brittle stars for a marine research lab. The two-time team captain, first-team All-CAA honoree, and the Tribe’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year also served as a volunteer coach for USA Field Hockey Development Programming. Moon was invited to the U21 USA Junior squad training camp in 2022.
Men’s Golf:
Matthew Doyle, Elon – Doyle is working towards his bachelor’s degree in Finance, maintaining a 3.689 GPA. A two-year team captain, Doyle overcame a rare condition that threatened to end his athletic career at six years old and used that experience to affect others positively. The junior is a prominent member of Team IMPACT – an organization helping children with chronic illnesses by pairing them and their families with college campuses and sports teams to provide a supportive environment to cope with their situations. In addition, Doyle has helped Elon to back-to-back runner-up finishes at the CAA Championship, earning First Team All-CAA and CAA All-Tournament team accolades after a third-place effort in 2023.
Women’s Golf:
Mallory Fobes, UNCW – Fobes completed her illustrious UNCW career with a 3.58 GPA and degree in Tourism, Recreation, and Sport. The North Carolinian was a four-time All-CAA first team honoree and qualified as an at-large individual in the 2023 NCAA Regional in Raleigh. Fobes held a 3.9 GPA or better in each of her final four semesters and has been an active volunteer in initiatives including food drives, beach clean-ups, and helping provide Christmas gifts to those in need in the local community. Back on the course, Fobes has been heavily involved in teaching the game to the next generation in the local community through her work with First Tee Greater Wilmington.
Men’s Lacrosse:
Chase Patterson, Hofstra –Patterson completed his bachelor’s in Marketing with a 3.86 GPA before pursuing his master’s, currently maintaining a 3.96 GPA in his graduate studies. He is a two-year team captain and an inaugural member of the Colonel E. David Woycik, Jr. (Ret) Esq. Pride Leadership Academy on campus. This spring, Patterson earned Second Team All-CAA honors, leading the conference with 126 ground balls and 209 face-off wins. In his career, Patterson tallied 12 points on three goals and nine assists, ranking sixth in league history with 339 ground balls and seventh with a .568 face-off winning percentage.
Women’s Lacrosse:
Sammy Fisher, Elon – Fisher enters her senior season with a 3.945 GPA while studying Sport Management at Elon. The Floridian helped Elon to its first CAA Championship appearance since 2021 this spring and was a second-team All-CAA honoree. Off the field, Fisher helped organize the Women Influencers in Sports Forum, participated in a mental health initiative with Morgan’s Message, and volunteered her time to raise money for those in need in Alamance County during the Christmas season. Fisher’s research on “Crafting a Winning Fan Community” earned top-five recognition at the 2023 Sport Marketing Association’s annual Case Study Bowl.
Rowing:
Mollie Knoff, Drexel – Knoff worked towards a Health Sciences degree with a minor in Exercise Science and a 3.36 GPA. Knoff’s extensive community service involvement includes the cleaning of city parks and schools in Philadelphia, canned food and clothing drives, and fundraisers of a dance marathon and a “Pied on Pi Day” event to support the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The South Jersey native was an invitee to the U23 National Team and a CAA champion the Second Varsity Eight as a freshman before runner-up showings in various events in 2021-23.
Men’s Soccer:
Josef Hefele, UNCW – Hefele studied Business Administration with a concentration in accounting, compiling a 3.875 GPA in pursuit of his undergraduate degree. Hefele is a leader on and off the field as a three-year team captain and UNCW SAAC member. Furthermore, he has volunteered in the community with Habitat for Humanity and the Wilmington Food Bank, participating in the Wilmington Beach cleanup and coaching children with disabilities. Additionally, the senior earned Second Team All-CAA honors as a defender in 2022.
Women’s Soccer:
Makaya Parham, UNCW – Parham completed her bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing Strategy while sporting a 3.732 GPA. UNCW’s most recent SAAC President, Parham was also co-founder of UNCW’s Black Student-Athlete Association and participated in community service initiatives that included time at a local food bank and the cleanup of local beaches. Parham was a two-time All-CAA honoree, a team captain in 2023, and helped UNCW to a regular-season title in 2021.
Women’s Soccer:
Jenna Snead, Charleston – Snead completed undergraduate and graduate coursework with a 4.0 GPA, studying physics for her bachelor’s degree and going on to a master’s in Data Science & Analytics. Snead received numerous awards for her academic research, served as a team captain, and volunteered as the assistant coach of a local high school team. She earned an Outstanding Student Award for her master’s program this spring and the Outstanding Research in Physics honor as a senior.
Softball:
Gabi Schaal, Elon – Schaal has recorded a 3.83 GPA as a biology major at Elon while overcoming being sidelined on the field to thrive in a new opportunity. The Floridian was an All-CAA second-teamer in 2022 as a third baseman before a knee injury wiped out her following campaign. Schaal bounced back in 2024 – with a move to first base in her return – and was again a second-team honoree. She holds leadership positions in Elon’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Phoenix Leadership Academy and contributed time as a volunteer at the Open Door Clinic.
Men’s Swimming & Diving:
Brian Benzing, Towson – Benzing concluded his career as one of the most decorated student-athletes in CAA Swimming and Diving history. The senior earned his bachelor’s in Sport Management with a 3.767 GPA. In addition, he has been a team captain for three years and is a member of SAAC at Towson. Benzing has participated in numerous volunteer activities at Towson, including food drives, book drives, Special Olympics, adopt-a-highway cleanup, and more. In the pool, Benzing is the CAA’s first four-time Men’s Swimmer of the Year, a three-time Swimmer of the Meet at the CAA Championship, a conference record holder in four events, a three-time NCAA Championship qualifier, and an All-American.
Women’s Swimming & Diving:
Kellie Knotts, Campbell – Knotts completed her studies in Exercise & Sport Science with a 3.871 GPA. A four-time member of the conference’s scoring roster, Knotts was active in the local community in Buies Creek, coordinating a Polar Plunge to benefit NC Special Olympics, a Christmas present drive that resulted in the donation of over 400 gifts, a prom for students with special needs, and a day to write thank you letters to local first responders.
Men’s Tennis:
Daniel Martin, Elon – Martin also won the CAA Leadership and Sport Excellence award in 2023, continuing his high standard of achievement on and off the court. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a 4.00 GPA, Martin has maintained a 4.00 in pursuit of his master’s in Business Analytics. Additionally, he volunteers at a tennis clinic for children with disabilities and works with Habitat for Humanity. On the court, he was a Third Team All-CAA selection, earning postseason accolades for the third straight season. The honors come after Martin was CAA Player of the Year and Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2023.
Women’s Tennis:
Peyton Brotzman, Charleston – Brotzman held a 3.95 GPA in both her Bachelor’s studies in Marketing and ensuing MBA. The Texan overcame ACL surgeries on both knees to post winning records in the year following both procedures and was 9-5 in her graduate season. Off the court, Brotzman cooked meals for a women’s shelter, volunteered at a local food pantry, knitted baby blankets with the elderly at a local church, and used her data skills to help the local Ronald McDonald House organize a donor database.
Men’s Track & Field:
Nickolis Anderson, UNCW – Anderson accumulated a 3.80 GPA while earning his bachelor’s degree in Nursing. The senior has participated in several community service endeavors, including the Battleship Marathon, Wilmington Marathon and the Miracle League of Wilmington. On the track, Anderson is a two-time NCAA East Preliminary qualifier in the 400-meters. He has earned All-CAA honors twice in the 400-meter and was a CAA Champion in the 4x400-meter relay during the 2022 season.
Women’s Track & Field:
Carolyn Coletti, Delaware – Coletti compiled a 3.991 GPA during her undergraduate studies, receiving her bachelor’s in Environmental Studies. In addition, she served as a team captain for the Delaware Cross Country and Track and Field programs during her senior year. Her leadership extends throughout the Blue Hens community, organizing several groups on campus. Coletti is the chief arranger and member of CresHENdo Acappella, the co-leader of an InterVarsity Christian Bible Study and the president and co-founder of the Honors Varsity Student Athletes.
Volleyball:
Emma Appleman, Charleston – Appleman has recorded a 3.8 GPA through her junior year as a double major in Psychology and Spanish. A team captain and the incoming president of Charleston’s SAAC group, Appleman started the Cougars’ Dig Pink event and raised $2,000 in the first year of the initiative in 2023 to benefit the Magee Women’s Research Institute and Foundation. The Connecticut native’s volunteer efforts have also included time at Lowcountry Orphan Relief and as an intern in the athletic department, focusing on content about mental health initiatives.
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