COLTS ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS PAST WINNERS
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Jon Braun, Wrestling
The Male Athlete of the Year went to Jon Braun, a sophomore wrestler who capped an outstanding career at Middlesex College with a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in Iowa. A strong student, Braun captured the Gulf District Championship by knocking off the #1 seed who was a returning Region champion from 2024. That clinched a spot in the NJCAA National Tournament for Braun, where he won one match.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Isabelle Marin, Women's Soccer
Isabelle Marin from the Women's Soccer team was voted as the Female Athlete of the Year after a fantastic career on the pitch. Marin, a two-time First Team All-Region 19 honoree, was sixth in the country in both goals (16) and assists (11). She led Middlesex to an 8-6-1 record and a berth in the District Championship Game. Marin had goals in 10 of the 15 games she played and had five multi-goal games.
COACH OF THE YEAR - Matt Mehalick, Softball
Mehalick led the Colts to a 27-10 record and had Middlesex ranked in the top 10 NJCAA National Poll nearly all season in his first and only season as the team's head coach. The Colts achieved a high ranking of #8 this year and finished third in the Region 19 Tournament. The 27 wins recorded by the Colts were the most in recent history by Middlesex College. Among those 27 wins were five victories over nationally ranked teams.
SHANNON WILLIAMS COLTS SPIRIT AWARD - Jalena Santiago, Women's Basketball & Softball
Santiago was a member of both the Women's Basketball and Softball teams and was a key contributor on both squads. Santiago's positive attitude on both squads was uplifting to her teammates and coaches and she always carried a welcoming presence in the athletic department.
VINCENT DeSARIO AWARD - Rohim Chhetri, Men's Volleyball
Chhetri was an outstanding student, garnering one of the highest GPAs among student-athletes, while also starring for the Men's Volleyball team. In addition, Chhetri volunteered his time in the department to assist with the Colts Women's Volleyball team.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Michael Wansaw, Baseball
Wansaw was the Colts top pitcher, hitter and baserunner this season. On the mound, Wansaw went 6-2 with 108 strikeouts in 70 innings. His 108 Ks were 3rd in the country among D3 pitchers. He hit .433 at the plate this season and was 11th in the country with 84 hits, which set a new Middlesex College record. His 43 stolen bases were 5th in the country for Division III. Wansaw had 31 multi-hit games this season. Wansaw had a knack for coming up clutch and that was best seen when he delivered the biggest hit for the Colts this season, a walk-off double to beat Cumberland in a wild extra-inning game in the first round of the playoffs. Wansaw was also an NJCAA All-Academic Team Member.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Makenzie Marsh, Softball
Marsh was the only freshman to receive one of the Colts major awards this year. Middlesex College softball had one of the top offensive teams in the country and as the leadoff hitter, Makenzie was the player who got the engine started. A 1st Team All-Region player and National Player of the Week, Makenzie hit safely in 28 of the Colts 30 games this season. Her .489 batting average and .567 on base percentage were both 12th in the nation among qualified hitters. She batted a team-high .490 among Region 19 games. She was a key reason the Colts went 24-7 and gained a share of the 2024 Region 19 softball regular season title. Marsh also played a stellar second base and was also an NJCAA All-Academic Team Member.
COACH OF THE YEAR - Winston Smith, Men's Basketball
Smith led the Colts to a 20-9 record, the D2 GSAC regular season title and a berth in the Region 19 playoffs in their first year as a D2 program. Middlesex started the season winning seven straight games and was ranked as high as #21 in the NJCAA D2 MBB national poll. The Colts also had a separate ten-game winning streak during the season. They also beat three teams that were nationally ranked (Dutchess, Raritan, Morris). Smith was named GSAC Coach of the Year. In addition, Smith is a leader in the department in the area of community service and campus engagement, often organizing his players in volunteer efforts.
SHANNON WILLIAMS COLTS SPIRIT AWARD - Ashley Knuth, Women's Basketball
Named in honor of longtime Middlesex College Equipment Aide who passed away suddenly in 2022, this year's recipient was Ashley Knuth from the women's basketball team. A two-year member of the women's basketball team, Knuth was a dedicated team player and leader for head coach Michel Powell. Despite being a dedicated student and hard-working athlete, Ashley still found the time to attend Middlesex College games and events for just about every single one of our teams. But most importantly for this award, Ashley embodied the same enthusiasm for Middlesex College Athletics that Shannon Williams did. No matter what you asked of Ashley, on the court, in the classroom or in the department, she just said, "OK" and figured out a way to get it done at a high level. Ashley was a 4.0 student who was accepted to Columbia University, but ultimately chose to attend Rutgers University.
VINCENT DeSARIO AWARD - Julie Milevoi, Women's Volleyball
Named for Middlesex College golf student-athlete Vincent DeSario who passed away in 2010, the award is presented to a student-athlete for academic and athletic excellence. This year's recipient is Julia Milevoi, from the women's volleyball team. Milevoi is a two-year member of the team and has been a leader since she arrived to Middlesex as a freshmen. She is a dedicated player and someone who had a tremendous amount of Colts Spirit. Out of season, Milevoi could usually be found at our men's volleyball games too, rooting on her fellow Colts. In addition, she is an outstanding student who reached the academic qualifications for the NJCAA All-Academic Team.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Jamie Madrid, Men's Soccer
The Region 19 Player of the Year, Madrid was Middlesex College's first Men's Soccer First Team All-American since 1998. He is just the second 1st Team All-American Men's Soccer player in school history. Madrid was 3rd in Region 19 with 11 goals and 29 points. Madrid had four two-goal games this season and three games of at least four points. He helped the Colts to an 11-4-1 record this season as their captain and top player. He continued his career at Kean University after he left Middlesex.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Carla Seyfarth, Women's Basketball & Softball
Seyfarth averaged 15.3 points per game, which was 5th in Region 19 and in the top 40 nationally among qualifying players. She started all 31 games for the Colts and was one of just 12 players nationally who started more than 30 games. She was 2nd in Region 19 & 5th nationally with 339 rebounds. Her 234 defensive rebounds led Region 19. She is also one of the top players on the Colts softball team and one of the best power hitters in Region 19. Seyfarth batted .421 (40-95) with four home runs, 27 RBIs, 38 runs scored in 29 games while playingmultiple defensive positions.
COACH OF THE YEAR - Javier Velasco, Men's Soccer
Coach Velasco led his team to an 11-4-1 record and #3 seed in the Region 19 tournament after not qualifying the year before. Middlesex was ranked in the NJCAA National Poll for six weeks, reaching a high ranking of #7. Velasco also coached this year's Region 19 Player of the Year, Jamie Madrid, who was also Middlesex College's first 1st Team All-American since 1998.
SHANNON WILLIAMS COLTS SPIRIT AWARD - Tyler Ryan, Men's Volleyball
Ryan was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Shannon Williams Colts Spirit Award among six nominees from the department's coaches. Ryan was chosen not only for his outgoing personality, positivity and competitive nature, but also for the support he showed for our department. Ryan spearheaded the effort to establish Men's Volleyball as an intercollegiate sport at Middlesex and led the charge as the Colts became one of the best teams in the region and pioneers as one of the first intercollegiate Men's Volleyball team to compete in New Jersey among two-year schools. A 1st Team All-Region performer on the court, Ryan could also be seen working sidelines at soccer matches and cheering on the department's other athletics teams, especially women's volleyball.
VINCENT DeSARIO AWARD - Gio Aresta, Baseball
Aresta was named Academic All-American after earning a GPA of 3.87. In addition, Aresta was named 1st Team All-Region after a stellar year as the Middlesex College first basemen and one of the top offensive threats on the team. Aresta batted .373 this year with two home runs and 37 RBIs. In 97 career games for the Colts, Aresta pounded out 112 hits and was remarkably consistent, logging a .366 career batting average while slugging .554 and getting on base at a .454 clip.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Joshua Cabezudo - Men's Basketball
Cabezudo captured Male Athlete of the Year honors after leading the Men's Basketball team to a 15-12 record and a berth in the Region XIX playoffs. Cabezudo was the third-highest vote getter of any Men's Basketball player on the All-Region XIX Team. He led the team with 19.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. In a home win in the Region XIX playoffs over Camden CC, Cabezudo scored 25 points.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - Raven Orange, Track & Field
Just a freshman, Orange was voted Female Athlete of the Year after capturing a National Championship in the 400 Meter Hurdles at the NJCAA Division III National Track Meet. After winning her individual heat while posting the second-best time in the preliminaries, Orange coasted to a National Championship, taking the 400 Meter Hurdles by 1.54 seconds. Orange also finished fourth in the nation in the 100 Meter Hurdles with a time of 16.57.
COACH OF THE YEAR - CJ Mooney, Baseball
Mooney earned the Coach of the Year Award after leading the baseball team to a school-record 37 wins, six more than the previous record which was set in 1999. Mooney guided the baseball team to the Region XIX Tournament and only two schools in the region had more wins than the Colts. Using an aggressive style of play, Mooney's Colts led the nation in stolen bases and was seventh in runs scored. Middlesex College baseball was ranked in multiple NJCAA Division III polls throughout the regular season.
VINCENT DeSARIO AWARD - Chloe Oblepias - Softball
The DeSario Award is named for former Middlesex College Golfer Vincent DeSario, who passed away in 2010 when he was a student-athlete for the Colts. The Vincent DeSario Award is given to a student-athlete who shows success on the field, in the classroom and in the community. A solid all-around player, Oblepias batted .374 with 34 hits, 30 runs scored and 21 RBIs while playing a solid second base. Oblepias also participated in the Middlesex College Softball Youth Clinic and graduated earlier this month with a strong GPA.