Vikings Honored at 2018-19 Year End Banquet

Jackson has been an outstanding individual and team leader over the last two years for the baseball team. He became the Vikings all-time home run king earlier this season during the Vikings annual spring trip to Florida. He led the Vikings with nine home runs and 45 RBI this season. Jackson is receiving attention from MLB scouts this season and could be one of the  first Vikings student-athletes to be drafted professionally. Jackson is one of the three individual student-athletes to earn the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Scholar Athlete Award.

Sydnee is a second-year student-athlete from Rotterdam, where she was a key member of the women's soccer team. She set school records with 73 points and 28 goals this year, both marks ranked fourth nationally. She became the program's first ever women's soccer student-athlete to garner All-American First-Team honors. Sydnee was also named the Region 3 Player of the Year and the Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year for her success this past year.

Jackie is one of the best tennis players to come through the tennis program at Hudson Valley. She finished the regular season with an undefeated 8-0 record and went on to win the Region 3 Singles Championship as the Region's top-seed. Jackie went on to place third at the National Tournament in Peachtree, Georgia. 

Jared earned All-American honors as a member of the cross country team following a fourth place finishat the national meet. Jared won both the Region 3 and the Mountain Valley individual championships, and continued his success on the track and field team as one of the team's most consistent long-distance runners. He went on to win the Region 3 Championship in the 5,000-meter and the 3,000-meter steeplechase events and finished with all-region honors in the 1,500-meter event. Jared played an integral part in this year's success of both the men's cross country and track and field programs. 

Elijah won the national championship in the hammer throw, which he accomplished on his final throw of the competition that set a new school record. He recently won the NJCAA Region 3 Male Field Athlete of the Meet award for the second straight year, winning the hammer throw, the shot put and the javelin. Elijah has been a model student-athlete while balancing school, sports and working as a student athletic trainer. He is also one of the three individual student-athletes to earn the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Scholar Athlete Award.    

Mercedes won the national championship in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NJCAA outdoor track and field championships and dominated the competition at the Region 3 championships. At regionals, she won six events in total and was named the Region 3 Female Track Athlete of the Meet.  She broke a 24-year old school record in the 1,500-meter run and has been an outstanding student during her career at Hudson Valley. Mercedes is also one of the three individual student-athletes to earn the prestigious SUNY Chancellor's Scholar Athlete Award.

Matt has been a prove leader in his first season at Hudson Valley and is a role model and a team captain. He is always willing to help the department and the community, as he sat on our student-athlete panel during our annual Enrollment Day and also volunteered with Green Island Little League Baseball. On the spring trip, Matt was the guy we turned to for assistance and without question, would always help. He and his mother spearheaded a home cooked meal for 35 hungry baseball student-athletes on the trip.    

Coach Popovics had her most successful coaching season in her career at Hudson Valley. She guided the men's and women's cross country programs to Conference and Region 3 championships. It was the first men's regional championships since 1996 and the first women's regional championship since 1974. Sarah was named the USTFCCCA Northeast Regional Coach of the Year as well as the NJCAA Region 3 Coach of the Year.

Chris has been the assistant men's lacrosse coach for the last five seasons. He is a tireless recruiter and mentor and he has traveled across New York in an effort to expand the Vikings recruiting footprint. As a mentor, Coach Joyce has helped recruit his student-athletes to four-year programs and has provided help with resumes for internships as well as career advice.   

Doreen has consistently provided our student-athletes with academic support from providing proper study tips, time management skills and has assisted students with setting up tutors for students in our learning centers. Doreen, along with Andrew Roberts in the CAE, has played a key role in the development of our new Student Senate and Athletic Retention Program that will be implemented in the fall of 2019.

Football MVP: John Daly 
John Daly had a tremendous season for the Vikings and has placed himself among some of the best football student-athletes to play at Hudson Valley. He set a program record with 13 receptions in a single game in the first game of the 2019 season against Nassau. He finished his career with 1,145 career receiving yards, which placed him third on the program's all-time list. 

Men's Soccer MVP: Marco Ngako
Marco joined the team late in the season and played in eight gamed for the Vikings. His overpowering style helped him score five goals, including two goals in Hudson Valley's upset win of Onondaga, one of the top teams in the region. Ngako also earned Mountain Valley All-Conference honors for his success this season. 

Volleyball MVP: Jessica Getty
Jessica was an asset to the volleyball team this year as she had a passion for success and never accepted anything less. She finished the season with 150 kills and led the team with 51 blocks. 

Women's Tennis MVP: Jackie Bornt
All season long Jackie was able to improve her game as she finished the regular season 8-0 and won the Region 3 Singles Championships as the region's top-seed. She then went on and elevated her game to a higher level at the national championships and finished third overall. 

Women's Soccer MVP: Sydnee Metzold
Sydnee became the first women's soccer student-athlete to be named a First Team All-American and Region 3 Player of the Year following her record season. Metzold tied a program record with 28 goals and set a new program record with 73 points. Her 28 goals and 73 points both ranked fourth nationally. Coach Pokines has said Sydnee is one of the most talented soccer student-athletes to play for Hudson Valley in the last 15 years. Sydnee will continue her soccer career next season for a Division 2 program at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. 

Men's Cross Country MVP: Jared Craw
Jared won the Mountain Valley Conference and the Region 3 Championships as well as the program's first All-American since 2012 following a fourth-place finish at Nationals. Jared played an integral part in the overall success of the cross country program this season.

Women's Cross Country MVP: Mercedes Planavsky
Mercedes entered this year determined to improve on last season and she reached her goals and exceeded them. She became the Mountain Valley Conference champion, the NJCAA Region 3 champion and was named an All-American for her 10^thplace finish at the national meet.

Men's Bowling MVP: Christian Caputo
As a freshman, Christian had a great year. He made First Team All-Conference and won first place in doubles competition. Coach Prest put a lot of pressure on Christian this season as he continued to place him in the anchor position for most of the year. He impressed Coach Prest as he took on that responsibility and performed excellent under the added pressure.

Women's Bowling MVP: Catherine Lynch
Catherine was a consistent member of the "A" team at the tournaments this year, which included the doubles title at the Westchester Shootout. She also bowled a team best game aof 257 at the conference match in Herkimer. 

Men's Basketball MVP: O'Nandi Brooks
O'Nandi became an indispensable piece for the team's success this year. He scored double figures in all 29 games, including 18 double-doubles. He had a monster game against Tompkins Cortland when he posted 21 points and 21 rebounds. O'Nandi finished the year ranked first in the region with 10.7 rebounds and ninth with 18.6 points per game. He continued to work hard all season and was a great teammate, trying to help the team win and make others around him better.

Women's Basketball MVP: Hannah Kreiger
Hannah worked her way from an under-recruited high school student to one of the best scoring guards in the history of the Vikings women's basketball program. Her sharp-shooting ability has propelled her to 846 points, which ranks third on the all-time scoring list. Following the season, Hannah was named an All-American by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, All-Region Second Team and All-Conference First Team. Hannah has committed to continue her playing career at a Division 2 program at the University of Bridgeport. 

Men's Golf MVP: Cole Stannard
Cole is a second-year student-athlete and he has made great improvements from last season. He has been a model of consistency when it comes to playing this season. Cole qualified for the Region 3 Tournament with the team's lowest scoring average of 84.6. He continues to work hard in practice and on his personal time to master the game of golf. Cole continues his success in the classroom studying business and holding a 3.62 overall GPA as well as working and participating in an internship at a local bank.  

Men's Lacrosse MVP: Nathan Bruce
Nathan stepped up in a major way in his second season. After spending last season at attack, he was moved to midfield and never lost a step. He was consistently relied upon as the key part of the offense and he responded by recording 40 points, which ranked inside the top-10 in the region. His five goals against Monroe helped the Vikings defeat the Tribunes for the first time since 2009. He also added five points in the Vikings first win over Tompkins Cortland since 2012. He will continue his lacrosse career at SUNY Brockport next fall. 

Baseball MVP: Jackson Wenstrom 
Jackson followed up his All-American season last year with another great season. Jackson had nine home runs and in the process, he broke the school's record for most career home runs at Hudson Valley (23). Jackson is a team captain and the starting centerfielder. He his .362 and led the team in home runs and RBI (45). Jackson is committed to continue his playing career at Division 1 program, Florida Atlantic University in the fall. 

Women's Track and Field MVP: Mercedes Planavsky
Mercedes has had a great year at Hudson Valley. She won all six of her events at the Region 3 Championships and was named the Region3 Track Athlete of the Meet. Mercedes followed up that performance to win the national championship in the 3,000m steeplechase event at the NJCAA National Meet. She also earned All-American honors in the 10,000m and the 1,500m events with second place finished. Mercedes will continue her athletics career at the University at Albany in the fall. 

Men's Track and Field MVP: Devin Kipp
Devin is ranked first in the region in the 100m, 200m and the discus. He is also an integral part of the 400m and 2600m relay teams that are both also ranked first in the region. At the regional championships, Devin won the 100m, the 200m, the discus and titles in both relay events. Devin is ranked in the top-10 in the nation in the 100m and the discus, as well as the two relay events. He was named the Region 3 Male Track Athlete of the Meet and at the national championships, he had four top-8 finishes, including a third-place finish in the discus for the Honorable Mention All-American honors.