Chapman Athletics reveals five Senior Award recipients

ORANGE, Calif. - Chapman University celebrated another outstanding year in athletics with its annual Jog-a-thon and Sports Appreciation Day at Wilson Field on Friday afternoon. In addition to celebrating the University’s first-ever SCIAC football and men’s basketball (co) championships and recognizing retiring Director of Athletics David Currey, the Panthers honored five seniors with the Department of Athletics’ annual awards including co-Male Athletes of the Year for the first time in Chapman history.

Jack Duddy Female Leadership Award: Kirsten Spicer, Women’s Water Polo/Swimming

A two-sport athlete and team captain, Spicer will graduate with a 3.95 grade-point average as a dual-major in Integrated Educational Studies and history. The three-time ACWPC All-Academic Team honoree and Capital One Academic All-District VIII selection was also named to the SCIAC All-Conference Water Polo Sportsmanship team as a senior. The captain graduates as the Panthers’ career leader in goalie blocks with 590 and owns the school record in the 50-yard freestyle swim and was a part of four school-record relay teams.

Don Perkins Male Leadership Award: Garrett James, Men’s Basketball 

A team captain on the floor and a leader in the classroom (3.40 GPA in business administration), James exemplified high levels of responsibility, team camaraderie and good character on and off the court. The senior point guard ranked third in the nation this season in assist-turnover ratio (3.44) and 15th in Division III with 5.5 assists per game. He set a Chapman (Division III) record with 149 assists this season, while earning the SCIAC’s Ted Ducey Award which exemplifies “ability, leadership, self-discipline, determination, sportsmanship and sincerity in academic pursuit.”

Female Student-Athlete of the Year: Val Geiger, Volleyball 

A leader on and off the court, Geiger graduates ranked No. 2 in Chapman history in kills with 1,158 over her illustrious four-year career. The middle blocker is a two-time AVCA All-America selection, was named to the All-SCIAC Volleyball team three-consecutive seasons and will graduate with a 3.49 grade-point average and a degree in graphic design. Geiger leaves Chapman ranking among the top-five in five Panther volleyball categories, including most kills in a single season (489).  

Co-Male Student-Athletes of the Year: Michael Lahey, Football & Colin Zavrsnick, Men’s Basketball

Lahey came back from knee surgery in 2012 to be named SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Year in back-to-back seasons, while leading Chapman to its first NCAA playoff berth and an undefeated conference run his season year. The team captain ranked No. 5 in Division III in completion percentage this year and threw for over 4,000 yards and 33 touchdowns in his four-year career. He was named to the All-SCIAC Football and All-SCIAC Academic teams while leading the Panthers to their first-ever conference championship and will graduate with a 3.0 GPA in business administration.

Zavrsnick became the first Panther in school history to earn National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III All-West District honors and was named to the D3hooops.com All-West Region team this postseason. He will graduate with a 3.35 GPA in business administration and leaves Chapman ranked in the top-10 in 11 statistical categories in the school's Division III history, positioned third in field goals made (493) and points per game (13.7) and fourth in games played (102). Zavrsnick led Chapman to back-to-back SCIAC Tournament final appearances and was a two-time All-SCIAC First Team selection.

The Jog-A-Thon and Sports Appreciation Day is a tradition spanning the decades for Chapman University Athletics. Family, friends and loved ones sponsor a Chapman student athlete to jog 10 laps around the Holly and David Wilson Field at a choice of levels ranging from $100 per lap to $.50 per lap.

These funds are utilized throughout the year to support important equipment, programs and events for the Donald P. Kennedy Intercollegiate Athletics Program at Chapman University.

by Raquel Rinauro
Sports Information Assistant

Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
Post your #PantherPic to Instagram @ChapmanSports
#Chaptown