July 11, 2023 –
This is the first of a series for the City Six athletic programs where we look back at the bright, shining stars from the 2022-23 athletics season.
We will name the team of the year and student athlete of the year for each school. In addition we will list an honor roll for teams and student athletes. A team recognition will be noted by a championship, post season advancement, and / or a significant achievement. To be named as a player one should have a national award or honor, a league accolade, significant achievement, or team record.
Let’s take a look back at this past season on the at Vidas Field, The DAC, and the rivers for Drexel University.
Co-Teams of the Year:
Drexel Women’s Lacrosse
The team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Their body of work impressed the selection committee highlighted by a win over #19 Johns Hopkins. The Dragons went into the postseason winning 7 of their last 8 games. The team faced three ranked opponents during the regular season. Drexel was seeded third in the CAA Tournament, but fell in the semifinal round to Towson. In the NCAA the Dragons were matched against the #11 Maryland Terrapins in Harrisonburg, VA. Their season would end with an 11 – 6 loss. Grace Harding scored a hat trick. Their overall record was 12 – 6. The Dragons had; the CAA Attacker of the Year Corinne Bednarik, and Rookie and Goalkeeper of the Year in Jenika Cuocco. Belle McHugh, Maura Cissel, and Hayleigh Simpson made all-league teams.
Men’s Rowing – The Dragons finished in 15th place in the IRA National Championships, their best performance ever. The Varsity 8 boat placed second in the Third Level final, the best finish in program history. The rowers were; Sam DeSilva (coxswain), John Karen (stroke), Nikola Loncar, Josh Diggons, Damian Lis, James Schmidt, Andrew Manns, Jack Anderson, and Andrei Malis (bow). The boat covered the distance in 5:45.316. In May Drexel won the men’s points trophy in the 84th Annual Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta. The same crew won the Varsity 8 in 5:41.265. The Dragons amassed 117 points over the Regatta. During the season the Dragons won the Bergen Cup.
Student – Athlete of the Year: Keishana Washington, Women’s Basketball
It was an amazing season for the graduate guard from Canada. Washington finished the year third in the NCAA in points per game at 27.7 and total points at 858 this season. Washington was behind Maddy Siegrist and Caitlin Clark. In the January win over Hofstra Washington reached the 2,000-point plateau, only the second player on program history to reach that milestone. The other player is Gabriela Marginean. She has the most career points for a Canadian player in the NCAA with 2,363 points. Washington earned Honorable Mention All-American. She is also a second team Academic All-American. The CAA Player of the Year scored 40 or more points on four different occasions; 42 against Penn State and 43 in the WNIT game vs. Fordham. Washington is the recipient of the Mary Semanik Award which is given to the top female student-athlete who best exemplifies the scholarship and athletic ideals of the former Director of Athletics, John Semanik. The season will be known as KEI 2K.
Team Honor Roll
Women’s Soccer – The Dragons posted an 11 – 3 – 5 record this past season, the second-most number of victories in a single season. The team advanced to the CAA Semifinal round, but fell to Northeastern to end the season. Drexel brought home league post-season awards as Delaney Lappin was named the Attacking Player of the Year. Annalena O’Reilly received the Midfielder of the Year Award. Coach Ray Goon was rewarded as Co-Coach of the Year. The team was picked 8th in the preseason poll. They finished as the second seed in the conference tournament.
Women’s Basketball – Drexel posted a 21 – 9 record, 13 – 5 in the CAA. The team earned a postseason berth in the WNIT where they fell to Fordham at Rose Hill Gym. This is their 11th consecutive postseason appearance. Drexel fought for and held the top-spot in the league for most of the season. They earned a share of the league championship, seeded second in the conference tournament. Monmouth upset Drexel in their first tourney game. The team was hard to beat at home where the Dragons were 12 – 2.
Student – Athletes Honor Roll
Delaney Lappin, Women’s Soccer who is the CAA Attacking Player of the Year. Lappin set the single season goal scoring record at 12 goals and points with 27 over the season. Lappin scored a goal in eight games. The forward from Corbin City, NJ is a first-team selection of the United Soccer Coaches All-East Region team.
Annalena O’Reilly, Women’s Soccer who is the league Midfielder of the Year. O’Reilly has 19 points on the season with 7 goals and 5 assists places her second on the team in points. She led the team in assists. The forward from Ardmore, PA is a second-team selection of the United Soccer Coaches All-East Region team.
Amari Williams, Men’s Basketball who was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Williams was a finalist for the Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player the Year award. Over the season Williams led the league in blocked shots with 67. The junior forward averaged 8.8 rebounds per game. He pulled down 200 defensive rebounds and finished the season with 64 offensive boards while averaging 13.7 points per game. And stole the ball 41 times.
Maura Hendrixson, Women’s Basketball – who finished third in the NCAA in assists per game at 7.8 and in total assists with 233. Hendrixson handed out a program record 14 assists in the game against Towson. Over the season the fifth-year guard had ten-plus assists in eight games, and scored in double figures five times. And it was Hendrixson who assisted on the Washington basket that reached the 2,000 point milestone.
Corinne Bednarik, Women’s Lacrosse who is the CAA Attacker of the Year getting 47 goals and 23 assists for a team-best 70 points, first among conference attackers. She also had a team-high 75 draw controls. She is first team All-CAA.
Jenika Cuocco, Women’s Lacrosse who is the CAA Goalkeeper and Rookie of the Year. Cuocco placed on the league All-Rookie team. She is the top goalie in the league with a .532 save percentage, fourth in the nation. Cuocco made 185 saves and collected 33 ground balls.
Matias Knudsen, Men’s Squash who is the John Semanik Award winner given to the top male senior student-athlete who best exemplifies the scholarship and athletic ideals of the former Director of Athletics. Knudsen is a first-team All-American in Squash going 15 – 4 overall and 14 – 3 in team play. He was a finalist for the Skillman Award, the top honor in men’s collegiate squash. The team had their best ever finish at the Potter Cup, ranking fifth in the nation.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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