Class of 2023 Honored at Senior Awards Banquet

MAPLEWOOD, N.J. – Seton Hall Athletics celebrated its graduating senior class on May 16 with the 11th Annual Senior Awards Banquet at Maplewood Country Club.

The event is designed to honor the graduating class in front of their coaches, peers and family members. As is tradition, each head coach delivered remarks about their respective graduates and handed out their senior gifts. Long-time sports information director Matt Sweeney served as emcee and was assisted by director of athletics Bryan Felt in handing out the major awards.

Associate director of academic support services Amanda DiDonato handed out the Senior Scholar Athlete of the year Awards to Torre Avitabile (Holmdel, N.J.), Hannes Ronnholmen (Stockholm, Sweden) and Madeline Matheny (Wilmington, Del.).

Three major awards were handed out during the marquee event. For his efforts with the men's cross country team, in the classroom and in Seton Hall community, Danny Washburn (Syracuse, N.Y.) was named 2023 Most Valuable Pirate.

There were co-recipients of the Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award, Luca Dahn (Kahl, Germany) of men's soccer and Ross Pantano (Bennington, Neb.) of men's swimming.

A three-time All-BIG EAST selection, Dahn helped lead men's soccer back to the NCAA tournament in 2022 and is regarded as one of the best defenders in program history. He maintained a 3.97 grade point average and guided the team to the BIG EAST Championship in 2020. Pantano was a 15-time All-BIG EAST performer and won six BIG EAST titles in his career, which is tied for third-most ever for a Pirate swimmer, male or female.

Women's basketball player Lauren Park-Lane (Wilmington, Del.) was named Senior Female Athlete of the Year. Park-Lane became the first player in program history to be named to the All-BIG EAST First Team three times in her career. She repeated as All-Met Player of the Year and was a Final Five finalist for the Nancy Lieberman National Point Guard of the Year Award.

Gallery: (5-17-2023) 2023 Senior Awards Banquet

RECIPIENTS OF ACADEMIC MERIT AWARDS:

BASEBALL