NEW YORK – The Yeshiva University Athletics Department held its annual awards ceremony, on Sunday afternoon. This was a unique event as it was done virtually via Zoom. More than 300 student-athletes, as well as coaches, team managers, and members of the athletics administration took part in the festivities.
This was an amazing year in Yeshiva Athletics. Seven teams reached its sport's championship event or playoffs. The men's basketball team won the 2019-20 Skyline Conference Championship and made it all the way to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, before the rest of the postseason was canceled. The Maccabees finished the season ranked No. 8 in the D3hoops.com Men's Top 25 National Poll, and led all of NCAA Division III with a 29-1 record.
The golf team scored a 321 in the second round of the Skyline Conference Championship, which is the best team score in program history
Four fencers, three from the men's team (
Joshua Polster,
Zaelig Averch, and
Sammy Teichberg) and one from the women's unit (
Batsheva Lasky), qualified for the NCAA Northeast Regional. Yeshiva University Men's Fencing Head Coach
Peter Rosas was named the MACFA Coach of the Year, while Averch won all three of his bouts against the defending NCAA Champion Columbia University. The women's fencing team earned the Roi Green Memorial Team Spirit Award for the third year in a row, and a record-breaking fifth time overall.
Ryan Turell and
Gabriel Leifer were named D3hoops.com All-Americans. The former was selected as the Player of the Year by both the Skyline Conference and the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, in addition to being named an NABC All-American. The latter was bestowed Most Outstanding Player of the 2019-20 Men's Basketball Skyline Conference Championship game and named a CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Ofek Reef earned the Skyline Conference Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year award, while
Simcha Halpert finished his career ranked second on YU's All-Time Scoring List with 1,845 career points, and earning a spot on both the All-Met and All-Skyline teams.
Elliot Steinmetz was named D3hoops.com National Coach of the Year, the Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year, the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Coach of the Year, and the Skyline Coach of the Year.
Seven YU student-athletes received Skyline All-Conference honors.
Here is a list of our award winners for the 2019-20 season.
Coach's Awards
Special Awards:
Recipients:
The Bernard "Red" Sarachek Award
Kevin Bokor
The Arthur D. Tauber Award
Zaelig Averch
The Stanley Watson Award
Yosef Pfeffer
Graduation Awards:
The Aaron Meyer Memorial Award
In recognition of selfless dedication to the athletics program
Presented to
Matthew Garner
The Norman Palefski Memorial Award
Presented to
David Hanelin
As the most outstanding Yeshiva University graduating male scholar-athlete
The SCW/SSSB Merit Award
Presented to
Basya Goldstein
As the most outstanding Yeshiva University graduating female scholar-athlete
Male Graduating Student-Athlete of the Year (Individual Sports)
Presented to
Lior Brik
Men's Tennis
Female Graduating Student-Athlete of the Year (Individual Sports)
Presented to
Bailey Frohlich
Women's Tennis
Male Graduating Student-Athlete of the Year (Team Sports)
Presented to
Simcha Halpert
Men's Basketball
Female Graduating Student-Athlete of the Year (Team Sports)
Presented to
Chana Boltax
Women's Soccer/Women's Basketball/Softball
