May 8, 2009

BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins Athletic Department presented its annual awards at the Blue Jays Unlimited Banquet recently. The department presented five awards while BJU presented a sixth at the annual banquet honoring all senior student-athletes.

Men's soccer senior Matty Carlson (Bristol, CT/Loomis Chaffee) received the C. Gardner Mallonee Award, presented to the senior male who has made the most outstanding contribution in athletics at Johns Hopkins. Carlson is a two-time NSCAA All-American and was named the 2008 Centennial Conference Player of the Year. A three-year captain, he earned All-Centennial Conference honors for three straight seasons, becoming the seventh player in program history to do so. Carlson captained the Blue Jays to two Centennial Conference titles and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. In addition, Hopkins posted a 64-13-12 (.786) record during his four seasons. He finished his career ranked second all-time in program history in games played (84).

Field hockey senior Leah Horton (Wayne, PA/Upper Merion) was presented with the Catherine P. Cramer Award, given to the senior female who has made the most outstanding contribution in athletics at Johns Hopkins. Horton is a two-time NFHCA All-American and a four-time All-Centennial Conference selection. She captained the Blue Jays to a 16-5 record and their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008. After making the move from midfield to defense, Horton racked up career-highs in goals (8), assists (10) and points (26) en route to earning First Team All-America honors as a senior. She is the first defender from JHU to earn First Team All-America honors and just the third player at any position in program history to do so. Horton is the program's all-time assist leader with 31 career helpers and ranks in the top 10 in JHU history in career goals (T-9th / 26) and points (5th / 83).

Men's swimming senior John Kegelman (Yorktown, VA/Tabb) was presented with the Dr. William Howard Award, given to the senior who has excelled both as a scholar and athlete at Johns Hopkins. Kegelman recently earned a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and boasts a 4.00 GPA as a mechanical engineering major. He is a two-year captain and earned All-America honors five times in his career. At the 2009 NCAA Championships, he earned First Team All-America honors in the 200 and 400 Medley Relays. Both relay teams posted the second fastest times in program history at the championships. He helped JHU to three top 10 finishes at the NCAAs, including a runner-up finish in 2008. Last spring Kegelman applied for and received a Provost's Undergraduate Research Award (PURA) for his project titled "Fluid Mechanical Evaluation of Arm Stroking Patterns in Front Crawl Swimming."

Women's basketball senior Jenna Berninger (Center Valley, PA/Allentown Central Catholic) received the Robert H. Scott Award, presented to the senior who has demonstrated excellence in athletics, scholarship and extracurricular participation at Johns Hopkins. A two-year captain, Berninger helped Hopkins to the Centennial Conference Championship game as a freshman and senior. She is one of just 18 Johns Hopkins undergraduate members of the Alumni Association's Student Ambassador Program, which fosters the building and sustaining of relationships between undergraduates and alumni and served as the co-coordinator of this group in its first year of existence. Berninger has served as a volunteer mentor at a local P.A.L. Center, where she works with inner-city children, coordinating activities for the kids and serving in a mentoring capacity.

Senior Jessica Wright, a four-year member of the athletic training staff, was presented with the Larry Goldfarb Award, given to a senior for outstanding service to the athletics program at Johns Hopkins. Wright has covered just about every sport at Hopkins during her four years, traveling with teams in addition to covering early and late practices. Outside of the athletic training room, she has been involved in community service work that includes volunteering as a translator for the Esperanza Center and Health Services and assisting in providing health care for the underprivileged. Wright also worked with Baltimore Urban Plunge, which helps women afflicted with drug addiction and raised money for the American Stroke Association.

Women's crew senior Madison West (New Britain, CT/Hotchkiss) was presented with the Blue Jays Unlimited Award, given to the Johns Hopkins varsity athlete who most exemplifies the spirit of Blue Jays Unlimited by demonstrating team spirit and leadership, promoting team unity and morale, and enhancing the athletic experience of his or her teammates. West, a captain of the women's crew team, is the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and was the driving force behind SAAC's annual Student Athlete Faculty Luncheon. She also served as Vice President of SAAC in 2007-08.
 West is member of the Student Booster Club and was instrumental in publicizing and creating enthusiasm behind numerous initiatives including the $20,000 halftime shot at a basketball game and the growth of the Nest section at home basketball games.

2008-09 Department of Athletic Awards C. Gardner Mallonee Award Matty Carlson (Men's Soccer)

Catherine P. Cramer Award Leah Horton (Field Hockey)

Dr. William Howard Award John Kegelman (Men's Swimming)

Robert H. Scott Award Jenna Berninger (Women's Basketball)

Larry Goldfarb Award Jessica Wright (Athletic Training)

Blue Jays Unlimited Award Madison West (Women's Crew)