As leaves litter the streets and campus prepares for the inevitable first signs of snow, fall sports are coming to a close. And with the last games of the season come end-of-year awards. A number of Bears were chosen for a variety of honors in their respective sports’ conferences.
Men’s Soccer
Five members of the men’s soccer team received All-Ivy recognition, marking the second straight year that nearly half the starting lineup earned a regular season award.
The honoree list was headlined by rookie Jack Hagstrom ’19, who earned both the Co-Rookie of the Year award and a spot on the First Team — the only spot given to a rookie. The Wisconsin native led the Bears in both goals and points, with five and 11, respectively, all while anchoring the defense from his starting spot on the back line.
Fellow first-year Matthew Chow ’19 also made the list, sliding into one of the three forward spots on the All-Ivy Second Team. Chow started 15 of the team’s 17 games, posted the third-most points and led the squad in shots, shots on goal and game-winners. His skill and speed on the wing stretched opposing defenses and opened up scoring opportunities for his teammates.
In stark contrast, the other three All-League Bears played their final collegiate games last weekend. Tariq Akeel ’16 joined Chow on the Second Team, while co-captains Jack Gorab ’16 and Tim Whalen ’16 earned All-Ivy Honorable Mentions.
The three seniors were responsible for eight of the team’s 22 goals. Akeel and Gorab took up their usual spots in the attacking midfield, while Whalen moved from left back to defensive midfield to shore up the center of the pitch.
The Bears finished the season in style, knocking off top-seated Dartmouth for the first time since 2010. Bruno finished third in the Ivy League but did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Volleyball
Despite a turbulent conference schedule, the volleyball team placed two members of the front row on All-Ivy squads. Right-side hitter Sabrina Stillwell ’19 earned Second Team honors, and middle blocker Payton Smith ’17 made the Honorable Mentions list.
Stillwell was a revelation in her first season in a Brown uniform. The rookie led the team in matches, sets, kills, total attacks and points, easily ranking as Bruno’s most valuable offensive player. She nearly set a school record against Columbia when she notched 32 kills — the second-highest total in program history.
Coming off a Second Team selection last year, Smith posted another solid season, ranking second in kills and blocks behind Stillwell and Courtney Palm ’19. She dominated the Central Connecticut State University Invitational, where she logged a .900 hit percentage — the second-highest percentage in team history — and took home MVP honors.
Smith and Stillwell will both return to the team next season looking to turn the program’s fortunes around.
Men’s Water Polo
While the No. 10 men’s water polo team still has Collegiate Water Polo Association Championship matches on its schedule, five players earned All-CWPA Northern Division honors this week. Will Klein ’16 took home the biggest award — the CWPA Northern Division Player of the Year — and three of the seven First Team players are from Brown.
Klein lived up to his position — utility player — as he did a little bit of everything this season. The senior ranked first on the team in ejections earned, second in shots and third in goals and field blocks.
Goalie Luke Weiser ’17 and attacker Matty Gallas ’16 joined Klein on the CWPA First Team. Weiser put together a record-setting streak of seven straight Defensive Player of the Week awards, dating back to last season. He anchored Bruno’s defense, logging 205 saves and a 55.1 save percentage. Gallas provided the Bears with scoring and passing, posting 30 goals on 80 shots to go along with 39 assists.
Yahel Murvitz-Lahav ’17 and Jake Wyatt ’17 rounded out the All-Division team members, as they both earned spots on the Second Team. The two juniors tied for the team lead with 46 assists this season, and they contributed 39 and 26 goals, respectively.
Bruno’s lengthy list of accomplishments this season includes an Ivy Championship, a Northern Division regular season crown and a Northern Division tournament title. The team hopes to complete the quadruple crown at the CWPA Championships this weekend at MIT.
