c/o Wesleyan University

Hundreds of student-athletes gathered at Beckham Hall on the night of Wednesday, May 1 to attend the first ever end-of-the-year scholar-athlete dinner. While the main purpose of the evening was to celebrate the achievements of individuals who have excelled both academically and athletically during their University career, the event brought with it a great deal more. For one thing, a delicious free meal was provided to hundreds of points-deprived students. More significantly, the evening was a joyous, and at times moving, occasion. For the many seniors present, there was no avoiding a powerful sense of nostalgia at what marked the end of an era, while the other attendees, all either sophomores or juniors, were undoubtedly left feeling inspired to reach even greater heights in the coming years.

“In general I was very pleased with how things went last night,” said University Athletic Director and football coach Mike Whalen. “It was a great opportunity to honor our top student-athletes for their outstanding achievement both in the classroom and on the playing field.”

The event began at 6:15 p.m., with all student-athletes congregating, for the most part, at tables with the rest of their teams. Pamphlets listing the names and majors of all attendees were handed out, a seemingly endless cascade of names that highlighted the talent Wesleyan has within its ranks—and this was without spring athletes, who will most likely be honored similarly once their seasons are over. Coach Whalen was first to speak, mentioning the good work of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Rob Rosenthal, Vice President of Student Affairs Mike Whaley, and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Nancy Meislahn. This was followed by a break for dinner served by the Bon Appétit staff, and was then capped off by the award ceremony.

Though every student-athlete present was being honored, two truly outstanding individuals, one female and one male, picked up Athlete of the Year honors. Head Coach of Women’s Soccer Eva Meredith presented the award to Laura Kurash ’13, 2012 NESCAC Player of the Year and scorer of 37 goals during a glittering soccer career. Kurash was also voted NESCAC Rookie of the Year in 2009 and NSCAA All-New England and CoSIDA/Capital One District II Academic All-American in both 2011 and 2012. Perhaps unsurprisingly for an individual of her caliber, Kurash gave a wonderful, self-reflective speech that was at times lighthearted and at times brought tears to the eyes of peers and coaches alike.

Next up was the men’s award winner, presented by Head Coach of Wrestling Drew Black to Howard Tobochnik ’13. Tobochnik boasts an unprecedented 119 wins during his career against only 45 defeats. Particularly impressive was his 34-4 record to lead the wrestling team in his senior year. Tobochnik was also named a scholar All-American, not particularly surprising given his outstanding 3.89 GPA. Coach Black joked during his introduction that Tobochnik was something of a cult superman figure and spoke with the utmost sincerity of the unrelenting discipline that truly set him apart from his rivals. When it was Tobochnik’s time to talk, he shared an inspiring collection of memories and thoughts on reaching one’s full potential as an athlete.

One further worthy award recipient on the night was Tony Antonellis ’86 P’15 P’17, who picked up the Cardinal Award for contributions to Wesleyan athletics. Antonellis has consistently demonstrated his enthusiasm and commitment to Wesleyan athletics and is a shining example of how alumni can continue to contribute long after their college sporting days are over. Following this award, presented by Co-chair of the Athletic Advisory Council Dan Lynch ’80, P’12, P’14, a couple of somewhat comedic but also insightful speeches were delivered before proceedings drew to a close. It was truly a memorable evening, and one that without a doubt set a firm foundation for many more to come.