Lasell honors Senior Student-Athletes in Annual Awards Banquet

NEWTON, Mass. – Lasell College honored its 40 senior student-athletes for their success and accomplishments at the Annual Awards Banquet Monday night at the Boston-Newton Crowne Plaza.

Director of Athletics Kristy Walter presented annual athlete awards to four deserving candidates.

Junior men's lacrosse player Ryan Madden (Hingham, Mass.) and junior women's soccer player Carly Zdanek (Newton, N.J.) were named this year's Male and Female Athletes of the Year; and senior men's soccer/lacrosse player Austin Tomasetti (Elmsford, N.Y.) and senior field hockey/lacrosse player Taylor Falco (Hazlet, N.J.) were presented with the Torchbearer Award.

Faculty Athletic Representative Janice Savitz awarded the Male and Female Scholar-Athlete Awards to senior cross-country runner Nick Garifalos (Spotswood, N.J.) and senior women's volleyball player Madison Cota (Bellows Falls, Vt.) for their outstanding contributions in the classroom. 

Madden is a three-time selection to the All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Team, including being a First Team selection the past two seasons. He was instrumental in helping the Lasers to a share of the 2018 GNAC regular season title, leading the team and ranking fourth in the conference with 41 goals and fifth in the conference with 58 points.  

Zdanek enjoyed an outstanding season for the Lasers. She received a long list of post-season accolades, including GNAC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-New England, and helped the team to its fourth consecutive conference championship. She became just the second female athlete from Lasell to earn All-America honors when she was named Third Team All-America by the United Soccer Coach Association.

The Torchbearer Awards are presented to student-athletes in their final season of eligibility who have excelled on the playing field and in the classroom; while making a positive impact on the Lasell Community. The recipients of this award are individuals who exemplify leadership, team spirit, ability and character.

Tomasetti was a two-year veteran midfielder on the soccer team, starting 30 of the 33 games in which he played, but his made his biggest mark on the lacrosse field, where he was a four-year veteran and three-time All-Conference selection. He was named First Team All-GNAC this season after leading the team and ranking second in the conference with 40 assists, capping his career with 83 goals and 106 assists. Tomasetti will graduate this month with a degree in Marketing and a dual minor in Law and Business.

Falco made an impact as a captain and defensive standout for both field hockey and lacrosse as Lasell, earning All-Conference honors as both a junior and a senior in both sports. She was First Team All-GNAC in field hockey last fall after helping the team to its best record in program history. She helped the Laser lacrosse team to the No. 2 seed in this year's GNAC Tournament and a berth in the championship game, and she capped her career this spring by being named the GNAC Women's Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year. Falco will graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice and a dual minor in Political Science and Psychology.

A team captain for Lasell's cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field teams, Garifalos was a standout for the Laser cross country team last fall until an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He will be graduating with honors this month with a major in international business and a minor in sports communication. Garifalos will be attending graduate school at American University in Washington, D.C., where he studied Global Economics and Business for a semester his junior year.

Cota was a three-year veteran on the Lasell women's basketball team, starting 23 of her 65 games for the Lasers before trading in her basketball uniform for a volleyball uniform for her senior year, where she was a middle hitter and blocker. Madison will graduate this month with a major in Fashion and Retail Merchandising.

For photos from the event, please visit and "like" our Facebook page at Lasellathletics

Congratulations to the Class of 2018!

Scott Arsenault (Walpole, Mass.) – Men's Basketball

Stephen Blood (Windsor, Conn.) – Men's Soccer

Haleigh Butler (Melrose, Mass.) – Women's Soccer

Michele Canestro (Castleton, N.Y.) – Women's Volleyball

Morgan Church (New London, N.H.) – Women's Basketball

Erica Connors (South Berwick, Maine) – Field Hockey

Madison Cota (Bellows Falls, Vt.) – Women's Volleyball

Travis Duhamel (Deerfield, N.H.) – Men's Lacrosse

Meredith Eagan (North Andover, Mass.) – Women's Volleyball

John Enright (North Andover, Mass.) – Men's Soccer

Taylor Falco (Hazlet, N.J.) – Field Hockey, Lacrosse

Dillan Foss (Cranston, R.I.) – Men's Basketball

Alexis Foster (Lincoln, R.I.) – Women's Soccer

Caitlyn Garcia (Moreno Valley, Calif.) – Women's Volleyball

Nick Garifalos (Spotswood, N.J.) – Cross Country/Track & Field

Ashley Gatchell (Franklin, Mass.) – Softball

Troy Gonsalves (Providence, R.I.) – Cross Country/Track & Field

Shannon Hart (Mashpee, Mass.) – Cross Country/Track & Field

Brianna Hoffman (Milford, N.H.) – Women's Basketball

Greg Klaum (Floral Park, N.Y.) – Men's Lacrosse

Brianna Kulvete (Templeton, Mass.) – Field Hockey

Sarah LaClair (Belchertown, Mass.) – Women's Soccer

Denise Landry (New Milford, Conn.) – Field Hockey

Lauren Lenahan (Weymouth, Mass.) – Cross Country/Track & Field

Dom Mascolo (Waterbury, Conn.) – Baseball

Alex McCormack-Kuhman (Wells, Maine) – Men's Lacrosse

Derek McMahon (Hatfield, Mass.) – Men's Basketball

Casey Meissner (Sandwich, Mass.) – Women's Soccer

Dannie Moore (Orlando, Fla.) – Men's Basketball

Shannon Motz (Readington, N.J.) – Field Hockey

Erin Murray (Lexington, Mass.) – Field Hockey

Lauren Piper (Scarborough, Maine) – Women's Volleyball

Leah Sullivan (Mansfield, Mass.) – Field Hockey

Jesse Tejero (West Haven, Conn.) – Baseball

Taylor Tiezzi (Meriden, Conn.) – Women's Volleyball

Austin Tomasetti (Elmsford, N.Y.) – Men's Soccer, Lacrosse

Magdelaine Trainor (Worcester, Mass.) – Women's Volleyball

Kyle Vonick (Wethersfield, Conn.) – Cross Country/Track & Field

Matt White (Falmouth, Mass.) – Men's Lacrosse

Taylor Yandow (Moretown, Vt.) – Women's Lacrosse

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