2022-23 Delaware Athletics, Community, and Campus Recreation Year in Review
7/6/2023
To Our Blue Hens Family,
What a year 2022-23 was for our Blue Hens! This marked year seven that I’ve had the pleasure of leading Delaware Athletics, Community and Campus Recreation. I am incredibly proUD of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff for the remarkable accomplishments we continue to achieve!
We won five CAA Championships, had a pair of NCAA Tournament victories, sent one individual and one doubles pair to NCAA Tournaments, won an ITA Regional Championship for the first time ever, and won three spirit national championships. We had 91 All-CAA honorees, 14 CAA major award winners, nine All-Americans, and six national players of the week. We finished 114th out of out of 362 eligible division I institutions in the Learfield Director's Cup, showing our continued pursuit of excellence on the national stage.
Our Blue Hens posted the highest annual GPA ever at 3.286. The group posted a cumulative 3.0 GPA for the ninth-straight year and 19th-consecutive semester. Our student-athletes participated in a number of community service initiatives and represented the 302 with pride.
As part of our initiative to engage the community, our student-athletes and staff kicked off the annual 302 Tour in which we traveled the great state of Delaware. The trip consisted of service projects, community engagement initiatives, and some fun, too!
Between our athletic competitions, recreation offerings, events, ice arena programs and pool, we had over a million visits to our campus facilities by community members for the second-straight academic year!
There is so much to celebrate and I know we will continue to make everyone proUD!
Go Hens!
Chrissi Rawak
Director of Athletics, Community, and Campus Recreation
University of Delaware
SUCCESS ON AND OFF THE PLAYING SURFACE
With almost 700 student-athletes representing the University of Delaware in 21 varsity sports and spirit programs, the Hens hail from all over the country and the world. There are 96 Fightin’ Blue Hens from right here in Delaware, 520 from other states in the US, and 77 international student-athletes representing 29 countries.
Delaware student-athletes had an incredibly successful 2022-23 in the classroom. Representing 83 different undergraduate majors and 23 graduate programs, student-athletes amassed a 3.2 GPA - the ninth-consecutive year and 19th-straight semester with a GPA above a 3.0.
There were a record 124 student-athletes inducted into the National College Athlete Honor Society by posting a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher. This comes after a record setting 118 last year. Eleven programs posted a perfect single-year APR score of 1,000, demonstrating our commitment to academic excellence and retention.
CHAMPIONSHIPS AND (INTER)NATIONAL SUCCESS!
Three Blue Hen programs captured CAA Championships as field hockey and men’s lacrosse won CAA Tournament Championships and softball claimed a regular season title.
Field hockey notched its fourth-straight and ninth CAA Tournament Championship in the last 10 years. The Hens went on to defeat Lehigh in the NCAA Tournament with their first shutout in the big dance since the national championship season of 2016.
Like field hockey, men’s lacrosse repeated as both regular season and CAA Tournament champions. The Blue & Gold hosted a NCAA Tournament Opening Round game for the second-consecutive year - a game with a lopsided 25-10 decision in favor of the hosting Hens.
After claiming the first regular season CAA crown in program history a season ago, the softball team repeated as regular season champs and claimed the top seed in the CAA Tournament.
A total of 11 individual CAA Championships returned to Newark in 2022-23: Women’s 400 Free Relay (Mira Selling, Anthi Lyra, Natalie Dobrzykowski, Erin Shema), Julia Servas (1-meter dive), Gavin Currie (200 back), Mira Selling (200 free, 200 IM), Men’s 400 Medley Relay (Gavin Currie, Toni Sabev, Simeon Sabev, Miguel Vasquez), Women’s 800 Free Relay (Erin Shema, Anthi Lyra, Natalie Dobrzykowski, Mira Selling), Men’s 200 Medley Relay (Gavin Currie, Toni Sabev, Simeon Sabev, Matvei Namakonov), Myrissa McFolling-Young (discus), and Megan Albamonti (javelin), and Aja Davis (60m dash).
Three Blue Hen spirit programs finished atop the country with national championships in Dance D1 Hip Hop, Co-Ed Cheer Gameday Division, and Open Mascot. The cheer national championship marked the fifth-straight in that category. In total, the spirit programs have won 27 national titles, including at least one in each of the past 17 years.
Continuing the national success, football started the season with its first FBS upset in 15 years and defeated Navy for head coach Ryan Carty’s first career win. The Hens would go on to win an NCAA FCS playoff game for the first time ever under a first-year head coach.
Cross country’s Nina Sgambelluri placed 15th in the USATF U20 National Cross Country Championships.
Women’s hoops, under rookie head coach Sarah Jenkins, posted a B1G win with an upset of Illinois.
In the pool, Kevin Siegfried, Philip Townsend, and Julia Servas represented Delaware at the NCAA Zone A Championships.
On the tennis courts, the doubles pairing of Adel-Byanu Abidullina and Eliza Askarova made program history in more ways than one. The duo ended the fall season as the first-ever Blue Hens to make it to the ITA Fall National Championships after claiming the ITA Atlantic Regional Doubles crown. The duo posted a program best 29-2 record to sit atop the record book for most wins in a season. Askarova would tally 32 wins overall in doubles competition to set the individual season record.
The Blue Hens' top pairing reached as high as third in the nation in the ITA rankings and are the only players, singles or doubles, to be ranked nationally.
Track & field’s Megan Albamonti garnered Second Team All-American honors after a ninth place finish in the javelin at the NCAA Track & Field National Championships. She was joined by Myrissa McFolling-Young, Marie-Frederique Poulin, Halima Scott, and Chioma Njoku at the NCAA Track & Field Outdoor East Preliminary Round.
Internationally, the Blue Hens made their mark in multiple arenas. Ten swimmers participated in national competitions throughout the globe, three field hockey players competed in some aspect for the US National Team, and one men’s lacrosse student-athlete played for the Canadian National Team.
OF THE YEARS AND PROGRAM BESTS!
Delaware student-athletes and coaches brought in an impressive number of CAA major awards with 10 student-athletes pulling in hardware and four coaches being tabbed Coach of the Year - swimming & diving’s Pablo Marmolejo and Ryan Hunt, men’s lacrosse’s Ben DeLuca, and softball’s Jen Steele.
Julia Duffhuis, Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Year
Lani Mason, Volleyball Player of the Year
Mira Selling, Most Outstanding Swimmer
Tye Kurtz, Men's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Year
Owen Grant, Men's Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year
Emily Winburn, Softball Pitcher of the Year
Kiara Mills, Softball Defensive Player of the Year
Casper Nerpin, Men's Golf Rookie of the Year
Megan Albamonti, Field Athlete of the Year
The Blue Hens amassed over 60 program records in 2022-23, led by swimming and diving with 28 between both squads.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING
This year both men's and women's basketball programs hosted a Black History Month Legacy Game at the Bob Carpenter Center during the month of February. Both teams wore special warm-up shirts and highlighted alumni throughout the respective games to celebrate Black history and promote inclusion.
Continuing an annual initiative, over 250 children participated in our National Girls and Women in Sports Day clinic hosted inside the Delaware Field House. In total, 80 student-athletes volunteered across 11 stations for children aged 5-12. All participants were then invited to our women’s basketball game afterwards.
In recognition of Women’s History Month, DACCR and the Department of Women & Gender Studies hosted our 50 Years of Title IX: Saluting Women’s Sports panel with coaches and student-athletes from both our Women’s Basketball and Volleyball teams taking part.
This year 591 of our student-athletes and DACCR staff members participated in 15 DEI&B workshops during the academic year. We also hosted our first international student-athlete dinner to kickoff the first of many programs for our international student-athlete affinity group.
As a core value of the department, DEI&B campaigns were successfully highlighted on social media with coverage of Juneteenth, Pride Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Filipino Heritage Month, and more.
Filipino pride runs deep in the athletic training room at the Lil Bob, especially during Filipino American History Month ????
— Delaware Blue Hens (@UDBlueHens) October 28, 2022
??: https://t.co/M8b3hmDTRW pic.twitter.com/tFTiZ8DyJ3
#WomensHistoryMonth spotlight: @alioto_haley of @Delaware_FB ?? pic.twitter.com/k5E1szmRDD
— Delaware Blue Hens (@UDBlueHens) March 21, 2023
Built on Unity: A Juneteenth Celebration ??
— Delaware Blue Hens (@UDBlueHens) June 19, 2023
??: https://t.co/1WjQ4s2L0S pic.twitter.com/xl9inl6SSS
Our people matter. Period. ?????? pic.twitter.com/kQy9vN7DxW
— Delaware Blue Hens (@UDBlueHens) June 23, 2023
INAUGURAL 302 TOUR
The 302 Tour embodied the University's dedication to service and helped exemplify Delaware's mission of preparing students to contribute to their communities through leadership, integrity, and a dedication to service.
In total, 43 student-athletes, 17 coaches, and a number of staff members participated in the first annual tour, which made 21 stops throughout all three counties of the state.
NIL PORTFOLIO
As the ever-changing world of college athletics continues to evolve, the department expanded its NIL portfolio to include multiple platforms for student-athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness.
The Blue Hen collective was launched through SANIL to allow fans, donors, local businesses and other third-party entities to contribute money to the collective to support Blue Hens student-athletes, and work with the collective to either facilitate a mutually beneficial student-athlete activation or allow the collective to determine activation details, while maintaining compliance with University and NCAA policies.
The Blue Hen Exchange, in partnership with INFLCR, is yet another opportunity for student-athletes to take advantage of NIL opportunities. The custom designed- NIL registry allows local businesses, donors, alumni, and any other third parties wishing to connect with student-athletes the opportunity to partner for mutually beneficial deals.
At the annual NIL Summit, Delaware was a finalist for the Best Institutional Program. This award recognizes a college or institution that has shown exceptional commitment to supporting its student-athletes in maximizing their Name, Image and Likeness opportunities through a combination of education, resources and industry-leading innovation.
To get more involved in NIL opportunities, visit the NIL Portfolio.
ACADEMIC AND PERSONAL ENRICHMENT
Ensuring we are supporting the holistic student-athlete is integral to assure the Blue Hens are prepared for life after graduation. The department hosted 30 BLUE (Building Leaders Utilizing Education) programs for our student-athletes, including education on personal branding and NIL, leadership and career development, and life skills such as financial planning and cooking and meal preparation. Additionally, there were over 50 leadership and culture conversations and activities, including focus on captain and team leader development and resilience tools.
The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) facilitated Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging training and monthly conversations, training programs for all student-athletes on safely hosting recruits, and headshots and resume review sessions for all student-athletes. Twenty-seven student-athletes paired with alumni mentors, and the UD sponsored a Women in Business networking event for women student-athletes to learn from seven incredibly successful Blue Hens alums.
The department expanded its Sports Science & Analytics reach with a record 58 interns helping track and analyze data to improve and enhance output. As part of this, over 4,000 Sparta Science scans were performed. Sparta Science is a technology that uses four force plates to provide exercise prescription resources based on individual needs to minimize injury and improve performance. Collectively, the department saw an increase in ‘squat’ (lower body strength) of 24% for the academic year.
The nutrition team had 3,921 nutrition programming/education touch points with student-athletes, while the Whitney Kitchen served over 40,000 meals this academic year.
HENS IN THE PROS
There were plenty of new Hens joining alums at the highest level of professional sports.
Owen Grant and Tye Kurtz were drafted into the Premier Lacrosse League, while Nolan Henderson, Thyrick Pitts, and Kedrick Whitehead Jr. all signed undrafted free agent contracts in the NFL. Football’s Johnny Buchanan was drafted into the XFL.
In the Super Bowl in February, Blue Hens were represented on both participating teams, while championship-winning Chiefs were led by general manager and Blue Hen alum Brett Veach. The squads’ offensive coordinator, Matt Nagy, and quarterback coach, Joe Bleymaier, also graduated from UD, both playing quarterback for the Hens.
Baseball alum John Schneider started his first full season as the manager of the MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays.
Fellow baseball alum Brandon Walter made his big league debut for the Boston Red Sox, becoming the 13th Blue Hen to make an appearance in The Show.
Women’s hoops legend Elena Delle Donne continued her prolonged WNBA success, passing the 4,500 career points plateau.
CAMPUS RECREATION AND COMMUNITY
This year Campus Recreation, Ice Arenas, and Outdoor Pool experienced unprecedented success.
Sixteen of our club sports teams competed at nationals with club sports athletes averaging over 150 combined practice hours a week. Blue Hens’ club sports teams also raised close to $80,000 on I Heart UD Giving Day with men’s division I club ice hockey raising the highest total of any DACCR initiative on the day.
The intramural sports program experienced a 21% increase in total participation from last year, with 300+ more games being offered. Intramurals also experienced a 10% increase in total unique participants from last year.
Blue Hens on campus also totaled 12,000 visits to fitness classes, with spring group fitness membership increasing 43% from last year.
The ice arenas saw 3,300 people take part in public skating sessions this winter, as our Learn to Skate program achieved an all-time high in enrollment with over 570 children participating in this program in the past year. These kids learned from the best, as current Learn to Skate and Figure Skating team coach Leah Krauskopf ‘22 and alum Yuanshi Jin ‘22 competed at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships this past winter.
