Banegas, Butterworth, and Marcon Named Excellence in Community and Character Award Recipients
*Courtesy of ECC Media Relations
OLD WESTBURY, NY - University of the District of Columbia men's soccer player Mario Banegas (Frederick, Md. [Honduras]), Molloy College softball student-athlete Megan Butterworth (North Bellmore, N.Y.), and New York Institute of Technology men's tennis player Julian Marcon (Nandrin, Belgium) received the East Coast Conference Excellence in Community and Character Award at the ECC Awards Dinner on May 22.
The most prestigious award presented of the night, Excellence in Community and Character Award recipients are student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through positive actions and behaviors that are consistent with the NCAA Division II attributes of learning, service, passion, sportsmanship, balance and resourcefulness.
"This award is not just for the best student, best athlete, the best sportsman or woman," said ECC Commissioner, Dr. Robert Dranoff. "This is an award for all around excellence. With many strong nominees, the choices were difficult but we have selected three very deserving student-athletes."
Mario Banegas
Banegas, a senior member of the men's soccer team at the University of the District of Columbia, played in 59 games over four seasons at UDC, starting 50 games. With his first season on the team coming in 2009, he was a part of 22 total Firebird soccer wins, including playing in their inaugural season in the East Coast Conference, and was a three year captain for the squad.
An exemplary student athlete, Mario is a double major in Political Science and History and has a cumulative 3.636 grade point average. Mario has been a leader in community service in the athletic department, especially involved with the Youth Day program, and the SAAC Fights Hunger Events, and has also demonstrated outstanding leadership abilities as president of the UDC SAAC. Earlier this spring at the UDC Student-Athlete Recognition Banquet, Mario received the Reslyn Woodruff Henley Award, the most prestigious award given to a UDC team member, in recognition of his outstanding character, leadership, and service.
Megan Butterworth
Butterworth, a senior on the Molloy softball team, is a secondary education major with a concentration in Mathematics. She has a cumulative GPA of 3.70 and has been on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll every semester. She has also been a solid student-athlete throughout her academic career, able to balance the demands of a rigorous academic schedule and athletic commitment.
Megan has expanded her experiences while at Molloy by her involvement in athletics, academic organizations, participation in SAAC, and community service activities. She has been actively involved for the past four years in softball clinics for local communities including Lindenhurst and Rockville Centre, taking the lead in organizing and scheduling activities. In addition, she has assisted in efforts to raise money for the American Cancer Society through Molloy's Strikeout Cancer event each season. She also tutors local high school students in the community.
She has truly grown since she arrived on Molloy's campus in 2009. This season she was named ECC Softball Pitcher of the year and has gained many other athletic honors including leading her team to three straight conference titles, but she has really been the leader of the softball team, setting the standard for the rest of the team and all Molloy student-athletes. According to Molloy Coach and AD Susan Cassidy-Lyke, she has developed into a leader and confident young woman, committed to good sportsmanship and the team member who sets the tone for the whole program.
Julian Marcon
Marcon, a senior member of the NYIT men's tennis team from Nandrin, Belgium, earned a 4.0 GPA in Mechanical Engineering for five semesters in a row and was named to the Athletic Director's honor roll and Dean's List every semester.
A three-year captain of the men's tennis team, Julian truly shined as a leader on the squad which earned their first ECC title and a trip to the Division II Sweet Sixteen this past season. He was always an example of great sportsmanship in how he treated teammates and opponents.
With a strong belief in the importance of service to the community, Julian was actively involved in SAAC and Student Government at NYIT, sitting on executive boards in both groups. He has been a major factor in the NYIT Relay for Life which raised over $46,000 this past year and helped organize a holiday visit to the children's hospital, along with working on annual events such as the Toys for Tots, Night Out on the Bears and other activities.