The Hofstra Chronicle sports section’s writers and editors voted in the second annual Hofstra Chronicle Sports Awards for the 2024-25 school year. Fourteen awards have been given to Hofstra University athletes, coaches and teams for performances in their respective seasons.
Awards given: Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Most Valuable Player, Men’s and Women’s Transfer Player of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Rookie of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Breakout Player of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Comeback Player of the Year and Men’s and Women’s Unsung Hero.
Photo by Amelia Bashy
Team of the Year: Men’s Soccer
The Hofstra University men’s soccer team made plenty of history this season, becoming the first ever team to win four consecutive Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Men’s Soccer Championships. This accomplishment made them more than deserving of their second consecutive Team of the Year award.
The Pride were preseason favorites to win the CAA, receiving nine of 11 first place votes as well as consistently appearing in national rankings. Despite the preseason accolades and strong start, Hofstra stumbled in conference play, laboring to a 5-3 record and the fourth seed in the CAA tournament.
In the tournament, the Pride reminded the entire association who they are. First, a double-overtime win over the College of Charleston on an Olimpico goal from Teddy Baker. After a 2-0 win over Elon University in the semifinals, the Pride returned home. In front of a raucous crowd at the newly minted Captains Field, they squeaked by UNC-Wilmington on a late own goal, continuing their dynastic run with their fourth consecutive title.
While the Pride fell in controversial fashion to eventual national champion, the University of Vermont, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, they remained on top of the CAA and proved their championship mettle once more.
Written by Ethan Poole
Nominees: Soccer and softball
Photo by Hofstra Athletics / Keith Lucas
Coach of the Year: Seth Tierney (Men’s lacrosse)
Hofstra men’s lacrosse head coach Seth Tierney guided the Pride to an 8-7 season in 2025. Hofstra returned to the CAA Tournament after a four-year absence where they fell to No. 1 seeded Towson University 11-10 in overtime.
The Pride’s offense found its stride, scoring goals at a breakneck pace. The Pride put up a season-high 27 goals against Hampton University on April 19, and averaged 12.93 goals per contest to rank No. 13 in the nation. Tierney’s squad boasted six players with at least 34 points; Hofstra was the only team to achieve the feat that did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Written by Conner Keough
Nominees: Adrienne Clark (softball), Jamie Franco (wrestling), Richard Nuttall (men’s soccer) and Seth Tierney (men’s lacrosse)
Photo by Amelia Bashy
Men’s Most Valuable Player: Cruz Davis (Men’s basketball)
Hofstra men’s basketball guard Cruz Davis embodies what it means to be the Most Valuable Player, and that’s why he is the 2024-25 Men’s MVP. During his first season at Hofstra, Davis made an immediate impact, leading the team in points (14.4), assists (4.4) and steals (1.5) per game.
The sophomore transfer also led the Pride in total assists (141), steals (48) and minutes played (1,117). He ranked second on the team in total points (462), three-pointers made (57) and three-point percentage (38.8%), just trailing sharpshooter German Plotnikov.
Despite the Pride not reaching the heights of previous years, Davis’ scoring and facilitating always kept Hofstra competitive. Davis has announced he will be returning to the Pride for the 2025-26 season.
Written by Eric Leaf
Nominees: Cruz Davis (Men’s basketball), Pierce Infuso (men’s soccer), Kyle Mosher (wrestling) and Dylan Palmer (baseball)
Photo by Joe Orovitz
Women’s Most Valuable Player: Nikki Mennella (Women’s lacrosse)
Nikki Mennella is the 2024-25 Women’s MVP after putting together a dominant and historic season for the Hofstra women’s lacrosse team. Mennella led the team in every major offensive statistical category with 99 points, 62 goals, 37 assists and grabbed 67 draw controls. Mennella logged at least five goals in seven of her 15 games played this season and at least six goals in five games. She set a program record of 11 points in a single game on April 19, against Monmouth University.
Her season totals for points, goals and assists are the second most in program history, while her 6.60 points per game is a new CAA record and was the second-best mark in the nation. Mennella’s stellar season was marked by the number of accolades she picked up throughout the season. The red-shirt sophomore was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week five times this season, USA Lacrosse Magazine National Player of the Week on Feb. 25, Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWCLA) National Offensive Player of the Week on April 22, All-CAA First Team, CAA Attacker of the Year, IWCLA Mid-Atlantic Region First Team and was named an All-American Honorable Mention by USA Lacrosse Magazine and Nike Lacrosse Media.
Written by Anthony Hidalgo
Nominees: Nikki Mennella (women’s lacrosse)
Photo by Amelia Bashy
Men’s Transfer of the Year: Kyle Mosher (Wrestling)
The 2024-25 Men’s Transfer of the Year is the wrestling team’s 165-pounder, Kyle Mosher. The graduate student from Columbia University made the most out of his season with the Pride, becoming the third Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Champion in Hofstra history. He competed at the NCAA Championships as the No. 16 seed where he earned two wins, the most by a Hofstra wrestler since 2021. In December, Mosher also became the first wrestler to place at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational since 2014, placing eighth. His wins in the tournament earned him a spot in the national rankings where he stayed for the rest of the season. He captured a 19-10 overall record, leading the team in wins and finishing second on the team in dual meet wins.
Written by Olivia Hillestad
Nominees: Cruz Davis (men’s basketball) and Kyle Mosher (wrestling)
Photo by Ethan Albin
Women’s Transfer of the Year: Emma Falen (Softball)
The 2024-25 Women’s Transfer of the Year is Hofstra softball pitcher Emma Falen. The junior from University of California, Riverside twirled a team-leading 151.2 innings of work in the circle. She led the Hofstra pitching staff with an ERA of 3.14 and 132 strikeouts. Falen allowed an average of just 0.91 hits per inning pitched and held opponents to a batting average of just 0.239. Falen’s work in the circle earned her CAA Pitcher of the Week two times during the season.
In CAA play, Falen went on a 10-5 tear, pitching to an ERA of just 2.43 in 101 innings of work. Falen was ranked second in the CAA in strikeouts and innings pitched. Falen tossed a career-high 15 strikeout no-hitter against Monmouth on May 1, to lift the Pride to victory.
Written by Shannon Bickert
Nominees: Shannon Bickert (softball), Chloe Sterling (women’s basketball) and Ellie Gough (women’s soccer)
Photo by Ethan Albin
Men’s Rookie of the Year: Drew Bogardus (Men’s lacrosse)
The 2024-25 Men’s Rookie of the Year is Drew Bogardus from the men’s lacrosse team. Bogardus finished second on the team, scoring 46 points on a team-leading 35 goals and 11 assists. The freshman from Massachusetts made his mark in his collegiate debut with three goals and an assist against Wagner University. He also had a career-high seven goals, including the overtime game-winner against St. John’s University to win his second career CAA Rookie of the Week award.
Bogardus earned a start in all 15 games the Pride played this season and factored a point on 24% of the team’s goals. He finished second in the CAA Rookie of the Year voting and earned a spot on the conference All-Rookie Team.
Written by Conner Keough
Nominees: Drew Bogardus (men’s lacrosse) and Tyler Castrataro (baseball)
Photo by Ethan Albin
Women’s Rookie of the Year: Kayleigh Bender (Women’s lacrosse)
Kayleigh Bender is the Women’s Rookie of the Year after putting together an impressive freshman campaign, finishing in the top three on the team with 41 points on 31 goals and 10 assists. Bender recorded six hat tricks in her 15 games played and led the team with 10 goals from free positions, converting at a 55.6% clip, which ranked top five for the CAA. Bender’s efforts in 2025 were headlined by earning the CAA Rookie of the Week honors two times during the season and being named to the All-CAA Rookie Team while also taking home the CAA Rookie of the Year award, leading all freshmen in goals scored on the season.
Written by Anthony Hidalgo
Nominees: Kayleigh Bender (women’s lacrosse) and Carley Ernst (softball)
Photo by Ethan Albin
Men’s Breakout Player of the Year: Anthony Mollica (Men’s lacrosse)
Anthony Mollica of the men’s lacrosse team was awarded the 2024-25 Men’s Breakout Player of the Year award. Mollica earned his spot as a first-year starter this season as a junior after getting limited minutes in his first two campaigns. The Massapequa Park product led the team in scoring with 50 points on 26 goals and 24 assists, beating out the team’s returning leading scorer, John Madsen.
Mollica took home two CAA Offensive Player of the Week awards, including one for a two-goal and five-assist performance against the University of Delaware on March 29. Mollica notched a career-high nine points against Hampton on April 19, and was a huge factor in the Pride’s return to above .500 for the season.
Written by Conner Keough
Nominees: Michael Brown (baseball) and Anthony Mollica (men’s lacrosse)
Photo by Ethan Albin
Women’s Breakout Player of the Year: Dahlia Palacio (Softball)
The Hofstra softball team’s Dahlia Palacio slashed 0.317 this season with a CAA-leading 18 doubles, earning her the title of Women’s Breakout Player of the Year. Palacio notched 22 extra-base hits, including two home runs in her sophomore year campaign with an OPS of 0.854. The right fielder improved from a pinch hitter with just 25 plate appearances in her first season to an everyday starter for the Pride.
Palacio shined during the CAA Tournament, notching seven hits in 13 at-bats, including a home run in the Pride’s victory over Charleston, earning her All-CAA Tournament honors. Palacio’s combination of power and contact exploded this season, especially when the Pride needed her the most in the conference tournament.
Written by Shannon Bickert
Nominees: Millie Davis (women’s soccer), Alanna Morse (softball), Dahlia Palacio (softball) and Chelsea Villar (softball)
Photo by Amelia Bashy
Men’s Comeback Player of the Year: Sean Hamilton (Baseball)
Hofstra baseball’s Sean Hamilton is the winner of the Men’s Comeback Player of the Year in the second annual Chronicle Sports Awards.
Hamilton returned to the mound for his junior-year season after Tommy John surgery sidelined the righty for the entire 2024 season. Putting up a 7.50 ERA in 12 appearances, Hamilton’s rollercoaster of a comeback season began with the inability to pitch more than three innings and giving up as many as eight runs. In his final three starts of the season, Hamilton pitched at least six innings and gave up a total of eight runs, recording a career-high seven strikeouts against Towson on May 10.
Written by Samantha Nadler
Nominees: Sean Hamilton (baseball), Chase Liardi (wrestling) and German Plotnikov (men’s basketball)
Photo by Ethan Albin
Women’s Comeback Player of the Year: Margaret Peterson (Women’s soccer)
Margaret Peterson made a huge impact for the Hofstra women’s soccer team in 2022; as a freshman, she played in 11 games and registered two assists. She was expected to take yet another step in the 2023 season, starting the first four games and eclipsing her minute total from the prior campaign. However, in that fourth game, she suffered a torn ACL and meniscus which ended her season.
After missing the majority of last season, Peterson returned to the Pride’s rotation this year and played a huge part in the team’s run to the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Semifinals. Maybe her finest moment was her first collegiate goal, a tally against Fairleigh Dickinson University, the same team she was playing against when she injured her knee.
Peterson now has a healthy season under her belt post-injury, and with at least one more season to go, the Women’s Comeback Player of the Year could very well be next year’s Breakout Player of the Year.
Written by Ethan Poole
Nominees: Anna Butler (softball), Nikki Mennella (women’s lacrosse) and Margaret Peterson (women’s soccer)
Photo by Ethan Albin
Men’s Unsung Hero: German Plotnikov (Men’s basketball)
Senior guard German Plotnikov caps off his Hofstra career by earning the title of Men’s Unsung Hero. In a season where others often grabbed the headlines, Plotnikov quietly put together his most productive year yet, averaging a career-high 6.1 points per game and tallying a personal best in total points with 190.
Plotnikov saved his biggest moment for when it mattered most, under the bright lights of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship in Washington, D.C. In the first-round matchup against North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Plotnikov exploded for a career night, pouring in 23 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and hitting seven 3-pointers, all career highs. His performance helped lead Hofstra to a dominant 22-point victory and a spot in the next round.
Having spent all three of his Division I college seasons at Hofstra, Plotnikov’s growth and dedication never wavered. He leaves behind a legacy not just in numbers, but in hustle, heart and the moments that don’t always show up on the stat sheet.
Written by Eric Leaf
Nominees: Michael Brown (baseball), German Plotnikov (men’s basketball) and Silas Sunday (men’s basketball)
Photo by Ethan Albin
Women’s Unsung Hero: Clara Bal (Volleyball)
Clara Bal of the Hofstra volleyball team was named Women’s Unsung Hero for the 2024-25 season. The France native played an integral role in leading the team to a record of 14-4 in CAA play, notching 282 kills on the season in 85 sets played. Bal averaged 3.62 points per set, which ranked No.7 in the CAA. Bal had a season-high 22 kills and 15 digs against Army West Point. Bal was also a strong defender this season, averaging 1.13 digs per set and 20 total blocks on the year. In the CAA Tournament, Bal tallied nine kills and added one dig in three sets of play against the College of Charleston. Bal’s efforts on the court earned her Second Team All-CAA honors.
Written by Shannon Bickert
Nominees: Clara Bal (volleyball), Janaia Fargo (women’s basketball), Dahlia Palacio (softball), Ellie Pamatat (volleyball) and Chelsea Villar (softball)
