The Hofstra Chronicle sports section’s writers and editors voted in the inaugural Hofstra Chronicle Sports Awards for the 2023-24 school year. 14 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 Rookie of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Breakout Player of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Transfer Player of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Comeback Player of the Year and Men’s and Women’s Unsung Hero.

Team of the Year: Men’s Soccer

The Hofstra University men’s soccer team was named Team of the Year by the Hofstra Chronicle. The Pride won their third consecutive Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championship last season, defeating the Monmouth University Hawks in overtime. Junior midfielder Eliot Goldthorp scored the winner off a set-piece on a frigid night in front of a capacity crowd in Hempstead.

Following their CAA triumph, Hofstra advanced into the third round of the NCAA Division I men’s soccer tournament for the second time in three years. They met their end against the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, a match that was decided by a penalty shootout. The deep run made it an even more memorable season for Hofstra. – Arcangelo Iurato

Nominees: Softball and Men’s Basketball

Coach of the Year: Richard Nuttall – Men’s Soccer

In addition to his team’s overall success, Richard Nuttall won the title of Coach of the Year. Nuttall completed his 35th season with the Pride in 2023, leading them to a 5-1-2 conference record and a 14-3-5 overall record before winning his seventh CAA Championship as head coach. The acquisition of graduate midfielder Albert Kang provided increased depth in the midfield to support the attack led by Ryan Carmichael. Nuttall’s offseason and tactical decisions were a crucial factor in the Pride winning yet another conference title. The United Kingdom native is the face of the program and is set to return for a 36th season in the fall. – Arcangelo Iurato

Nominees: Speedy Claxton (Men’s Basketball) and Adrienne Clark (Softball)

Men’s Most Valuable Player: Tyler Thomas – Men’s Basketball

Hofstra’s leading point scorer and Men’s MVP is none other than men’s basketball guard Tyler Thomas. Thomas is coming off an impressive season where he averaged 22.5 points per game, which was top-five in the nation. He also carried the Pride to the CAA tournament as the three seed and won a playoff game against the University of Delaware.

The list of accolades goes on and on for the graduate student: in 2024 alone he was selected for the NABC-Reese’s Division I All-Star Game, Hanes Originals Soft Touch Men’s 3-Point Championship, Lt. Frank J. Haggerty Award, All-Met: First Team, Met Player of the Year, CAA Player of the Year and All-CAA First Team. He also holds the program record for most 3-point field goals made in a single season at 125. Thomas left a legacy behind in Hempstead, New York after joining Hofstra ahead of the 2022-2023 season. – Nick Mongiovi

Nominees: Darlinstone Dubar (Men’s Basketball) and Ryan Carmichael (Men’s Soccer)

Women’s Most Valuable Player: Julia Apsel - Softball

Hofstra University softball’s ace of the pitching staff and Women’s MVP is Julia Apsel. The left-hander is coming off a season where she had a record of 19-12, a CAA-leading ERA of 1.79 and the second-most strikeouts in the CAA, with 176 in 201.2 innings of work.

Apsel also earned two prestigious awards, being chosen for the NFCA All-Northeast Region Second Team, the All-CAA Tournament team and was named the winner of the Dr. Nathalie J. Smith Award for the top female student-athlete, after a stellar 2024 campaign. – Nick Mongiovi

Men’s Rookie of the Year: Noah Tapia - Wrestling

The 2023-24 Men’s Rookie of the Year is the wrestling team’s 149-pounder, Noah Tapia. The freshman from Illinois ended his season with an impressive 22-15 record, the most wins and matches of any wrestler this season, including nine dual meet wins to amass 35 total dual meet points.

Tapia had a rough start to the year, losing six of his first seven matches. However, at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Tapia earned multiple wins including one over No. 14 Jordan Williams of Oklahoma State University that garnered him a spot on the national ranking boards. During the season, Tapia had a win streak of eight matches and later another win streak of six. Tapia ended the season with one win at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association Championships over Braden Bower of Bucknell University. – Olivia Hillestad

Nominees: Sean Lane (Baseball)

Women’s Rookie of the Year: Beatriz Braga – Volleyball

In her first season, Brazilian freshman Beatriz Braga shined for the Hofstra University volleyball team. As a freshman, Braga played in 130 sets for the Pride. In those sets, Braga logged 160 kills, 14 assists, 29 aces and totaled 196.5 points on the season.

On defense, Braga was just as effective. She had 195 digs and 14 total blocks. Braga’s 160 kills put her at fifth on the team, as did her 196.5 points. Braga also averaged 1.87 points per set in her first collegiate season. Braga will look to be an even more integral part of the team in her future seasons. – Max Edelman

Nominees: Mackenize Fitzgerald (Softball) and Nikki Mennella (Women’s Lacrosse)

Men’s Breakout Player of the Year: German Plotnikov – Men’s Basketball

After a season of coming off the bench, junior guard German Plotnikov stepped up in his second year for the Pride. After making 35 appearances off the bench in the 2022-23 season, Plotnikov became a key member of the Pride starting five. Plotnikov started 16 of the 29 games he played this season, logging six points, 2.2 rebounds and one assist per game.

The 6’6” Belarusian also logged his career high in 2024, contributing a 20-point performance against Northeastern University in February. Plotnikov’s breakout campaign comes at the perfect time for head coach Speedy Claxton and the Pride, as he will potentially step into an even larger role for his senior season this upcoming fall. – Max Edelman

Nominees: John Madsen (Men’s Lacrosse) and Carlos Martinez (Baseball)

Women’s Breakout Player of the Year: Pieke Roos – Field Hockey

The 2023-24 Women’s Breakout Player of the Year is Pieke Roos of the field hockey team. The goalkeeper from the Netherlands was integral to the team’s successes this season, posting shutouts against Merrimack College and the eventual CAA Champions, the College of William & Mary. In her second season with the Pride, Roos made 19 saves in a double overtime loss to Drexel University, the most saves of a Hofstra goalkeeper since 2013.

She ended the season ranked third in the country with 8.17 saves per game, No. 15 in Division 1 with 98 total saves and seventh in save percentage at .784. Roos also earned All-CAA First Team and National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Mideast Region First Team. – Olivia Hillestad

Nominees: Olivia Malinowski (Softball), Chelsea Villar (Softball) and Thorhildur Thorhallsdottir (Women’s Soccer)

Men’s Transfer of the Year: Alex McCoy - Baseball

Hofstra University baseball’s Alex McCoy has won the Men’s Transfer of the Year. McCoy spent two seasons at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) before transferring to Hofstra for his senior year. During his lone season with the Pride, McCoy batted .308 with a .893 OPS.

Coming off a three-home run season his junior season, McCoy proved himself to be Hofstra’s go-to power hitter this season, leading the team in both his .509 slugging percentage and 11 home runs. McCoy also stole 22 bases across 29 attempts. – Sam Nadler

Nominees: Luke Masiuk (Baseball) and Albert Kang (Men’s Soccer)

Women’s Transfer of the Year: Melissa Sconone – Women’s Lacrosse

The 2023-24 Women’s Transfer of the Year is women’s lacrosse attacker, Melissa Sconone. The graduate transfer from the University of North Carolina led the Pride with 74 points across 38 goals and 36 assists, tying her for the second-most assists in a season in Hofstra’s history and fifth-highest in total points in one season.

She ranked fourth in the CAA in both assists and points per game. Sconone also added 14 ground balls and eight draw controls to her stat sheet. She made the All-CAA First Team Selection and was selected to play in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association 2024 Senior All-Star Game. – Olivia Hillestad

Nominees: Becca Vaillancourt (Softball)

Men’s Comeback Player of the Year: Griffin Turner – Men’s Lacrosse

Griffin Turner put together a career season for the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team this year, scoring 44 points in 15 games, never being held off the score sheet.

The junior midfielder entered this season after a tumultuous start to his Hofstra career, dealing with COVID-19 restrictions after transferring from Texas Christian University in his freshman season and last season suffering two separate ankle injuries which limited him to only nine games. This season, Turner managed to stay healthy and become an integral piece for the Pride. – Ethan Poole

Nominees: Sam Lutfi (Men’s Lacrosse)

Women’s Comeback Player of the Year: Selma Markisic – Women’s Basketball

Selma Markisic lost her entire 2022-23 season to a torn ACL and meniscus, which resulted in her third knee surgery. Her doctors told her that she would never play basketball again and that she was looking at a 12-month recovery time.

This season, Selma defied the odds, playing in 29 of the Pride’s 31 games, the most she has ever played in a season. Selma reached several career milestones this season, including her career high in single-game points with 20 in a December win over Farmingdale State College. Selma not only defied the odds by ending her college career on her own terms but also by being a consistent contributor to the Hofstra University women’s basketball team. - Ethan Poole

Men’s Unsung Hero: Sam Lutfi – Men’s Lacrosse

Graduate student Sam Lufti made a massive impact for the Hofstra University men’s lacrosse team in his swan song, appearing on the scoresheet a career-high 21 times this season, earning him the title of Men’s Unsung Hero. On a team led by stars such as Griffin Turner, John Madsen and Justin Sykes, Lufti often flew under the radar with solid individual and team play.

After a worthy freshman season in 2020 which saw him put up 10 points, Lufti suffered a torn labrum on two separate occasions. This limited him to 13 games over three seasons. This season was not only a solid performance but an incredible comeback story for the grad student. - Ethan Poole

Nominees: Wessel Speel (Men’s Soccer), Sean Henderson (Men’s Lacrosse), Santino Rosso (Baseball) and Roc Carles (Men’s Soccer)

Women’s Unsung Hero: Becca Vaillancourt - Softball

Hofstra University softball’s star catcher and the 2023-24 Unsung Hero is Becca Vaillancourt. Vaillancourt had big shoes to fill offensively as Meghan Giordano graduated at the end of the 2023 season and joined the Pride’s coaching staff for 2024.

Vaillancourt launched nine balls over the wall, knocked in 30 runs and slashed .350/.395/.592. The catcher was named to the NFCA All-Northeast Region First Team and All-CAA First Team. Vaillancourt leaves behind two years of outstanding play behind the dish for the Pride as she moves on to the next chapter in her life as a graduate student. - Nick Mongiovi

Nominees: Christine Dannenfelser (Women’s Lacrosse), Melissa Sconone (Women’s Lacrosse) and Ally Knights (Women’s Basketball)

Photos courtesy of Hofstra Athletics and credited photographers

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Jun 15 The Hofstra Chronicle Sports Awards 2023-24

Jun 15 Hofstra softball pitcher Julia Apsel transfers to Florida State