Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. -- Six University of Delaware student-athletes from winter sports programs have been selected as their team’s 2008-09 Blue Hen Team Sportsmanship Award winner for this past season, UD Director of Athletics Edgar N. Johnson announced Monday.

The program, now in its sixth year, honors those student-athletes who have been outstanding role models and displayed outstanding sportsmanship towards their teammates, coaches, opponents, and game officials. The winners, who will receive a certificate noting their award at the season-ending athletics banquet, are selected by the coaching staffs of each sport. Spring winners will be announced in May.

The 2008-2009 winter sports winners are D.J. Boney in men’s basketball, Ethlynne Thomas (at right) in women’s basketball, Dominic Pavlik in men’s swimming, Meghan Barber in women’s swimming, Nick Morrisey in men’s indoor track and field, and Karen Mandrachia in women’s indoor track and field.

Boney, a sophomore sport management major from Wilmington, Del. (Tatnall School), played a key reserve role as a guard for the Blue Hen men’s basketball squad in 2008-09 for head coach Monté Ross. He appeared in 29 games with two starts and averaged 4.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He also shot 77.5 percent from the foul line, converted 19 three-point field goals, and posted eight steals. One of his top highlights of the season with hitting the winning three-point field goal with five seconds left in a 70-68 win at Boston University in December. He won the award for the second straight year after being honored as a freshman in 2007-08.

Thomas, a senior human services major from Gaithersburg, Md. (Watkins Mill High School), capped a four-year career for the Blue Hens this past season under head coach Tina Martin. A four-year letterwinner winner as a forward and a member of Delaware’s 2007 NCAA Tournament team, Thomas appeared in 27 games this past season and started five contests. She scored 21 points (0.8 ppg), pulled 83 rebounds (3.1 rpg), posted 22 steals, and dished out 11 assists. She played in 100 career games as a Blue Hen.
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Pavlik, a sophomore chemical engineering major from Collegeville, Pa. (Perkiomen Valley High School), led the Blue Hens to a third place team finish at the Colonial Athletic Association championships this past winter for head coach John Hayman. He swam a leg of the conference champion 800 freestyle relay team that set a school record with a time of 6:40.27. He also placed 11th in the 200 breaststroke at the CAA championships and had the team’s best 1,000 freestyle time during the regular season.

Barber, a sophomore chemical engineering major from Collegeville, Pa. (Perkiomen Valley High School), led the Delaware women’s swimming team to a sixth place finish at the CAA championships in February as she placed in the top 15 in four events. She was a member of the 400 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay teams that both placed fifth at the CAA championships while also finishing 10th in the 100 breaststroke and 13th in the 200 breaststroke. She helped set a school records in the 400 freestyle relay (3:26.79) and 800 freestyle relay (7:27.79).

Morrisey, a senior co-captain and mechanical engineering major from Colonia, N.J. (Union Catholic High School), was one of the Blue Hens’ top sprinters and relay runners during the 2008-09 season when he earned his third letter for head coach Jim Fischer. He helped the 4 x 400 meter relay team capture a first place finish at the Colonial Invitational and qualified for the IC4A regional championships in the same event and placed 14th in March.

Mandrachia, a sophomore exercise science major from Newark, Del. (Newark High School), enjoyed a standout season for the Blue Hen women’s indoor track and field teams as she captured five meet titles, set two school records, and qualified for the ECAC regional championships in four events for rookie head coach Wendy McFarlane. She earned All-East honors with a fourth place finish in the distance medley relay and placed 18th in the 4 x 800 meter relay at the ECAC meet. She also won the 1,000 meters at both the Thomson Invitational and New York University Fasttrack Invitational meets and set school records in the 1,000 meters (2:52.71) and the 4 x 800 meter relay (9:15.89).

Fall sports winners announced in January were Mitch Kastoff (men’s cross country), Lexi Ambrogi (women’s cross country), Florence Sijbrandij (field hockey), Jon Herrman (football), Kyle Davis (men’s soccer), Jamie Flynn (women’s soccer), and Greta Gibboney (volleyball).