Photo: Women's cross country MVP Christina Antonopoulos

NEWARK, Del. -- Maryann Walker, a four-year standout and one of the top backstroke specialists in school women’s swimming history, was honored as the University of Delaware Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year at the annual UD Women’s Athletics Awards Banquet Thursday night at the Trabant Student Center.

Walker, a native of Ellicott City, Md. (Mt. Hebron High School), was one of several student-athletes honored at the annual season-ending banquet, including each team’s Alumni Association Most Valuable Player recipient. She was selected by voting from the head coaches of the 12 Blue Hen women's athletics teams.

An honor student as an accounting major, Walker is the fifth member of the UD swimming and diving team to earn the award and the first since Sara Peffer in 2004.

A two-year team co-captain, she led the Blue Hens to a four-year dual meet mark of 43-12 under head coach John Hayman that included four straight winning seasons and a school record 13 wins in 2006-07. The Hens finished sixth or higher at the Colonial Athletic Association championships all four years.

Walker dominated the Delaware all-time records list as she set school standards in the 200 freestyle relay (1:35.09), 400 freestyle relay (3:26.79), 400 medley relay (3:46.09), and 800 freestyle relay (7:27.79) and also ranks No. 2 all-time in the 100 freestyle (52.53), 100 backstroke (57.40), 200 backstroke (2:02.24), and 200 individual medley (2:06.03), and No. 5 in the 200 freestyle (1:53.00).

She posted an incredible 23 top eight finishes at the CAA Championships during her career, including capturing the 200 backstroke individual title in 2007, placing second in the 400 medley relay in 2006, and finishing third in the 200 backstroke in 2008. She also was named the CAA Swimmer of the Week three times during her career.

The following student-athletes were named UD Alumni Association Team Most Valuable Players:

BASKETBALL: Sophomore guard Tesia Harris (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West HS) enjoyed an outstanding season with the Blue Hens as she helped head coach Tina Martin’s club rebound and post a 15-15 record this past season. She appeared in all 30 games while starting 29 and led the team while ranking eighth in the Colonial Athletic Association with 13.6 points per game. A third team All-CAA selection, Harris was named the Most Valuable Player of the Loyola Marymount Tournament after leading the Blue Hens to the title. She reached double figures in 20 games, including a career-high 29 points in a wi over overtime.

CROSS COUNTRY: Senior Christina Antonopoulos (York, Pa./York Suburban HS) was named women’s cross country MVP for the second straight season after leading the team in four of the seven races in which she competed. She posted three top 10 finishes and led the Blue Hens with an 11th place finish at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships to earn All-CAA honors for the second straight year. She placed second at the Delaware Invitational and finished eighth at the ECAC Championships to earn All-East honors. A CoSIDA Academic All-American nominee as a biochemistry major with a minor in German, Antonopoulos also was named MVP of the women’s indoor track team.

FIELD HOCKEY: Sophomore Florence Sijbrandij, a back from Arnhem, Netherlands (Stedelijk Gymnasium), was named Most Valuable Player for the field hockey squad. She enjoyed an outstanding season in 2008 as she earned second team All-Mid Atlantic Region honors by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and was the team UD Sportsmanship Award winner. An honor student as a biology major, she served as a co-captain this past fall and ranked third on the team in scoring with 10 points on four goals and two assists.

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD: Senior Christina Antonopoulos (York, Pa./York Suburban HS) was also named MVP of the women’s indoor track and field team a long distance runner. An honor student as a biochemistry major with a minor in German, Antonopoulos won five meet titles during the season and qualified for the ECAC Championships in the mile, 4 x 800 meter relay, and distance medley relay. She placed fourth in the distance medley relay at the ECAC meet to earn All-East honors and also finished 18th in the 4 x 800 meter relay. Antonopoulos also a school record in the 4 x 800 meter relay with a time of 9:15.89.

LACROSSE: Senior goalkeeper Jessica Cerveny (Islip, N.Y./Islip HS), who anchored the top defensive unit in the Colonial Athletic Association this spring, was named MVP for women’s lacrosse. A four-year starter, Cerveny earned first team All-CAA honors as both a junior and senior and was named to the CAA All-Tournament team as a senior in 2009. She led the Blue Hens to a 10-8 mark this spring as Delaware finished second in the regular season standings and advanced to the CAA Tournament title game before losing by a goal to Towson in the finals. Cerveny started all 18 games in 2009 and led the league in both goals against average (8.37) and save percentage (.511). A health and physical education major at Delaware with a minor in coaching, she ranks No. 4 all-time at Delaware with 552 saves.

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD: Senior weight thrower Amanda Marshall (Cranbury, N.J./Hightstown HS) was the MVP for outdoor track & field. A four-year letterwinner for both the indoor and outdoor teams and a team captain, Marshall captured 26 career meet titles, including 13 during the 2008-09 seasons. She won nine outdoor meet titles in the shot put, discus, and hammer in 2009 and placed second in the discus and third in the hammer at the Colonial Athletic Association Outdoor championships. She capped the outdoor season by placing eighth in the discus at the ECAC meet to earn All-East honors. She posted eight career top 10 finishes at the CAA meet and holds school records in the indoor weight throw (58-3 1/4) and outdoor discus (148-0). She is an honor student.

ROWING: Sophomore Meredith Rubin (McLean, Va./Langley HS) was named the Most Valuable Player for women’s rowing. A two-year letterwinner, she rowed for the Varsity Eights team and competed in six spring events. She led the Blue Hens to a third place team finish at the Colonial Athletic Association championships and led the Varsity Eights to a fourth place finish. She also led the Varsity Eights crew to a fifth place finish in the semifinals at the Dad Vail Regatta, a second place showing at the Kerr Cup, and a sixth place finish in the finals at the Knecht Cup. She is a leadership major at Delaware with a minor in political science.

SOCCER: Senior Jamie Flynn (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow HS), a math education major, capped an outstanding career as a four-year letterwinner at midfielder in 2008. She started all 18 games and had one assist in 2008 when she also was named to the Blue Hen Classic All-Tournament team. Flynn, who appeared in 60 career games and started 34 contests, also won the team’s UD Sportsmanship Award this fall.

SOFTBALL: Senior catcher Quinn Megargel (Bear, Del./Caravel Academy) earned MVP honors for softball after leading the Blue Hens to a 21-18 record this past spring. A four-year letterwinner, she batted .265 with 16 runs batted in during the 2009 season and led the team with four home runs, 14 walks, and eight stolen bases. She played in 188 career games and batted .255 with 135 hits, 23 doubles, seven triple, and nine home runs to go with 56 RBI. She batted .323 as a junior in 2008. She is a fitness management major at Delaware with a minor in strength and conditioning.

SWIMMING: Sophomore Cortney Barry (Laurel, Md./Reservoir) earned the team Most Valuable Player for the second straight year as she led the Blue Hens to a 9-3 dual record and a sixth place finish at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships. She placed in the top five in three events at the CAA meet, finishing second in the 500 freestyle and 1,650 freestyle and placing fifth n the 800 freestyle relay. A two-time CAA Swimmer of the Week, she was an NCAA Provisional qualifier in both the 500 freestyle and 1,650 freestyle. A marketing major at Delaware, she also five school records during the season, establishing UD standards in the 200 freestyle (1:50.43), 500 freestyle (4:46.64), 1,000 freestyle (10:04.80), 1,650 freestyle (16:24.87), and 800 freestyle relay (7:27.79). She earned honorable mention Mid-Major All-American honors by CollegeSwimming.com in 2008 as a freshman.

TENNIS: Sophomore Ivana Petrich (Calgary, Alberta, Canada/National Sport School HS) earned the MVP award for the women’s tennis squad as she posted the team’s top singles record and led the squad to a 13-4 dual record and a berth in the Colonial Athletic Association quarterfinals. An honor student as a business major, she tied the school season singles record with a mark of 24-3 and recorded a 15-10 mark in doubles. She won the Swarthmore Invitational Flight C singles title and was named the CAA Singles Player of the Week for March 30.

VOLLEYBALL: Junior libero Stephanie Barry (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson HS) was named the Most Valuable Player for the volleyball squad. An honor student as a business major, she led the Blue Hens to a 19-16 record and the team’s second straight Colonial Athletic Association tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth. A three-year letterwinner, she earned AVCA honorable mention All-American honors for the second straight year in 2008, becoming the first volleyball history to accomplish the feat. Barry, who led the CAA in digs with 682 in 2008, earned CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year, All-CAA, and AVCA All-Region honors for the second straight season. She ranked fourth nationally in 2008 with 6.39 digs per game and was 12th nationally with 5.33 digs per game in 2009.

In addition to the individual Most Valuable Players, the following awards were also distributed:

• Senior rower Nicolette Lotrionte (Bronx, N.Y./Ursuline School) was the recipient of the Mary Ann Hitchens Award. The Hitchens Award is named in honor of Delaware’s long-time senior associate director of athletics who retired in 2006 and is presented to a UD senior who exemplifies the characteristics of hard work, dedication, fairness, and striving for excellence that was Hitchens’ hallmark. Lotrionte, a honor student as a political science, journalism, and Italian studies double major, was a four-year letterwinner for the rowing team and served as a co-captain this past spring. Also active in community services, she led the Second Varsity Eights crew to a third place finish at the Colonial Athletic Association championship and a fourth place finish at the Kerr Cup.

• Senior track and field standout Kelli McDonald (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville HS) was presented with the ECAC Medal of Merit Award as the senior female student-athlete with the highest grade point index. An accounting major with a 3.97 grade point index, McDonald is a CoSIDA Academic All-American nominee and is active in serval community services projects. A four-year letterwinner a a pole vaulter for both the indoor and outdoor teams, she captured 19 career meet titles and set the school record in the outdoor pole vault (12-9 1/2). She placed third in the pole vault at the CAA Outdoor Championships this spring, earned All-East honors with an eighth place finish at the ECAC meet, and has qualified for the NCAA East Regionals later this month.

• Women’s lacrosse senior midfielder Deb Sloan (Thornton, Pa./West Chester East HS) earned the Dr. Janice Jordan Award presented to a student-athlete who has made outstanding progress academically while at Delaware. A four-year standout and a health and physical education major at Delaware, Sloan earned second team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors in both 2007 and 2009 and was named to the All-Region second team in 2007. She led the Blue Hens to a CAA Tournament runner-up finish in 2009 as she scored a team-high 24 goals and dished out seven assists. Sloan ended her career with 113 points on 83 goals and 30 assists.

• Junior field hockey standout Rae Everson (Felton, Del./Caesar Rodney HS) received the Student Services for Athletes Outstanding Contributor Award for special contributions to the office. A three-year starter on defense, she served as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) in 2008-09, was involved in several community services projects, and represented UD at the NCAA Leadership Conference in 2008. She is an athletic training major at Delaware with a minor in strength & conditioning.

• The annual ECAC Appreciation Award was presented to Nicole Zehnder, head coach of the nationally-recognized University of Delaware Dance Team. The award is presented each year by the UD athletics department for overall contributions to the program.