Exemplary Seniors Receive 2021 Major Athletic Awards
WESTON, Mass. – Three graduating seniors picked up major honors as the Regis College athletics department announced its annual awards in a video presentation that premiered Wednesday night, April 28.
Thalia Bowie (Lexington, Mass.) of the swimming and diving team collected both the Female Regis-Casserly Award and the Female Senior Scholar-Athlete Award. Cole Anderson (Falmouth, Maine) of the track and field team received the Male Regis-Casserly Award, and soccer player Sal Madera (Rocky Hill, Conn.) picked up the Male Senior Scholar-Athlete Award.
Bowie served as captain of the Pride swimming and diving team during the 2020-21 academic year. A multiple event finalist at both the GNAC and New England Championships, she received the team's Coach's Award in 2019 and was placed on the GNAC Women's Swimming and Diving All-Sportsmanship Team in 2020. Making her mark in the distance events, she is third on the Regis top times list in both the 1000 freestyle and 1650 freestyle.
A nursing major, Bowie is a peer tutor, serving as a mentor for fellow nursing students as they move through the rigorous program. She is the secretary of the Regis chapter of Delta Epsilon Sigma, helping the honor society coordinate a supply drive for Rosie's Place to collect essential items such as masks and cleaning supplies to help stop the spread of COVID-19. She has also volunteered at a local YMCA to conduct swim lessons for kids with special needs. She currently carries a 3.99 grade point average and plans on entering the Doctor of Nursing Practice program here at Regis.
Anderson is a four-year letterwinner, including two years as a captain. He holds two school records and was a member of the 2018 GNAC champion men's track and field team. During this extraordinary year, he has served as SGA President, representing the students not only on issues related to campus COVID-19 protocols, but also encouraging deeper conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus.
Anderson participated in two service trips to New Orleans and two service trips to the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, serving as a student leader on his second trip to each site. He has also been a resident assistant during the past two years. In Fall 2019, he was a marketing and promotions assistant for Division I athletic program UMass Lowell. In the classroom, he has compiled a 3.831 GPA majoring in sports management with minors in athletic coaching and business management.
Madera has been a key member of the soccer team over the past four years. He started 46 of the 51 matches he appeared in, helping the squad qualify for the GNAC Tournament in both 2017 and 2018. In his sophomore season, he earned his first career collegiate point with an assist against Eastern Nazarene, plus he collected another assist against Suffolk. His third career assist came in a 4-0 conference win over Anna Maria.
As a member of the Pride backline, Madera was part of nine shutouts during his career, including three 1-0 shutouts during the 2018 season. Currently carrying a 3.851 grade point average, he is on track to earn his bachelor's degree in cybersecurity.
For the third consecutive year, the women's soccer team collected the Judith W. Burling Team Award for Academic Excellence, presented to the varsity team with the highest weighted team cumulative grade point average. Posting a 3.67 GPA, the women's soccer squad, under the leadership of head coach Mike Webber, was one of seven Regis programs to submit a grade point average of 3.6 or higher. The squad featured 19 student-athletes acknowledged for academic excellence during Division III Week, over 85 percent of the eligible players (sophomore, juniors, and seniors) on the roster.
Ronaldo Leite, head groundskeeper within the Regis College facilities department, received the Faculty/Staff Appreciation Award from the Regis Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Through projects such as plowing the turf field in March, Leite's facilities work allowed student-athletes and coaches to participate in meaningful athletic activities during the spring semester. According to 2020-21 SAAC President Joslyn O'Brien, Leite "does a lot of behind the scenes work that we could not go without … (he) has gone above and beyond to help the athletes reunite with both their teammates and their coaches."
Pam Roecker, Regis College Dean of Athletics, opened the presentation along with associate athletic director Mark Clemente, assistant athletic directors Ron LeClair and Laura Violette, and sports information director Jason Behenna. Special thanks goes to the award presenters: Regis College President Dr. Antoinette Hays, Senior Vice President/COO Dr. Kara Kolomitz, Dean of Students Walt Horner, faculty athletic representative Dr. Elizabeth Conant, and O'Brien. In addition, a special note of gratitude to former Regis assistant sports information director Nick Gendreau for compiling and editing the video presentation.
Regis College sponsors 20 intercollegiate sports within NCAA Division III as part of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.