Recapping the best moments of the 2023-2024 athletic season
2024 is the Year of the Dragon, both in the Chinese lunar calendar and for Drexel athletics it is only appropriate to say that the Drexel Dragons excelled this athletic year. With the spring sports season coming to an end, The Triangle is commemorating Drexel’s D1 student-athletes by recognizing some of the year’s best athletes and achievements.
By the numbers
2 NCAA Tournament appearances (Women’s Basketball and Women’s Lacrosse)
7th seed for Women’s Basketball in the CAA Tournament, where they upset Stony Brook in the championship to earn a bid to the NCAA March Madness tournament
11 medals earned by Men’s Swim and Dive in the CAA Tournament, including four gold
13-game winning streak of Men’s Basketball at the DAC. Overall, they went 13-1 when playing at home
20th national ranking of the Women’s Lacrosse team, according to the NCAA rankings
43rd rank of Men’s Soccer’s Julian Jordheim on Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 Freshman Midseason list
64 career points for Women’s Soccer’s Delaney Lappin, a Drexel record
292 career points for Women’s Lacrosse’s Corrine Bednarik, tying the current Drexel record
1,081 career points scored for Men’s Basketball’s Amari Williams
People of the Year
This season saw eight athletes and one coach honored with conference awards. Except for Men’s and Women’s Squash, all awards were given within the Coastal Athletic Association.
Corinne Bednarik CAA Attacker of the Year, Women’s Lacrosse
- The 5th-year captain led the Women’s Lacrosse team to a 13-6 record and their fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance. During the 2024 season, she scored 58 goals and made 41 assists, helping her tie the record for career points at Drexel. Bednarik was awarded the Mary Semanik Award for her athletic and academic excellence.
Jenika Cuocco CAA Goalie of the Year, Women’s Lacrosse
- For the second year in a row Cuocco earned the Goalie of the Year award, which is well deserved. Cuocco faced 511 shots on goal and saved 224 of them, making her save percentage 0.569, the highest save percentage in Women’s D1 Lacrosse.
Chelsea Graveaux CAA Swimmer of the Year, Women’s Swimming and Diving
- In addition to winning Swimmer of the Year, Graveaux was also named the CAA Championship Most Outstanding Swimmer award during the CAA swimming championships. During the tournament, Graveaux set three program records in the 50 Free, 100 Fly, and 100 Free, winning her three gold medals.
Youri Senden CAA Defensive Player of the Year, Men’s Soccer
- As a defender for the Men’s Soccer team, Senden started all 16 games for Drexel, allowing only 17 goals from their opponents. During the season, he played 1457 minutes, the most of any player on the team. Senden was also awarded the John Semanik Award for his strong performances on the field and in the classroom.
Nico Serna MASC Player of the Year, Men’s Squash
- Serna was honored as the first Drexel Men’s Squash player to earn the Player of the Year award. The junior from Bogota, Columbia led Drexel in the #1 spot, gaining notable wins against opponents such as Columbia, MIT, and Dartmouth.
Valentine Van Hellemint CAA Rookie of the Year, Women’s Field Hockey
- Lier, Belgium native Van Hellemint was a key player on the Women’s Field Hockey team this season. Her impressive performance made her the team’s leading scorer with 12 goals. Throughout the season, she started in every game, playing 985 minutes.
Amari Williams CAA Defensive Player of the Year, Men’s Basketball
For a third time in a row, Williams was named Defensive Player of the Year. Throughout the season, he made 57 blocks, which led the CAA. Williams recently announced that he will be transferring to Kentucky for his final year of eligibility.
Awards and Honors
Many student-athletes were recognized within the CAA (with the exception of squash) conference as being one of the best players in the league.
1st-Team All CAA
Corinne Bednarik, Women’s Lacrosse
Jenika Cuocco, Women’s Lacrosse
Eline Di Leva, Women’s Field Hockey
Antonio Illuminato, Men’s Soccer
Gavin Kelly, Men’s Lacrosse
Lorie Lemongo, Women’s Tennis (singles)
Bella McHugh, Women’s Lacrosse
Youri Senden, Men’s Soccer
Valentine Van Hellemont, Women’s Field Hockey
Amari Williams, Men’s Basketball
2nd-Team All CAA
Allison Drake, Women’s Lacrosse
Natali Foster, Women’s Field Hockey
Megan Hadfield, Women’s Field Hockey
Alan Jesudason, Alex De Sousa, Men’s Tennis (doubles)
Alan Jesudason, Men’s Tennis (singles)
Delaney Lappin, Women’s Soccer
Lorie Lemongo, Renata Lombera, Women’s Tennis (doubles)
Drue Nicholas, Men’s Golf
Annalena O’Reilly, Women’s Soccer
Elisa Rigazlo, Women’s Tennis (singles)
Casey Touey, Women’s Soccer
3rd-Team All CAA
Lily Dunbar, Women’s Soccer
Hussein El Tawil, Men’s Tennis (singles)
Colin Gucwa, Men’s Lacrosse
Justin Moore, Men’s Basketball
Maddie Ricardo, Elisa Rigazlo, Women’s Tennis (doubles)
Patrick Short, Men’s Soccer
Luke Tomak, Men’s Lacrosse
CAA All-Rookie Team
Bea Buckley, Women’s Lacrosse
Pien Elsen, Women’s Field Hockey
Julian Jordeheim, Men’s Soccer
Gavin Kelly, Men’s Lacrosse
Pat Lyman, Men’s Lacrosse
Val Van Hellemont, Women’s Field Hockey
Ellie Wall, Women’s Lacrosse
Isaiah Whittaker-Francis, Men’s Soccer
Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference
1st Tea
Youssef Bastaway
Yuri Pelbart
Margot Prow
Haris Qasim
Nico Serna
Karina Tyma
2nd Team
Emma Bartley
Fritof Jacobsson
Guido Linder
Sanya Vats