Three St. Joseph's College Athletes Take Player of the Week Awards

Lauren GaNun, a sophomore from Breezy Point, was honored with her second Player of the Week award this season. (Photo by St. Joseph’s College Sports Information)

For the second time in two weeks, St. Joseph’s College (SJC) had two students recognized for Player of the Week awards. Lauren GaNun, a sophomore on the women’s volleyball team, and Shannon Fahy, a sophomore on the women’s soccer team, brought the honors to SJC for the second time this season. Sophomore men’s cross country runner Taso Kositkas was also recognized as Rookie of the Week for the first time in his career.

“It’s a great accomplishment to have any of our student athletes recognized,” said Anthony Macupugay, sports information director for SJC.

GaNun, a Breezy Point native, received the United State Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Player of the Week award. The volleyball team (9-5, 4-4 HVIAC) is undefeated in league play. GaNun leads the HIVAC with 3.90 kills per set and a .318 hitting percentage.

Shannon Fahy, of SJC’s women’s soccer team, was honored as Player of the Week for the second time this season. (Photo by St. Joseph’s College Sports Information)

“Lauren had a very strong year last year,” Macupugay said. “She won Rookie of the Year and won Player of the Week three times as a freshman. We won six of our last seven games thanks to her strong play.

Fahy, also a Breezy Point native, received her award from the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) and HVIAC after she recorded her second hat trick of the season for the soccer team (2-8, 2-3 HVIAC) in an 8-0 win over Yeshiva University’s Maccabees. She ranks in the top five in the conference with a team-leading seven goals and 20 points.

Kostikas, a Brooklyn native, helped the men’s cross country team take eighth place at the College of Staten Island Invitational, where he ran the 5-kilometer course in a career-best time of 22:15.

Taso Kostikas, a sophomore on the men’s cross country team, received his first honor of the season as Rookie of the Week, after setting a career-best running time. (Photo by St. Joseph’s College Sports Information)

“It’s not atypical, but all of the awards are definitely accomplishments,” Macupugay said. “All of our teams are wrapping up their conference play within the next few weeks.”

Macupagay hopes the strong end to conference play helps the teams compete stronger in conference tournaments. SJC is a Division III member and is one of about 100 schools that competes in the USCAA, which is like the NCAA for smaller schools, Macupugay said.

The HVIAC Tournament for the women’s volleyball and soccer teams starts on Sunday, Oct. 27, and the men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete in the HVIA Cross Country Championships this Sunday, Oct. 20.