Meet the Champions: Outstanding Individuals Highlight an Amazing Year in Adelphi Athletics

Adelphi athletes won top awards in soccer, lacrosse, track, tennis, softball and golf-while excelling in the classroom. Meet Morgan Salmon '24, the NE10 Woman of the Year, and five other award-winning Panthers.

In a year when Adelphi captured all three Northeast-10 Presidents' Cups and won an NCAA National Championship, it's no surprise that Panthers dominated the awards handed out to the conference's top athletes.

Topping the list is Morgan Salmon '24, the NE10 Woman of the Year. The center back on the women's soccer team, she was also the conference's Defensive Player of the Year; a member of the All-Conference, All-Region and NCAA Division II National All-Tournament teams; and a second-team All American.

Salmon also excelled in the classroom and the community. A nursing major who compiled a 3.854 cumulative average, she was on the NE10 Academic All-Conference team and won CSC First Team Academic All-America honors. She worked with Morgan's Message, the national organization devoted to supporting mental health awareness in athletics, and volunteers with TOPSoccer, a community-based training program in nearby West Hempstead, New York, that helps young athletes with disabilities.

Salmon is the fifth Panther to be recognized as NE10 Woman of the Year, all of whom have won the award since 2018. Like those before her, she will be the conference's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which is presented each January.

Accepting the award, she thanked Adelphi's athletics department for the key role it played in her success.

"I've been blessed with an amazing support system," Salmon said. "[Athletic Director] Danny McCabe and everyone in the athletics department have created an amazing environment that allows every student-athlete to thrive and flourish."

Stars in Five Other Sports, and in the Classroom

Following closely behind Salmon in the heroics department is Dylan Renner '24, goalkeeper on the NCAA Division II National Champion men's lacrosse team. A stalwart who posted the NCAA's best save percentage this season across all divisions, he became the first player in conference history to earn the Goalkeeper of the Year and Player of the Year Awards. He also became only the second men's lacrosse goalie at Adelphi to earn Goalkeeper of the Year honors twice. A history major, he was named a Scholar All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.

"I came to Adelphi as a transfer with no minutes and no stats," Renner said as he accepted yet another award, Adelphi's Male Athlete of the Year. "From the moment I got here, my coaches believed in me and trusted me to be that last line of defense. They took a chance on me and I can't thank them enough for that."

Katherine Marsh '23, now a student in the MS in Business Analytics program, was named the NE10 Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year as well as Adelphi's Female Athlete of the Year. A runner specializing in the 800, 1,500 and distance medley relays, she won five gold medals at the NE10 Indoor Championships and four gold medals at the Outdoor Championships. Her incredible performances as a runner also led to her being named the NE10 Female Athlete of the Year for cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field, making her only the second student-athlete in conference history to receive the award in all three sports seasons.

Tennis star Marko Jovanovic won his second consecutive NE10 Player of the Year Award while leading the men's team to its first-ever NE10 Championship. Playing No. 1 singles (compiling a 21-3 record) and No. 1 doubles, he was named to All-Conference First Team in both singles and doubles. A junior from Serbia majoring in management, he maintained a near-perfect 3.991 cumulative grade-point average, which earned him an NE10 Elite 24 Award and recognition from the College Sports Communicators organization as the Academic All-America Division II Team Member of the Year.

Angela Lignelli '24, catcher on Adelphi's softball team, won the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award-for the second time in three years. Lignelli, who didn't make an error all season and was credited by Coach Carla Campagna for her superb handling of the team's pitchers and command of the infield, was also voted to the NE10 All-Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team. A business major, she received NE10 Academic All-Conference honors.

Lignelli wasn't the only member of the softball program to win top awards. Coach Carla Campagna was named Coach of the Year-also for the second time in three years. And pitcher Lindsey Hibbs capped her career as a two-time Academic All-American and three-time NE10 All-Conference First Team selection.

Filip Wetterqvist '24 led the men's golf team to the NE10 Championship and became the highest Adelphi finisher ever at the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship, finishing 12th in the field of 110 competitors. He was All-Conference in each of the past two seasons. A student from Sweden who majored in finance, he earned Academic All-Conference honors this year.