DETROIT (6/21/2023) -- Softball outfielder Kara Wolfbauer and men's track and field sprinter Dante Bassham put a final ribbon on their Titan careers as the pair of seniors were named this year's President's Award winners as the University of Detroit Mercy announced its 2022-23 Athletic Department Athletic and Academic award winners on Wednesday.
"As the year closes and we go over our nominees and award winners, it is amazing to see how many great student-athletes we have here, from those that are nominated to those who didn't even make the final ballot, said Director of Athletics Robert C. Vowels, Jr. "Our student-athletes are truly special, both in and out of the classroom, and they all should be honored for their hard work and achievement. Congratulations to all the award winners and Dante and Kara for etching their names in Titan history with the President Award.
Bassham collected 20 wins in his four years in the 60, 100 and 200-meters as well as on the 4x100-meter relay teams. He earned four Horizon League victories at the league championships, claiming the 60m and 200m during this past indoor season on his way to being named the Co-Outstanding Performer for runners. He was also part of back-to-back first-place and record-breaking 4x100 quartet at the outdoor championships and was runner-up in the 100m as a junior and senior and 200m as a junior. At last year's HL outdoor championships, he tallied 16 individual points - breaking the school record in the 100m with a time of 10.39 in the prelims - and was part of the first-place 4x100 and the fifth-place 4x400 as he had a hand in 30 of the 77.5 team points. He was a four-time member of the Detroit Mercy Athletic Director's Honor Roll, a three-time member of the Horizon League Fall and Spring Academic Honor Rolls, and a member of the Horizon League All-Academic Team for indoors and outdoors and a 2023 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honoree.
Wolfbauer - the 2023 Detroit Mercy Valedictorian - was the epitome of a student-athlete who never gave up. A true walk-on, she eventually earned a scholarship and became a starter. After playing in just 15 games in her first two years, with just one at-bat as she was used mostly as a pinch runner, she played in 59 games with 43 starts in her final two seasons and started all 35 contests as a senior. She tied for the team lead in doubles and ranked third in total bases and fourth in hits. She was a four-time member of the Detroit Mercy Athletic Director's Honor Roll, a three-time member of the Horizon League Fall and Spring Academic Honor Rolls, and a member of the 2023 Horizon League All-Academic Team and the 2023 CSC Academic All-District squad.
The Titan Club Award (Male and female upper-class student-athlete on the merits of athletic performance and academic excellence)
Daniel Lanfear won the high jump 12 times in his Titan career. As a junior, he qualified for the NCAA Division I Championships Preliminary Round in the high jump, becoming just the 13th Titan to compete since the preliminary round was introduced in 2010. He was second at the HL Indoor Championship as a sophomore at 2.04-meters, third in the outdoor high jump with a mark of 2.01m and then posted a career-best 2.09m at Oakland's Last Chance Meet, the second highest in school history, to earn the NCAA bid. He was a five-time member of the Detroit Mercy Athletic Director's Honor Roll, a four-time member of the Horizon League Fall and Spring Academic Honor Rolls, a five-time member of the HL Indoor and Outdoor All-Academic Team and also earned CSC Academic All-District (2023) and USTFCCCA All-Academic (2022).
Allison Sherman is coming off a cross country season that saw her finish runner-up in a 6k career time of 21:55, tied for 10th in school history, and moved that up to ninth with a career-best 21:54 for 77th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships, the best finish by a Titan since 2013. On the season, she won the BSN Titans Invitational and the Live In The Lou Classic Silver. She was also Second Team All-HL as a sophomore and junior. In track and field, she has won four events in the 3000 and 5000-meters as well as the mile. She scored in this past HL outdoor championships taking third in the 10,000m and fourth in the 5,000m and is currently second in school history in the 10,000 and third in the 5,000m. She is a four-time member of the Detroit Mercy Athletic Director's Honor Roll, a three-time member of the Horizon League Fall and Spring Academic Honor Rolls, and a five-time member of the Horizon League cross country and outdoor All-Academic Team and earned a place on the 2023 CSC Academic All-District Team.
Reverend Norbert Huetter Award (Male and female student-athlete who sets an example for others by their display of attitude, dedication and leadership)
Ryan Birney was a two-time team captain and was named to the Atlantic Sun Second Team after leading the squad with 24 goals while finishing third with 29 points as a senior. He finished his career with 62 points, 51 goals, 11 assists, and seven hat tricks in 36 career games. He was a four-time member of the Detroit Mercy Athletic Director's Honor Roll and was selected to the MAAC All-Academic Team as a sophomore and the CSC Academic All-District Team as a senior.
Imani McNeal was a team captain as a senior and has played in 53 games with 44 starts as a Titan. She averaged 9.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game as a senior. She posted double-digit scoring performances in 12 games, with a career-high 23 points in a win over Miami Hamilton. She has been on the Detroit Mercy Athletic Director's Honor Roll in both of her seasons and is also a member of the Horizon League Fall and Spring Academic Honor Rolls and was selected to the CSC Academic All-District Team in 2023.
The Dad Butler Award (Awarded to a male and female student–athlete who has shown determination in the rehabilitation of an athletic injury)
Jackson Towers, a team captain, tore his ACL before the season began, but was with his team throughout the fall while rehabbing his injury and is on pace to return to the team right when practice starts in August.
Katie Anderla overcame a stroke in 2021 to return to competition in cross country and track and field this past year. She ran in all seven cross country races, setting PR's in the 5k and 6k as well as in track in the 3,000 and 5,000-meters.
Larry Bleach Award (Male and female student-athlete who sets the strength and conditioning standards for other student-athletes to follow)
Luke Winters and Jess Turner were honored with the Larry Bleach Award. Both players were leaders for their team in the strength and conditioning areas, always excelling and pushing the limits and being prompt to all sessions.
The Top Performance Award (Awarded to a male and female athlete or team and dedicated to the top athletic performance of the season)
Antoine Davis had a number of standout performances on the year, but he broke an NCAA record in thrilling fashion at home against Robert Morris. He nailed a school-record 11 triples to become the NCAA all-time three-point record holder and finished with 41 points. He was 15-of-26 from the field and 11-of-18 from behind the arc. The 11, 3-pointers was one away from the Horizon League mark. The game was tied at 39-39 when Davis rang in his eighth 3-pointer of the first half to break the NCAA record with his 510th career triple.
Allison Sherman put together one of the best 6k races in school history as she battled for gold and claimed silver at the Horizon League Cross Country Championship. She earned First Team All-Horizon League honors with a time of 21:55. It was the best finish by a Titan since 2002.
Spirit Award (Awarded to a person who is the truest of all fans)
The 2023 Spirit Award went to athletic communication's graduate assistant
Steven MacDonald '23. In his two years with the department, he was the Voice for men's and women's soccer, softball and women's lacrosse on ESPN+. He called nearly 60 games in his tenure and almost 100 in his time prior as an intern. He also helped with photography, video and social media and was a positive voice in all his efforts.
The Team Excellence Award winners went to women's golf, who had the highest GPA out of all the Titan teams with a 3.5. Men's soccer led all male teams with a 3.38.
