ORLANDO – The 2022 Swords Awards were held on Tuesday night, celebrating another successful academic and athletic year by UCF student-athletes.
The annual tradition of recognizing the Knights for their accomplishments in and out of competition saw student-athletes, coaches, staff and members of the Shareholders Society gather at Addition Financial Arena.
The first award of the evening was the Freshman of the Year, which recognized one male and one female true or redshirt freshmen student-athletes making significant contributions to the team by demonstrating outstanding work ethic and high performance in the classroom and field of play. Softball's Micaela Macario and football's Mikey Keene were tabbed as the 2022 recipients.
The Newcomer of the Year recognizes a first-year transfer student-athlete who makes significant contributions to the team by demonstrating outstanding work ethic and high performance in the classroom and field of play. The 2022 honorees were Brittany Floyd (track and field) and Nick Taylor (men's soccer).
The Iron Knight award, which is awarded to a female and male student-athlete who leads by example, gives maximum effort, and is a top performer in the weight room, went to women's soccer's Mia Asenjo and baseball's Gephry Pena.
The Heart of the Knight is awarded to the student-athlete who is the true embodiment of a team player, as exemplified by the contribution and inspiration provided to the team. The 2022 recipients were Masseny Kaba (women's basketball) and Levy Renaud (men's basketball).
Recognizing student-athletes who have excelled in the classroom, in the field of play and in the community, the Noble Knight was awarded to women's soccer's Darya Rajaee and baseball's Ben McCabe.
The Shareholder's Society Donor of the Year was awarded to Mary and Dick Nunis.
The Dr. Bill Callarman Perseverance Award, which is named after UCF's former NCAA Faculty Representative. The award recognizes a graduating student-athlete whose determination and perseverance in overcoming obstacles academically, athletically, or even personally, is a testament to their tremendous character. Softball's Kama Woodall and men's tennis' Vasyl Kiselyov were the 2022 recipients.
The Dr. Richard Lapchick Servant Leader Award, which measures both athletic and academic achievements, along with community service, was presented to Cassidy Cangemi (softball) and Lucas Morehouse (spirit).
The softball team earned the Excalibur Cup Award, which encompasses great community service, leadership development, academic and athletic excellence and support and pride for their peers' events.
Volleyball took home the highest female team GPA (3.6), while the men's golf team held the highest male team GPA (3.37).
Named after Dr. John C. Hitt, who served as UCF's president for 26 years, the Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognizes a graduating student-athlete who exemplifies outstanding scholarly achievement through excellence in academics, leadership, participation, and performance. Cydni Turner (track and field/cross country) and Alex Ward (football) were the 2022 honorees.
Leading her squad to its best conference start in program history and a Top 25 ranking, Cindy Ball-Malone was named the Swords Awards Coach of the Year.
The Athlete of the Year is awarded to the student-athlete making the greatest contribution to the team in excellence, leadership, participation and performance. The 2022 recipients were volleyball's McKenna Melville and Lucca Dourado of men's soccer.
The evening concluded with the Moment of the Year, which was voted on by UCF student-athletes. The track and field team's 2022 American Athletic Conference indoor championship took home the women's honor while the football team's Gasparilla Bowl victory took the top honor on the men's side.
The following is a look at the awards that were handed out Tuesday night:
Freshman of the Year
Female: Micaela Macario, Softball
Male: Mikey Keene, Football
Newcomer of the Year
Female: Brittany Floyd, Track and Field
Male: Nick Taylor, Men's Soccer
Iron Knight
Female: Mia Asenjo, Women's Soccer
Male: Gephry Pena, Baseball
Heart of the Knight
Female: Masseny Kaba, Women's Basketball
Male: Levy Renaud, Men's Basketball
Noble Knight
Female: Darya Rajaee, Women's Soccer
Male: Ben McCabe, Baseball
Shareholders Society Donor of the Year
Mary and Dick Nunis
Dr. Bill Callarman Perseverance Award
Female: Kama Woodall, Softball
Male: Vasyl Kiselyov, Men's Tennis
Dr. Richard Lapchick Servant Leader Award
Female: Cassidy Cangemi, Softball
Male: Lucas Morehouse, Spirit
Excalibur Cup
Softball
Highest Team GPA
Volleyball
Men's Golf
Dr. John C. Hitt Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Female: Cydni Turner, Track and Field/Cross Country
Male: Alex Ward, Football
Coach of the Year
Cindy Ball-Malone
Athlete of the Year
Female: McKenna Melville, Volleyball
Male: Lucca Dourado, Men's Soccer
Moment of the Year
Female: Track and Field 2022 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championship
Male: Football Gasparilla Bowl victory
Gallery: (4-26-2022) Swords Awards 2022