Buffalo State Athletics held the third annual Benji Awards show on Sunday, April 28 in the Rockwell Hall Performing Arts Center, celebrating the outstanding team and individual accomplishments of the 2018-19 seasons.
 
The event was a theater-style awards show ala the ESPY's and the Oscars.  In addition to paying tribute to the 47 seniors in the Class of 2019, Buffalo State handed out nine "Benjis" to the evening's top honorees and recognized the Golden Bengal Service Award recipient, Lynn Rogers from the career development center.

The winners and nominees for the 2019 Benjis were:
 
Male Senior Scholar-Athlete Award:
WINNER: Mac Wood - Hockey
Wood has a 3.72 GPA in Economics, qualifying for the Dean's List in six out of seven semesters including earning a 4.0 this past fall.  He earned third team All-SUNYAC honors as a senior and finished 11th in school history with 77 career points on 40 goals and 37 assists in 100 career games.
 
OTHER NOMINEES: 
Spencer Cameron-Pressley – Football/Track & Field
Nick Gray – Track & Field
Justin Quinn - Football
 
Female Senior Scholar Athlete Award:
WINNER: Cassie O'Hern - Softball
O'Hern has maintained a 3.72 GPA as a forensic chemistry major.  She has been named to the Dean's List all seven semesters at Buffalo State.  O'Hern earned All-SUNYAC and All-East Region third team honors as a softball player in 2017 and has a .319 career batting average 29 doubles, five homers and 87 RBIs.
 
OTHER NOMINEES: 
Jackie Dufresne - Lacrosse
Ronni Kordrupel – Cross Country/Track
Kelly Lindner - Diving
Megan Reukauf - Hockey
Victoria Rigler - Volleyball
Kendall Skuse - Lacrosse

Male First-Year Athlete of the Year:
WINNER: Theo Pencic - Soccer
A native of Oslo, Norway, Pencic was second team All-Region, first team All-SUNYAC and was the SUNYAC Men's Soccer Rookie of the Year.  He led the league in goals-per-game, finishing with 11 goals including four game-winners in just 13 games played.
 
OTHER NOMINEES: 
Andrew Husted – Hockey
Obi Ngwu - Football

 
Female First-Year Athlete of the Year:
WINNER: Nisa Raqib – Track & Field
Raqib earned All-America honors finishing runner-up in the triple jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.  She was also the SUNYAC Field Athlete of the Year and Rookie of the Year after winning the indoor triple jump and placing sixth in the 200-meter dash and eighth in the 60-meter hurdles at the SUNYAC Championships.
 
OTHER NOMINEES: 
Alexis Hanson – Soccer
Alena McKelvey – Volleyball
Allie Reeds - Soccer
 
Male Athlete of the Year:
WINNER: Theo Pencic – Soccer
A native of Oslo, Norway, Pencic was second team All-Region, first team All-SUNYAC and was the SUNYAC Men's Soccer Rookie of the Year.  He led the league in goals-per-game, finishing with 11 goals including four game-winners in just 13 games played.
 
OTHER NOMINEES: 
Benjamin Fairweather - Track
Dom Grayer - Basketball
Mac Wood - Hockey
Robert Williamson - Soccer
 
Female Athlete of the Year:
WINNER: Ronni Kordrupel – XC/Track
During the cross country season, Kordrupel earned second team All-SUNYAC honors placing eighth at the championship meet and became the first-ever Buffalo State female to compete at the NCAA Championships.  She was the SUNYAC Champion in the 1,500-meter run at the 2018 outdoor championships and placed 11th in the event at nationals.  During the 2019 indoor season was the SUNYAC Runner of the Year after winning conference titles in the 800-meter and the mile and placing 10th in the mile at the NCAA Championships.
 
OTHER NOMINEES: 
Julia Blujus – Softball
Bri Gawronski - Hockey
Liv LeBaron – Basketball
Nisa Raqib – Track & Field
Emma Ruggiero – Hockey
Danielle Szymkowiak - Softball
 
Hube Coyer Award (Outstanding Career):
WINNER: Robert Williamson – Soccer
Williamson was a two-time All-SUNYAC performer including drawing first team honors as senior and was also named All-East Region second team as junior.  The defender finished with eight goals and three assists, including four game-winners, and during his final two seasons, he helped the Bengals register 19 shutouts while boasting the top defense in the conference.
 
OTHER NOMINEES: 
August Finn – Soccer
Justin Moser - Diving
Mac Wood - Hockey
 
Ruth Houston Award (Outstanding Career):
WINNER: Ronni Kordrupel – XC/Track
Ronni is a two-time All-SUNYAC honoree in cross country and owns the school records in both the 5K and 6K.  In 2018 she became the first Bengal to qualify for the NCAA Women's Cross Country Championships.  In track and field, she is a four-time SUNYAC champion and the 2019 SUNYAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.  She is also a two-time national qualifier in the Mile and 1,500-meter run.
 
OTHER NOMINEES: 
Christina Krowel - Lacrosse
Emma Ruggiero – Hockey
Danielle Szymkowiak - Softball
 
Team of the Year:
WINNER: Men's Soccer
The Bengals reached double-digit wins for the fourth-consecutive season for the first time in school history.  The team advanced to the SUNYAC playoffs for the fourth-straight year with a 5-3-1 league mark, good for fifth, and was 11-5-2 overall.  Under first-year head coach Francesco Cardillo, the Bengals 5-0 start was their best since 1982.
 
OTHER NOMINEES: 
Men's Hockey
Softball
Women's Lacrosse
Men's Track & Field
Women's Track & Field