The Semester Awards, or Semesters for short, are the Niagara Wire Sports Staff’s biannual awards given to the best NU players, coaches, and teams of the preceding semester. Here are The Semesters for the Fall 2019 semester:
All pictures are courtesy of Niagara Athletics and purpleeagles.com
Team of the Semester – Women’s Soccer
It was a tough one to call. But we decided Women’s Soccer was this years Semesters winner for best team. After posting a 9-8-2 record, and dominating at home with five wins and one loss, Women’s Soccer continued their winning ways in 2019. Led Kelsey Araujo with 16 points and Annie Ibey with 14 points, Women’s Soccer finished fourth in the MAAC and made it to the second round of the MAAC tournament before being eliminated first-seeded monmouth in the second round of the tournament. All in all, Women’s Soccer had themselves an impressive season and it looks like good things are on the horizon for Purple Eagles Soccer.
Player of the Semester – Jaycie Roberts, Women’s Volleyball
Roberts has helped the Purple Eagles get to a 11-5 conference record, good for third in the MAAC. She has been a trailblazer. Her 266 kills lead the Purple Eagles and are good for sixth overall in the MAAC. Roberts’ 303.5 points are good for seventh in the MAAC and leads the Purple Eagles. Roberts’ 393 digs leads the team and is good for seventh in the MAAC. Her 26 aces also lead the team.
Rookie of the Semester – Rodrigo Almeida, Men’s Soccer
The freshman forward’s career at NU got off to a hot start, as he had a great first season. Almeida’s six goals led the Purple Eagles and accounted for 33% of the goals scored by the Purple Eagles this season. His six goals were also tied for the tenth most in the MAAC.Almeida became the first Purple Eagle to reach the six-goal mark since 2015. Almeida’s performance for the Purple Eagles was good enough to warrant a nod for the 2019 All-MAAC Rookie Team.
Coach of the Semester – Donna Day, Women’s Volleyball
Donna Day wins her second consecutive Semester in only her second year as Headcoach. When we spoke to Day in 2018, she spoke extensively about changing the culture around the team and she has done exactly that. After posting a 9-19 record in 2018, Day has led the Purple Eagles to a 12-14 overall record and an 11-5 conference record, highlighted by a four-game win streak in late October. The Women’s Volleyball team has established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the MAAC and are poised to make a run at the MAAC title.
Statistics as of Nov. 11, 2019
Niagara Wire 