FAIRFAX, VA – Nine student-athletes from five different Siena Athletics programs were honored as 2020 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine, the publication announced Thursday morning.
Softball senior
Lauren Sabihon and Women's Golf junior
Abigail Chai-Onn, along with Men's Tennis senior
Alexandros Giannakitsidis and juniors
Sagar Bains &
Guillermo Lopez Torres were each recognized for the second straight year. Men's Soccer senior
Eddie Dakwa joined Men's Tennis junior
Muhammad Sawani, sophomore
Tomas Del Olmo and Water Polo sophomore
Georgia Vargas in receiving the honor for the first time.
Siena saw nine student-athletes honored in 2020 after receiving six honors in each of the previous two years. A record 11 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars took home awards in 2017 & 2016, while eight did so in 2015 and seven in 2014.
Now in its 28th year, Diverse first established the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars Award in 1992 to honor undergraduate students of color who exemplify the standards set by the tennis legend. A scholar and an athlete, Ashe sought to expand opportunities for young people.
Each year, Diverse invites every post-secondary institution with intercollegiate athletics in the U.S. to submit nominations for their outstanding sports scholars. In addition to their athletic ability, students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence as well as community service. To be eligible to be named an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar, diverse student athletes must have reached at least sophomore standing academically, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better, and be active both on their campus and in their community. This year, over 1,000 student athletes from across the country were nominated.
A member of the First Team of Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars for softball, Sabihon started in the outfield during 12 of Siena's 13 games during their abbreviated 2020 campaign. The Torrance, California native batted .303 with 10 hits and a pair of doubles and posted a perfect 1.00 fielding percentage on defense. Representing her sport for the sixth time in the last seven years by receiving the award, she holds a 3.84 cumulative GPA in psychology, while posting a perfect 4.0 during the Fall 2019 semester. The Senior CLASS Award nominee for her team this past year, she is a three-time member of the MAAC All-Academic Team and has also been on the MAAC Academic Honor Roll, ECAC Presidential Honor Roll and the NFCA Scholar All-America. Sabihon was a member of Siena's Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) during her senor year.
The first two-time honoree in the history of Siena Women's Golf, Chai-Onn competed in all six events during her junior season, posting a 78.83 stoke average and a pair of top-10 individual finishes. Her best performance of the year came when she tied for seventh at the Lehigh Invitational to round out fall play in October. The Miami, Florida native holds a 3.75 cumulative mark in english and achieved a 3.8 for the Fall 2019 semester. She was recently named to the MAAC All-Academic Team for the second time and has also received MAAC Academic Honor Roll and WGCA Scholar All-American honors during her collegiate career.
Kicking off the most honorees from one team in program history, Giannakitsidis held a 1-2 mark in singles play and competed as part of the no. 2 doubles team for the Saints this past season. His season concluded with a two-set doubles victory on Senior Day against Lafayette on March 1. Hailing from Boksburg, South Africa, Giannakitsidis was placed on the First Team for men's tennis and holds a 3.73 cumulative GPA as a finance major, including a 3.85 mark for the Fall 2019 semester. He was named to the MAAC All-Academic Team for the third time this spring and is a member of Siena's SAAC chapter.
Also a member of the First Team for his sport after being placed on the Second Team last season, Bains competed as Siena's top singles player this year, posting a 4-9 record and an 8-3 doubles mark as well. He won his match as part of the team's first-ever victory at UConn on February 16 and was Siena's Male Leo Dufort Student Athlete of the Month for November 2019. The Chandigarh, India native holds a 3.83 cumulative GPA in finance, and achieved a 3.94 mark for the Fall 2019 semester. Bains is a two-time member of the MAAC All-Academic Team and has also been named to the MAAC Academic Honor Roll.
Named to the First Team for the second consecutive year, Lopez Torres went 6-8 in singles play while competing in the no. 2 & no. 3 spots this season. He was also one half of the team's top doubles squad that went 7-5 and was named the MAAC Player of the Week on February 26. A product of Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, Lopez Torres owns a 3.94 cumulative mark in biology, including a 3.97 for the Fall 2019 term. He was recently named to the MAAC All-Academic Team for the second time and has also been on the MAAC Academic Honor Roll.
The first member of Siena Men's Soccer to be honored since 2015, Dakwa was named to the third team after serving as a co-captain during his senior campaign. The defender appeared in 13 matches with eight starts, totaling 695 minutes on the season. A native of Harare, Zimbabwe, Dakwa holds a 3.57 cumulative GPA in Communications & Marketing, including a 3.80 mark for the Fall 2019 semester. He was named to the MAAC All-Academic Team this year and has also been on the MAAC Academic Honor Roll.
A native of Karachi Pakistan, Sawani posted a 3-4 record as the team's no. 4 singles player during the 2019-20 season. His junior campaign included three straight singles wins in matches against Sacred Heart, Rider & Saint Joseph's. Named to the Second Team for men's tennis, he holds a 3.69 cumulative GPA in finance, including a 3.64 mark during the Fall 2019 term. He was named to the MAAC All-Academic Team this year and has also been on the MAAC Academic Honor Roll. He serves as one of Siena's Student Athlete Mentors (SAM).
Hailing from St. John, Virgin Islands and a member of the First Team, Del Olmo went 7-8 in singles play this year to tie for the most singles wins on the team. He also competed as one half of the squad's top doubles pairing, which went 7-5. Del Olmo holds a 3.91 cumulative mark in accounting and took home a perfect 4.0 during the Fall 2019 term. He was on this year's MAAC All-Academic Team and has also been named to the MAAC Academic Honor Roll.
The first Siena Water Polo Arthur Ashe Jr Sports Scholar since Sport Winner Madison Obata in 2017, Vargas helped the Saints post their first winning record in program history at 7-6 and close out 2020 play with their largest victory in program history, a 27-5 decision over Connecticut College. The Whittier, CA native ranked second on the team in goals scored (34), third in points (47) and fourth in assists (13), while also recording 11 steals, six field blocks and drawing 12 exclusions. Vargas holds a 3.51 cumulative GPA in psychology and posted a 3.62 for the Fall 2019 semester. She was on this year's MAAC All-Academic Team and is also a member of Siena's SAAC chapter. She was one of only three water polo players in the country to earn the award this year.