Medaille College lacrosse standout Amanda Ruszczyk recently received the 2017 AMCC Female Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) Award. The 2017 Medaille graduate was chosen from among 18 outstanding student-athletes named to the AMCC's All-Academic Team. Ruszczyk majored in education and graduated in May with a 3.94 GPA. She was a member of the Dean's List all four years and served as captain of Medaille's volleyball and lacrosse teams.

The 2017 issue of Prelude, Medaille College's literary magazine comprised entirely of student work, was recently released. Written, designed and published by Medaille students under the guidance of professor Dr. Terri K. Borchers, Prelude features poems, visual art and short stories. Students involved in the creation of the magazine include:

Medaille College students in professor Mark Lavatelli's Creative Expression class recently repainted the buffalo statue located in front of the College's North Residence Hall. The fall 2016 project involved redesigning and repainting the buffalo, originally painted by Lavatelli for the Herd About Buffalo civic project in 2000. Students involved in the project included Justin Bulega, Diana Burgos, Megan Hassenbohler, Daniel Joseph, Monica LaRock, Mercedes Sulzbach and Ebony Townes. Help was also provided by work-study student Kristine Snyder and Aramark supervisor Joel Duermeyer.

The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) recently announced its postseason baseball awards, and three Mavericks earned their way onto one of the 2017 All-Conference Teams. Seniors Kristopher Kruszka and Daniel Luppens were named to the AMCC All-Conference First Team and junior Ryan Wojcinski was named All-Conference Second Team.

Medaille students, faculty and staff came together with students and families from the Valley Community Center on May 1 to celebrate another year of Science in Bloom. The program aims to foster a lifelong interest in science and allows students to develop a contextual understanding of science using a continuum of learning experiences that engage students in scientific inquiry. Science in Bloom takes place on Medaille's Buffalo campus and at the Valley Community Center. Youths have the opportunity to dissect specimens, journal, develop questions and discuss answers under Medaille students' guidance. The following Medaille students participated in the program:

Chantelle Culver and Shirley Viviana Montalban-Jones, graduate students in Medaille's Division of Education, recently participated in a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) paint party to highlight the importance of teaching art in education. The event was sponsored by the Education Graduate Student Society (EGSS) under the leadership of Medaille professors Mary Beth Scumaci and Kelly Ahuna.

Kellie Grant, a student in Medaille's master's in elementary education program, was recently inducted as an officer to the Niagara Frontier Reading Council (NFRC). She will serve in the role of corresponding secretary for the 2017-18 academic year. The mission of the NFRC is to promote literacy education, encourage professional development and provide community service that fosters literacy within Western New York.

Medaille's 2017 Student Government Association (SGA) Awards Banquet was held on April 21 at the Hotel Lafayette. In addition to student awards, a number of faculty and staff members received honors. These included Academic Advisement Counselor Lindy Feider as Staff Member of the Year; Dr. Bernadette Clabeaux as Professor of the Year; and professors Dr. Juli Hinds, Lisa Marsherall and Lou Pozantides as Club Advisors of the Year. Director of Counseling Services Rosalina Rizzo received the Campus Partner Appreciation Award, while Academic Advisement Counselor Jessica Kozar received the Mavs for Life Alumni Award. The following students were honored at the SGA Awards Banquet: Student Leader of the Year - Stephanie Appenheimer Mavs Volunteer Award - Petrina Sciandra Outstanding Contribution to Student Activities - Samuel Bloomberg Outstanding Contribution to Student Life - Stephanie Appenheimer, Petrina Sciandra Outstanding RA of the Year - Erica Mongelli Outstanding "Rookie" RA - Denis Melik-Tangiyev

Kellie Grant and Sara Dormandy, students in Medaille's master's in elementary education program, recently presented on the topic of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at the Niagara Frontier Reading Council Spring Conference. The focus of their presentations was the integration of children's books to engage and enhance the STEM learning experience for children in grades one through six. They presented under the guidance of Medaille professor Mary Beth Scumaci.

Medaille senior Manar Alsbaikhawi was recently interviewed by WBFO's Eileen Buckley about how the Say Yes to Education Buffalo program has influenced her life. She will graduate on May 19 with a degree in biology. Alsbaikhawi credited Medaille professor Dr. Bernadette Clabeaux and the Medaille TRiO program for helping support her along the way. "I would say I would feel honored and very grateful," Alsbaikhawi told WBFO.

The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference recently announced its postseason softball awards, and four Mavericks earned their way onto one of the three 2017 All-Conference Teams. Senior Morgan Ziemba was named to the AMCC All-Conference First Team; junior Sharon Trigilio and freshman Laura Kratzke were named All-Conference Second Team; and junior Bridget Masiello earned AMCC All-Conference Third Team honors.

The Medaille College Athletic Department honored senior Johnathan Belton as Male Athlete of the Year at the annual Maverick Awards Night Banquet on May 1. Belton finishes his college career as one of the greatest players in Medaille men's basketball history. He joined the 1,000 point club and led the entire country in steals while also being named to the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) All-Conference First Team, the D3Hoops All-Great Lakes Second Team, and the NABC Great Lakes First Team. In addition, Belton was recognized as AMCC Defensive Player of the Year and AMCC Player of the Year, and was selected to play in the NABC Reese's D-III All-Star Game. Belton was one of a number of Medaille student-athletes honored during Maverick Awards Night.

The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) recently announced its 2017 Women's Lacrosse All-Conference teams, and the list featured six Medaille Mavericks. Seniors Amanda Ruszczyk and Lauren Jensen were voted to the NEAC All-Conference First Team for the first time in their careers, while juniors Sarah Espe and Kaylie Bauer were both named to the NEAC All-Conference Second Team for the first time. Sophomore Kelsey Beres and freshman Emma Campagna were selected to the NEAC All-Conference Third Team.

The Medaille College Athletic Department honored juniors Dani Reinwald and Sharon Trigilio as Female Athletes of the Year at the annual Maverick Awards Night Banquet on May 1. Reinwald (women's basketball) ranked in the top 100 in the nation in five different categories and was named to the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) All-Conference First Team. Trigilio (softball) is ranked No. 33 in the country in batting average and is in the nation's top 200 in seven different categories. Reinwald and Trigilio were two of a number of Medaille student-athletes honored during Maverick Awards Night.

The Medaille College Athletic Department presented Team First Awards to one student-athlete from each team at the annual Maverick Awards Night Banquet on May 1.

The Medaille College Athletic Department presented Sportsmanship Awards to one student-athlete from each team at the annual Maverick Awards Night Banquet on May 1.

Medaille College seniors Amanda Ruszczyk and Sam Bloomberg received Faculty Athletic Representative Awards at the annual Maverick Awards Night Banquet on May 1. The awards are presented by the Medaille College Athletic Department to one male and one female athlete each year in honor of excellence in the classroom and in competition, and involvement in extracurricular activities. The female FAR award went to women's volleyball and lacrosse standout Ruszczyk, a senior with a 3.94 cumulative GPA. The male FAR award honored Bloomberg (men's volleyball), a senior with a 3.85 cumulative GPA. Ruszczyk and Bloomberg were two of a number of Medaille student-athletes honored during Maverick Awards Night.

The Medaille College Athletic Department presented senior Kris Kruszka with the Joe Jacobs Mental Toughness Award at the annual Maverick Awards Night Banquet on May 1. The baseball standout was recognized for overcoming two knee injuries to come back and hit .365 with 29 RBIs and a team-best .583 slugging percentage. Kruszka was one of a number of Medaille student-athletes honored during Maverick Awards Night.

Three students in Medaille College's DECA chapter recently competed in the International Career Development Conference in Anaheim, California. The Medaille team participated in the business research prepared presentation event, and was one of only 12 teams internationally that made it to the final round of competition. Since the club was started four years ago, Medaille's DECA chapter has had students advance to the final round of competition at each conference. The members of the Medaille team were:

Students from Medaille College's Pathways program, along with a number of College staff members, recently volunteered at the Ontario Community Garden in Buffalo. Medaille's inaugural Pathways to Service event saw volunteers clean the area, dig up old rose bushes to make way for new gardens, build several raised beds, weed the garden, and construct a compost bin out of blocks. The Pathways program is Medaille's educational and supportive mentoring program for first-year students. Students participating in the event included:

A group of Medaille College students recently spent a day volunteering at the Buffalo City Mission. The students from Medaille's Student Government Association assisted with transporting the food throughout the site, sorted it, and organized the pantry. Medaille staff members Nicole Calamunci and Kayla Betacchini helped organize the productive day, which involved the following students:

The Medaille College women's lacrosse team claimed the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Championship with a victory over Hilbert College on April 18. It is the first AMCC women's lacrosse title in program history. The lineup for head coach Russell Allen's Mavericks includes:

As part of a Community-Based Learning Project, students in Medaille College's Management Information Systems (MIS240) class partnered with Back to Basics Outreach Ministry to automate the organization's paperwork. The local nonprofit provides emergency shelter to those in need, and then submits monthly vouchers to the Department of Social Services for reimbursement. The following Medaille students worked with instructor Susan Swinarski to develop a new system to take this process from paper to an electronic format:

The Medaille College Music and Drama Club recently completed a four-performance run of the musical-comedy "First Date." The story of a date-gone-bad starred Medaille veterinary technology professor Dr. Matthew Coleman, who also serves as the club's advisor. The cast and crew of "First Date" included the following Medaille students:

An article written by two Medaille graduate students (with Medaille assistant professors Dr. Keith Klostermann and Rene A. Jones, Medaille graduate Kathryn Benfanti, and local psychologist Theresa Mignone) has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Addiction Medicine and Therapeutic Science. The article, titled "Substance Use and Relationship Functioning: A Parallel Process," was coauthored by the following Medaille students:

Students taking a management information systems course at Medaille College recently worked together to create a new tracking system for the Service Collaborative of WNY, Inc. With approximately 200 AmeriCorps graduates annually, this independent nonprofit organization needed a system to track these members and further engage them in community service. The following Medaille students worked together to create a spreadsheet that streamlines data entry and information retrieval:

Medaille College recently earned five Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Team Peak Performer awards - the most in the conference. The prestigious awards, which honor the teams with the highest cumulative team grade point average in the AMCC, were presented to the student-athletes from Medaille's baseball, women's bowling, women's lacrosse, softball, and men's volleyball squads. The complete list of student-athletes from Medaille's award-winning teams includes:

Grace Krzan, a student in Medaille College's Division of Veterinary and Natural Sciences, has been accepted into a summer program called Loop Abroad. This is a two-week program that focuses on wildlife conservation. Congratulations, Grace!

Medaille College freshman Emma Campagna, a member of Medaille's women's lacrosse team, was recently awarded player of the week honors from both the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) and Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC). Campagna was selected after leading the Mavericks with seven goals and two assists in a win over the Saint Vincent Bearcats.

Graduating seniors from the Medaille College communication program were recognized at Medaille's 12th Annual Media Awards Ceremony on March 20, 2017. The ceremony honors individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the community, and to the College's communication program. In addition, the event highlights the efforts of the students in the program. The following communication students were recognized at the ceremony: