FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU Athletic Department celebrated its stellar 2014-15 campaign Monday night during the annual Senior Send-Off and Awards Ceremony held on campus in the Cohen Center Ballroom.
 
Along with honoring the department's seniors, six different awards were handed out, highlighted by swimmer Emma Svensson (Uppsala, Sweden/Celsiusskolan) and softball player Kelsey Carpenter (Oviedo, Fla./Hagerty HS) sharing the prestigious Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award, the highest honor FGCU bestows upon a graduating senior student-athlete. The award, which was presented by FGCU President Dr. Wilson Bradshaw, recognizes the ability of the winner to combine athletic and academic success (minimum 3.20 GPA) with community service.
 
More information about Svensson and Carpenter – who were both inducted into the FGCU Hall of Fame earlier this month – can be found below. Men's tennis senior Jordi Vives (Barcelona, Spain/IES Ferran Tallada/USC) was also recognized as a finalists for the prestigious award.
 
Five other annual awards were presented on the night, beginning with the Eagle Team Spirit Award, which is given to the team which exemplifies Eagle spirit and team support. The 2015 honor went to the men's cross country team, which with a 4th-place finish tied for its best-ever showing at the Atlantic Sun Championship this past fall. The club consistently can been seen not only supporting other teams during their competitions but helping out on campus and throughout the community.
 
The Stanley "Butch" Perchan Award, previously named the Green and Blue Award, is annually bestowed upon a staff member who personifies the proverbial definition of someone who bleeds Green and Blue. Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh announced at last year's ceremony that the award would be renamed the Stanley "Butch" Perchan Award in honor of Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs Emeritus Butch Perchan. Perchan was unable to be in attendance, so Kavanagh presented the 2015 honor to volleyball assistant coach Danny Mahy. Mahy served as an assistant coach during each of the first two years of the program in 2004 and 2005 before returning in 2008 and he has remained ever since.
 
Women's golfer Georgia Price (Bude, England/Fort Myers, Fla.) and women's soccer member Melissa Arnold (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek Regional HS) were the co-recipients of the Community Service Award, which is presented annually to the student-athlete who best exemplifies FGCU Athletics' dedicated commitment to volunteerism on campus and in the local community.
 
The Carl McAloose Spirit Award is given to at least one male and female student-athlete who best exemplify Carl McAloose's spirit and love for FGCU Athletics, as well as dedication to their team and teammates. Five recipients – two male and three female – won the award this year: men's tennis seniors Tianyu Bao (Tianjin, China/Bayshore HS (Bradenton, Fla.)) and Michael Beiler (Palm Harbor, Fla./Dunedin HS), volleyball standout Gigi Meyer (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz HS), women's tennis player Sarah Means (Wesley Chapel, Fla./Wiregrass Ranch HS) and Arnold.
 
The Most Inspirational Award, which was renamed the Duane Swanson Sr. Inspirational Award at the 2011 ceremony, was presented Tuesday to women's golfer Chelsea Guoynes (Traverse City, Mich./Traverse City Central HS). A senior, Guoynes had her career threatened by seizures, but overcame the adversity throughout the year and ultimately helped lead the Eagles to a 3rd-place finish at the A-Sun Championship earlier this month – the team's best-ever finish at the tournament.

 
EAGLE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE WINNERS
Svensson has maintained a 3.89 GPA as an economics major and an honors student at the same time as she has set multiple program records in the pool.
 
The Swede became the team captain in 2013 and has been a mainstay on FGCU's President List for the last three years. Svensson was a research assistant for the FGCU Honors Program last year while having a concentration on the Eurozone crisis and finding business applications of calculus and behavioral economics. The mathmatics minor has spent her time volunteering in the community through the FGCU Actuarial Science Club, Hope for Haiti and Mesina Children's Hospital.
 
As a freshman in 2011-12, Svensson became the first Eagles' swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships. She was named a Mid-Major All-American and earned CCSA All-Conference honors in addition to being honored as CCSA's Most Outstanding Female Freshman Performer of the Championship Meet.
 
Her dominance continued throughout her sophomore campaign as she was selected as the NCAA Elite 89 Award Winner, again qualifying for the NCAA Championships while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and notching her first CCSA Swimmer of the Year award.
 
She followed the impressive performance with a 2013-14 that saw her receive College Swimming Coaches Association of America Honorable Mention All-America and set six FGCU program records: two individually (50 free (22.09), 100 free (49.13)) and four as a member of a relay team (200 free (1:30.24), 400 free (3:20.13), 200 medley (1:38.63), 400 medley (3:40.69)). Her performances in the 50 free and 400 free relays also set CCSA records. At the NCAA Championships, she scored FGCU points for the first time in program history, placing 12th in the 50-yard freestyle with a 22.33 time.
 
This season, the standout continued her spree of shattering records at the 2015 CCSA Championship meet, breaking her own mark in the 50 free with a CCSA and FGCU-program record time of 21.98. She was named CCSA Women's Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Championship Meet. At the NCAA Championships, she scored FGCU's first points of the meet, placing 12th in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.12. Svensson also helped the Eagles earn their first-ever points in a relay event when the 200-yard team touched the pads in a time of 1:37.55 to finish eighth. She helped guide FGCU to a best-ever finish of 26th in the nation, perfectly accentuating her stellar athletic and academic career.
 
"Emma has been a leader of our program by example and as the team-voted captain," said head coach Neal Studd. "She has been a leader in the classroom, pool, community and campus. She will be remembered as the most successful swimmer in FGCU history and one of the NCAA's great student-athletes – a true female success story on every level. I have never come across a person who is more humble, selfless and a down-right nice person than Emma."
 
Carpenter has impacted the Southwest Florida and FGCU communities all while patrolling center field for the Eagles.
 
The exercise science major has held a 3.93 GPA while being a two-time recipient of the Robert and Bette Batson Scholarship, which only two students receive in the Exercise Science program. The last two years Carpenter has served as team captain the last two years and also became the founding president of FGCU's Fellowship of Christian Athletes. While maintaining a spot on the President's List or Dean's List every semester, Carpenter has volunteered 60 hours each for Habitat for Humanity and Summit Student Ministries.
 
A four-year starter, Carpenter has earned selections on the A-Sun Second Team (2013), A-Sun First Team (2014), A-Sun All-Tournament Team (2014) and this year was tabbed as the A-Sun Preseason Player of the Year. Last season, she led the A-Sun with a batting average of .432. Her exploits at the plate continued as she led the Blue and Green with 51 RBI, 76 hits and 10 doubles. Carpenter's .458 batting average with runners on base and her .505 on-base percentages were crucial in leading the Eagles to the A-Sun Championship final.
 
In previous seasons, Carpenter has also been named to NFCA All-South Region second and third teams, in addition to being a College Sports Madness A-Sun All-Conference First Team choice.
 
This season, the senior is the only player to start all 50 of the Eagles' games while batting a team-best .349. She leads the Green and Blue in hits, runs scored, triples, RBI, total bases, walks and slugging percentage.
 
"I have been a coach and educator for 20 years and Kelsey is easily in the top 1 percent of any student or athlete I have ever worked with," stated head coach David Deiros. "Her work ethic is off the charts. She is a role model for her teammates and they readily acknowledge that she is who they aspire to be. Most importantly, Kelsey is a fantastic person. She demonstrates impeccable moral character in all of her actions. She treats everyone she encounters with respect and empathy. Finally, Kelsey is a leader by example who has just scratched the surface of what she is truly capable of accomplishing."
 
Nominees for the 2014-15 Most Outstanding Female and Male Athlete Awards were also unveiled. The winners of this award will be announced at the "Welcome Back Picnic" in August, due to some sports still waiting on postseason awards. All nominees have either earned All-Conference First Team honors or better in their respective sport or, for a few spring sports that have not yet awarded these honors, are individuals whom are believed to be under strong considerations for such accolades.
 
MEN'S BASKETBALL: Brett Comer
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Kaneisha Atwater, Whitney Knight
MEN'S SOCCER: Aaron Guillen, Nathan Ingham, Rodrigo Saravia
WOMEN'S SOCCER: Tabby Tindell, Shannen Wacker, Ally Kasun, Brittany Brown
Paulina Speckmaier, Emma Blackwell
SWIMMING & DIVING: Emma Svensson, Kira Toussaint, Lani Cabrera, Katie Armitage, Rebecca Derogatis, Nina Schiffer, Kristin Julien, Yee Wong
MEN'S TENNIS: Jordi Vives, Michael Beiler, Ricky Ventura
WOMEN'S TENNIS: Sarah Means, Johanna Sterkel
VOLLEYBALL: Elenora Kazarian, Olivia Mesner, Gigi Meyer
MEN'S GOLF: Jake Sherwin
BASEBALL: Nick Rivera, Jake Noll, Tyler Selesky, Jordan Desguin, Brady Anderson, Mike Murray, Zach Spivey
SOFTBALL: Kelsey Carpenter
 
2015 FGCU ATHLETICS AWARD WINNERS
Eagle Scholar-Athlete Award: Emma Svensson (Swimming & Diving), Kelsey Carpenter (Softball)
Duane Swanson Sr. Inspiration Award: Chelsea Guoynes (Women's Golf)
Carl McAloose Spirit Award: Tianyu Bao (Men's Tennis), Michael Beiler (Men's Tennis), Gigi Meyer (Volleyball), Sarah Means (Women's Tennis), Melissa Arnold (Women's Soccer)
Stanley "Butch" Perchan Award: Danny Mahy (Assistant Volleyball Coach)
Community Service Award: Georgia Price (Women's Golf), Melissa Arnold (Women's Soccer)
Eagle Spirit Team Award: Men's Cross Country
 
ABOUT FGCU
In just its 8th year as a Division-I member, FGCU has won a combined 45 conference regular season and tournament titles as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference and Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association. In just its 4th year of D-I postseason eligibility, FGCU has made 19 total NCAA Championship appearances. Ticket information for upcoming events is available by calling 239-590-7145. Additional news and schedule information is available at FGCUAthletics.com. Follow us on Twitter (@FGCUEagles), Facebook (/FGCUAthletics), Instagram (@FGCUAthletics) and YouTube (/FGCUAthletics).
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.