Temple Honors Student-Athlete Success at the 2023 Stellas: A Celebration of Champions
4/25/2023
Temple Athletics celebrated the 20th annual student-athlete Celebration of Champions on Tuesday night, honoring the excellent team and individual performances of the 2022-23 academic year. The 2023 Stellas honored over 400 student-athletes at the event, held at the Liacouras Center
Each and every year, I look forward to celebrating our student-athletes at the Stellas. We are privileged to have the opportunity to showcase the fantastic work of our student-athletes. Whether it be in the field of play, in the classroom, or in our communities, Temple athletics is proud to have such outstanding individuals represent our university.Vice President/Director of Athletics Arthur Johnson
The Director’s Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes who achieved a cumulative grade point average between 3.0 and 3.49, and this year, there are 363 student-athletes on that list. Our President’s Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes who have achieved a 3.5 cumulative GPA or greater, with 180 student-athletes on the list. In addition to individual academic success, we also recognize team academic success. For the second year in a row, the team with the highest cumulative GPA -- a 3.64 -- is Women's Gymnastics!
The Scholar-Athlete of the Year award recognizes the top scholars in the department. These are individuals with demonstrated passion for academia, scholarship and the pursuit of excellence in the classroom – transcending a high GPA.
Megan Phillips is a double major in Communication and Social Influence and Public Relations with a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA. The field hockey senior has earned Honors in Klein as the Top Freshman, Top Sophomore and Top Junior in Public Relations Award, is a member of the student-athlete honor society Chi Alpha Sigma, earned presidents honor roll and Dean’s List each year. Phillips has been the recipient of the Dr. Jean Brody Scholarship in the Klein School of Media and Communication. She is involved and has been an integral part of Owls for Justice and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Phillips has served as a peer mentor in Klein and has worked as a tutor in the Resnick center. She has recently interned with The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory as a Public Affairs Intern, is the Chief Print Copy Editor for The Temple News and has Co-hosted the live show entitled “The District” and created radio news updates for WHIP Radio Station.
Tighelaar, will graduate in May 2023 with a bachelor's degree in biology. He plans to attend medical school and is currently applying to various prestigious schools, including Temple. He has been extremely successful in the classroom, earning Dean's List in four semesters. Outside of the classroom, he has spent many hours in Lewis Katz School of Medicine's Center for Metabolic Disease Research. Other activities include volunteering in Willis Eye Hospital's "Give Kids Sight Day" and the Philly House Soup Kitchen, serving lunch and dinner to underprivileged individuals. As a Resnick Academic Support Center subject tutor, Tighelaar has helped support his fellow student-athletes to better understand their science coursework.
The Trustee Ten Awards recognize the student-athletes with the top 10 GPAs in the department. Each recipient must have earned a minimum of 60 credit hours and have participated on his/her athletic team for at least one year.
Megan Phillips (field hockey), Aine Playdon (women's rowing), Kenneth Raynor (men's crew), Ellie Spasova (women's rowing), Diana Tiburcio (fencing), Arwen Gormley (fencing), Emily Schukler (women's cross country/track & field), Erik Kain (men's cross country), Thibault Frumfolz (men's tennis), Nate Wyatt (football), and Zoe Zaharkis (women's soccer) were all honored as Trustee Ten.
The Temple Tuff Award is earned by student-athletes who embody the spirit of Temple Athletics, and what it truly means to be Temple Tuff. Each team nominated a single athlete from their team that they believed best represented what it means to be a Temple Owl!
The Community Service award is given to two student-athletes who have demonstrated leadership qualities in the area of community service, inspiring others to engage in similar selfless civic endeavors for the purpose of improving the quality of life for those in the local community.
Taylor Davenport is on the Executive Fellowship Board at Team Impact, an organization that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams, creating long-term, life-changing experiences for everyone involved. She also just completed training with Grassroots Health and volunteers there in her free time. Lastly, in her hometown of Columbia, S.C., Taylor has a nonprofit called Psalms 91 and volunteers at her home volleyball club, Upward Stars Columbia.
Jimi Leder is part of the Temple Supply Chain Association out of the Fox School of Business. This club provides both the children living in the Philadelphia area, as well as staff with a much higher quality of living. Additionally, throughout the summer, he volunteered with Point Church of North Carolina and was appointed as the head of tutoring services at the refugee camps they volunteered at. During this experience, Leder helped tutor young refugees and played different games with the kids. At the end of their stay, he helped package food that the families could eat once the group had left.
The Novacare Comeback Student-Athlete of the Year award is given to student-athletes who have suffered a recent serious injury, illness or setback and has made a tremendous impact on their team upon return for the current academic year.
Emma Berry has displayed great commitment and perseverance returning from multiple surgeries while preparing herself to get back into rowing form. She continued to be a positive force on the team by supporting the coaching staff, serving on the team leadership committee, and continuing to uphold the highest performance standards and team values. This fall, she earned a seat in the varsity eight and completed her first fall racing season as a senior. She remains in the varsity eight as women’s rowing heads into spring racing season.
Xach Gill suffered an Achilles tendon rupture in March 2021 that had to be surgically repaired. Recovery time is typically 10-12 months for this type of injury, causing him to miss the entire 2021 season. Xach displayed fortitude and courage throughout his rehabilitation, earning the respect of his teammates and was named captain for the 2022 season. By season’s end he earned the distinction of wearing a single digit, forever being mentioned in that distinguished fraternity.
The Newcomer of the Year award is designed to recognize outstanding athletic accomplishments for student-athletes in their initial campaign at Temple University.
Ashley Glynn had a tremendous first season for Gymnastics, recording four of the top 25 all-around scores in program history. Glynn's highest all-around score of 39.250 tied for seventh all-time in school history and tied the highest all-time freshman score in program history. Being named First Team All-EAGL and All-Tournament on vault and all-around, Glynn reached top 10 in the rankings in both the EAGL and Northeast Region. The Hockessin, Del. native helped the Owls score new school records on the vault and floor and the third-highest all-around score in school history.
EJ Warner had a record-breaking season as quarterback for Temple football, setting the single-game passing record for yards (527) and completions (45), while throwing for a career-high five touchdowns against East Carolina to close out the year. He became the first quarterback in school history to throw for over 500 yards in a game, the first to post two 400-yard games in a season, and the first to post three 300-yard games in one season. During his freshman campaign, his 3,028 passing yards are the second post in Temple history to PJ Walker in 2016. He also was the only quarterback in the FBS to throw for over 450 yards in a game multiple times this season and was awarded AAC Rookie of the Year.
The Performer of the Year award is designed to recognize outstanding athletic accomplishments for student-athletes who have achieved at the highest level in college athletics.
The doubles team of Wei and Uchijima has had one of the best seasons in Temple tennis history. The duo has accumulated 28 wins with only two losses since the quarter-final round of the ITA National Tournament this past fall. They have been ranked No. 5 in the nation at two different points this season helping their team earn a 16-4 record while winning six-straight matches heading into the conference tournament. Just two weeks ago, Wei was recognized as just one of 13 student-athletes nationwide to be awarded the NCAA Women’s Enhancement Graduate Scholarship for her work both on and off the court.
Conor McGrath led the Owls with a 71.88 stroke average in 2021-22 to earn his third PING All-Region selection. The 5th year shot a three-under 137 at the US Amateur Qualifier held at Rolling Green Golf Club on July 13. He finished second to earn one of the three spots at stake for the US Amateur. McGrath also qualified for the US Amateur in 2021, becoming the first Owl to do so in consecutive seasons since PGA tour pro Brandon Matthews accomplished the feat in 2013 and 2014. During the 2022-23 campaign, McGrath has posted a 72.46 stroke average, leading to two top-five finishes, including a second-place finish at the Ironwood Collegiate Classic in October.
The Coach of the Year award is presented to the head coach who exemplifies pride, leadership, and accomplishment on and off the field. The award was voted on by Temple Athletics staff.
Michelle Vittese led Temple field hockey to a 13-6 (4-3 BIG EAST) record, the first winning record for the team since the 2014 season. The team cracked the NFHCA rankings for the first time since 2014, coming in at No. 24 in September and finishing the season ranked No. 23. The Owls reached the BIG EAST Tournament for the third-straight year, facing host Old Dominion as the No. 4 seed and falling in a shootout heartbreaker in the semifinals. Temple finished the season with an RPI Ranking of No. 23, the best the program has seen since finishing at No. 11 in 2014.
Congratulations to all of our awards winners!
