Temple Honors Student-Athlete Success at the 2024 Stellas: A Celebration of Champions

Temple Honors Student-Athlete Success at the 2024 Stellas: A Celebration of Champions

4.30.24 | General

Temple Athletics celebrated the 21st annual student-athlete Celebration of Champions on Tuesday night, honoring the excellent team and individual performances of the 2023-24 academic year. The 2024 Stellas honored over 400 student-athletes at the event, held at the Liacouras Center

The Stellas is one of the best nights of the year for Temple University Athletics. On this night we are able to recognize and celebrate the dedication and successes of our student-athletes in competition, in the classroom and in the community. We are all very proud of their hard work this academic year.

Vice President & Debbie and Stanley Lefkowitz '65 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 166 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 third year in a row, the team with the highest cumulative GPA -- a 3.69 -- is Women's Gymnastics!

Temple Athletics, in collaboration with the Resnick Center for Academic Support, announced that the annual Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards have been renamed as the JoAnne A. Epps Scholar-Athlete of the Year award to honor the memory and contributions of the late president, JoAnne Epps. JoAnne Epps was a longtime and loyal Temple Owl, having served as a professor of law, dean of the law school, provost, and then as Temple’s 13th president. She also was Temple’s Faculty Athletic Representative for many years. But perhaps most importantly, she was a fan. A longtime supporter of our student-athletes and programs, she was a fixture on sidelines and at games.

President Epps' commitment to academics and her support for student-athletes are an important aspect of her legacy. This renaming not only memorializes her dedication, but also continually inspires the Temple community to embody the values of commitment and excellence that she championed. Celebrating student athletes who excel academically with an award that bears her name is a poignant reminder of her impact and advocacy for education and student success.

This 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.

Diana Tiburcio is a Senior Sabrist on the Temple Fencing team. Off the strip, Diana is an Honors Mechanical Engineering major and Chemistry minor with a cumulative GPA of 3.98. she contributes as an Undergraduate Research Assistant in Dr. Ann Valentine's Bioinorganic Chemistry Lab, studying the biological uptake and transportation of metals. In 2023, Diana was awarded the nationally recognized Goldwater Scholarship for her outstanding work in the classroom and in the lab. Diana is also the President of Engineers Without Borders, a student-run professional organization that supports community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects. Last but not least, this year, Diana Tiburcio is a Fulbright Scholarship recipient which will fund her research and continuing education in Germany for the next year. After her residency there, Diana will attend Stanford University to earn her PhD.

Erik Kain's journey as a member of the Men's Cross Country team at Temple University is nothing short of extraordinary. Graduating in just three and a half years as an Actuarial Science major with an outstanding GPA of 3.97, he was selected as a peer-teacher for five different Actuarial Science classes. Erik's dedication to his field is further exemplified by his impressive accomplishments in passing three professional SOA exams during school and competition seasons. Additionally, he earned credit for a fourth professional SOA exam through University-Earned Credit. Erik won the "2024 G William Glendenning Award For Excellence In Actuarial Science". This award is the highest recognition for a graduating Actuarial Science Senior.

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.

Jenna Lowe (cheerleading), Julia Bunch (field hockey), Leah Kleinman (Diamond Gems), Arwen Gormley (fencing), Diana Tiburcio (fencing), Kenneth Raynor (men's crew), Allyson Metzger (track & field), Sarah Stallings (gymnastics), Madison Molchany (field hockey), Brandon Van Vuuren (men's crew), and Margherita Calderaro were all honored as the 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 Temple IMPACT Award is given to two student-athletes who exemplify extraordinary dedication to social justice, community empowerment, and positive change.

Diana is a Senior Sabrist and Honors Mechanical Engineering major with a remarkable GPA of 3.98. As a MARC scholar and Undergraduate Research Assistant, Diana excels in Dr. Ann Valentine's Bioinorganic Chemistry Lab, focusing on metal uptake and transportation. She earned the esteemed Goldwater Scholarship in 2023. Diana also leads Engineers Without Borders, supporting global development through sustainable engineering. Now, she embarks on a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in Germany before pursuing a master's degree at Stanford University.

Wisdom Quarshie is the poster child for squeezing everything you can out of your educational experience. Already a four-time letterwinner, Wisdom is working towards his master’s degree benefitting from an extra COVID year. Additionally, Wisdom has served on Temple’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s Executive Board and the American Athletic Conference SAAC Executive Board as the coordinator of diversity and inclusion. He interned last summer with the Philadelphia 76ers and previously took classes in Rome as part of STHM’s study abroad program.

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 have made a tremendous impact on their team upon return for the current academic year.

Vineetha Mummadi began her Temple women’s tennis career in 2020. In her junior season, she tore her ACL, which left her unable to play for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. After undergoing surgery, Vineetha displayed great determination to recover and come back for her senior season. She played her first match in over a year on February 1, 2024. For the rest of the spring, Vineetha proved to be a key component in the Owls’ lineup. She concluded her senior year with a 6-3 singles record and a 4-2 doubles record. Vineetha ended her collegiate career with an overall singles record of 28-14 and doubles record of 15-12.

David Martin-Robinson came to Temple in 2018 and has a long history of injury. He played in 2018 and 2020 with injuries that limited his participation throughout the season. In September 2021, he broke his clavicle and missed eight weeks. In August of 2022, he was sidelined with a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first four games and had limited reps as he returned to activity. In December of 2022 he suffered a core injury that developed from attempting to play through another injury, but his determination never wavered. In 2023, David made it through the entire season and was one of Temple’s most productive players on offense. He played the second most snaps on the team and finished his career at Temple as one of the most productive tight ends in school history totaling 94 catches and 1.177 yards.

The Newcomer of the Year Award is designed to recognize outstanding athletic accomplishments for student-athletes in their initial campaign at Temple University.

Lauren Johnson made an immediate impact on the strip for Temple Fencing in her freshman season. She contributed to several notable wins, including victories over #1 Columbia and #2 Notre Dame. Lauren's undefeated performance during the team rounds of the NIWFA Championships helped the program bring home their 28th consecutive Overall Team Title. She went on to win the Silver Medal in the Individual Sabre Event. Her outstanding regular season qualified her to compete at the NCAA Regionals where she placed 8th, punching her ticket to the NCAA Championships. At the NCAAs, Lauren grabbed 11 wins and a final placement of 15th, highlighted by a win over eventual Champion, Maggie Shealy of Brandeis.

In his first season as a Temple Owl, sophomore midfielder Felix Ewald was named 2nd Team All-American Athletic Conference and 1st Team All-Philly Soccer 6. He led Temple and ranked in the top four in the conference in goals, with six, assists, with five, and points, with 17. He was a two-time American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the week and two-time Philly Soccer 6 player of the week who was particularly brilliant in the closing stretch of the season, scoring 6 goals and adding 4 assists over the team’s final seven games.

The Athletic 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.

Over the past five seasons, Belle Mastropietro has rewritten the Temple lacrosse record books. Entering the 2024 season, Belle was named to the Tewaarton Award Watchlist, which is given to the best player in NCAA Lacrosse, as well as named Preseason All-American Athletic Conference. Belle is a three-year team captain who holds the all-time program record for draw controls with over 300, one of only 10 active players in the country to hit this mark. Belle also leads the team this season in goals, assists, and points and is ranked in the top-7 of each of those categories all-time in Temple history. Belle has helped lead Temple lacrosse to a berth in the 2024 American Athletic Conference Tournament in Nashville, where they will compete for a conference title and a berth in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Linebacker Jordan Magee had an outstanding graduate season for the Temple football team. The two-year single digit player for the Owls was named preseason second-team All-American Athletic Conference and was named to the Butkus Award Watchlist, which is presented annually to the best linebacker in the nation. Jordan led the team in tackles for the second consecutive season with 80, which ranked him third in the American Athletic Conference. He also led the team with 14 tackles for loss, which ranked him second in the AAC. For his efforts, Jordan was named Second Team All-AAC and was invited to the 2024 NFL Combine. On Saturday, April 27, he heard his named called in the fifth round of the NFL Draft when he was selected by the Washington Commanders as the 139th overall pick.

The Staff Member of the Year award is voted on by the student-athletes.

Mariya is a dedicated member of the Athletic Training staff who works primarily with Volleyball and Women’s Rowing. Mariya epitomizes selflessness, dedicating countless hours to the well-being of over 65 student-athletes across the women's rowing and volleyball teams. Her unwavering support and genuine care for her athletes is greatly appreciated. Mariya is always there for her athletes inside and outside of sport.

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.

Yeah! Yeah! Coach Rich led the Owls to a share of first place in the American Athletic Conference with a 13-5 conference record. It was the first conference championship in 12 seasons and the most conference wins in eight years. Overall, Temple women’s basketball went from 11 wins in 2022-23 to 19 in 2023-24 and that nine win improvement tied for the best turnaround in program history. Throughout the year, Temple employed its "Equal Opportunity Offense" and had many contributors to its success. The Owls were the first team in AAC history to win a regular season conference title without ever winning a conference player of the week that season.