USF Athletics

Standout Student-Athletes & Performances Honored During Annual Stampede of Champions

May 26, 2021

TAMPA (May 26, 2021) – During a year unlike anything we have seen in collegiate athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no emcees, bright lights, or a red carpet to walk down at the Yuengling Center, but that didn't spoil the opportunity to honor standout student-athletes, programs and performances of the past year during the 2021 Stampede of Champions.
 
With the pandemic forcing a digital alternative to the normally popular, Hollywood-style awards ceremony put on by USF student-athletes, the 2021 awards encompassed nominees and recipients from the last two athletic seasons and were highlighted through USF Athletic social media channels as 16 categories were recognized and winners announced for each. 
 
Stampede Awards – bronzed statues of bulls –  were presented to the winners of categories that included Team of the Year (women's basketball, The American regular-season and tournament champion, 19-4 overall record, 12-2 AAC), Female Athlete of the Year (women's soccer's Evelyne Viens), Male athlete of the Year (Jakub Wojcik, men's tennis), Coaching Staff of the Year (women's basketball), Female Newcomer of the Year (Elena Tsineke, women's basketball) and Male Newcomer of the Year (Jack Jasiak, baseball).
 
Women's basketball standout Sydni Harvey took home the Best Performance Award for her 22-point effort vs. UCF in the AAC Tournament championship game en route to being named the American Athletic Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player and to the All-Tournament team. Harvey's women's basketball teammates also combined to put together the Best Team Performance for their efforts in 2020-21, which led to winning AAC regular-season and tournament titles for the first time in program history and advancing to their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in seven years.
 
The winner of the prestigious Lee Roy Selmon Award was softball's Meghan Sheehan. Currently, USF's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president, and a member of the American Athletic Conference's SAAC board, Sheehan has established herself as a leader on and off the field, in addition to an advocate for her peers not only at USF but conference-wide as well.
 
For the third straight year, head coach Cristina Moros' women's tennis program was presented with the Team Community Award for the Bulls' continued extraordinary efforts in giving back to the Bay Area. The team averaged nearly 10 community service hours per person. Junior Gillie Hakami, a member of the sailing team, received the Individual Community Award, after totaling more than 75 hours of service during the 2020-21 academic year.
 
Stampede of Champions award winners were determined by votes from USF student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. The complete list of winners is below:
 
2021 STAMPEDE OF CHAMPIONS AWARD WINNERS
Best Individual Performance: Sydni Harvey, women's basketball
Best Team Performance: Women's Basketball
Female Athlete of The Year: Evelyne Viens, women's soccer
Male Athlete of The Year: Jakub Wojcik, men's tennis
Female Newcomer of The Year: Elena Tsineke, women's basketball
Male Newcomer of The Year: Jack Jasiak, baseball
Unsung Hero: Brittany Hook, softball
Team of The Year: Women's Basketball
Lee Roy Selmon Award: Meghan Sheehan, softball
Team Community Award: Women's Tennis
Individual Community Award: Gillie Hakami, sailing
Bulls Female Scholar Award: Marina Barzaghi, sailing
Bulls Male Scholar Award: Trent Schneider, football
Most Improved: Dylan Burns, baseball
USF Most Spirited: Men's Soccer
Coaching Staff of The Year: Women's Basketball
 
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 55th season in 2020-21. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 22 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, and own 126 conference titles overall. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the fifth straight year in 2019-20 and have posted a program record 12 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had nearly 450 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
 
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