EASTON, Pa. – The PARDees, the annual event that recognizes the accomplishments of Lafayette student-athletes, was held in Kirby Sports Center on Monday night. For the first time, the event which morphed from an awards show to an awards ceremony, featured all of Lafayette's student-athletes, not just the graduating class.  
 
Seniors Malik Hamm, Simone Hefting, Bobby Oehrlein and Becky Hartman took home the school's most prestigious senior honors: the Charles L. Albert Award '08 and the Class of 1913 Trophy. The Albert Award '08 is presented annually to the senior male and female student-athletes at Lafayette who are "judged to be the most outstanding athlete," while the Class of 1913 Trophy is given to the senior who have "attained the greatest distinction both as an athlete and a scholar." 
 
Hamm, the male recipient of the Charles L. Albert '08 Award, was a second team AP All-American, a two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, Lafayette's all-time sacks leader. The five-time All-Patriot League selection recently signed a free-agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens, and will graduate with a degree in psychology. 
 
Hefting was the female recipient of the Charles L. Albert '08 award after a collegiate field hockey career that featured three Patriot League First-Team selections and two Regional All-America selections. She was also named a Maroon Club Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the ceremony, and will graduate with a degree in international affairs. 
 
Oehrlein took home the Class of 1913 Trophy following an outstanding cross country and track and field career. Oehrlein holds the school record in the 5000m and was a three-time member of the Academic All-Patriot League Team. He currently has a 3.87 GPA, while majoring in mechanical engineering.
 
Hartman, who is also a member of the cross country and track and field teams, was the female recipient of the Class of 1913 Trophy. In 2022, she was the first woman to win the Lafayette-Lehigh cross country meet in over a decade. Academically, Hartman, who studies biochemistry, received the American Chemical Society Division of Organic Chemistry Undergraduate Award and the William Forris Hart '27 Chemistry Prize for her outstanding work in the classroom. 
 
Other senior awards included the Oaksie Award, Courage Award, and P.A.R.D.S Award. The Oaksie Award honors a student-athlete who demonstrated a commitment to volunteerism, and this year's winner was James Turco. A member of the men's lacrosse team, Turco started his own foundation, Laxin' for Lupus, in honor of his mother. 
 
The Courage Award was presented to a student-athlete who displayed resilience in the face of adversity, and football's Joe Gillette won the award. Gillette was diagnosed with cancer, but battled the illness to play during the 2022 season. 
 
The P.A.R.D.S Award, which recognizes one student-athlete for striving toward the values Lafayette Athletics embodies: Passionate, Accountable, Resilient, Driven and Selfless, was presented to track and field's Claire Fedor. Claire's dedication to Lafayette athletics was inspiring as she exemplified what it truly means to be a student-athlete on College Hill.
 
Underclassmen who took home hardware included Lineke Spaans, Peter Lehman, and Abby Antognoli. Lehman secured two awards, the male Leopard of the Year and Maroon Club Scholar-Athlete for his excellence on the lacrosse field and in the classroom. Spaans, who had an outstanding sophomore season for the field hockey team was named female Leopard of the Year Award. Antognoli, the standout shooter for women's basketball and economics major with a 3.98 GPA, was named a Maroon Club Scholar-Athlete alongside Hefting. 
 
Several team awards were also presented including Team of the Year (men's basketball), Coaching Staff of the Year (men's soccer), Iron Leopard (men's lacrosse) and Leopard Cup (softball).  
 
Director of Athletics Sherryta Freeman and Lafayette College President Nicole Hurd each delivered remarks to the audience, while Gary Laubach, play-by-play voice for Lafayette Sports Network, served as the emcee for the evening.