IRVINE, Calif. – On Sunday, the Concordia University Irvine Athletics department celebrated more than 100 graduating student-athletes at the 2024 Senior Legacy Banquet.
In addition, eight CUI student-athletes were recognized for their superior contributions during their time wearing the Green and Gold.
Here are your 2024 Senior Legacy Award Winners:
Riley O'Sullivan – Baseball – Co-Male Athlete of the Year
- Second Team All-American by D2CCA (Div. 2 Conference Commissioners Association)
- Third Team All-American by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA)
- First Team All-PacWest & Unanimous First Team All-Region selection by NCBWA as well
- In fact, he was named All-Region by 3 different organizations as a junior
- Insane Strikeout to walk ratio of 4.5-to-1
- He ranks Top 10 in Concordia record books in multiple categories:
- 7th in Career Strikeouts
- 8th in Most Innings Pitched
- 5th in Games Started
- 7th in Complete Games – with 6 – And those were all in one season!
- 2nd in Batters Faced
- Academic All-PacWest selection
Cade Poe – Men's Lacrosse – Co-Male Athlete of the Year
- All-American Face off Specialist on Concordia's 2013 MCLA National Championship Team
- Helped CUI win 4 playoff games in 5 days to win the program's second title at the club level
- First Team All-American and Second Team All-American (MCLA) in previous seasons
- First Team All-Conference this year in the RMAC
- RMAC All-Tournament Team selection after CUI nearly upset Colorado Mesa in an overtime thriller
- RMAC Defensive Player of the Week earlier this year
- Won nearly 70 percent of face offs in first year at NCAA DII level
- 130 ground balls this year – doing the dirty work to help his team
- 3.18 GPA
Katlin Entrup – Softball - Female Athlete of the Year
- All-American Pitcher as a junior (Both NFCA & D2CCA)
- PacWest Pitcher of the Year & D2CCA Regional Pitcher of the Year as a junior
- First Team All-Conference *AND* First Team All-Region in back-to-back years.
- Ranks Top 6 in school history in both Career Wins and Strikeouts
- Led Entire Conference in Strikeouts this season
- Ranks 2nd all-time at CUI in Career saves
- Also Top 10 in Career ERA (Earned Run Average)
- Helped CUI Lead All of NCAA D2 with lowest Team ERA in 2023 during her junior season (1.11 ERA as a pitching staff)
- Academic All-PacWest and D2ADA Academic Award Recipient multiple times
- NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete
Jake Cloutier – Men's Lacrosse - Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- 4.0 GPA in MBA program
- All-American Defender on our National Championship Team last year
- Previous two seasons on the field:
- Second Team All-American and Third Team All-American (MCLA)
- First Team All-Conference
- Team Captain multiple years
- Named Team's Defensive MVP as a sophomore
- Routinely assigned to cover the opposing team's best player – regardless if attack or midfield.
- Served as SAAC rep – volunteering at events including Annual Golden Eagle Golf Classic
Gabby Breton – Women's Soccer – Co-Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- 3.7 GPA as a psychology major
- Helped CUI Women's Soccer earn its highest national ranking in NCAA DII – as high as #5
- Second Team All-Region selection and First Team All-Conference as a senior defender
- School Record for Career Minutes – starting at defender nearly her entire career
- Key part of defense that Helped CUI rattle off a 12-game unbeaten streak this season
- That included a 9-game winning streak – which were All Shutouts!
- Helped CUI shutout the defending national champs and No.1 team in the country – Western Washington - by score of 4-0
- Team finished with School Record – 10 shutouts this year
- Also shattered School Record for Fewest Goals Allowed in One Season (Only 10 Goals in 18 games)
- Helped CUI make back-to-back Regional Playoff Appearances – First time in NCAA D2 Era
- Part of our first 3 playoff wins in the D2 era.
- Only teams that beat us each year – wound up winning the National Title
- Academic All-PacWest selection every year
- Student-worker for CUI Athletics for past 3 years
Porshe Eismann – Women's Track & Cross Country – Co-Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- 3.84 GPA – majoring in Graphic Design
- First Female Distance runner at our school to make the NCAA D2 Track and Field National Championships – and has now done so multiple times!
- PacWest Champion as a junior in the 800m – and Set a Meet Record!
- Finshed 9th at the Regional Cross Country Race – and made the All-Region Team!
- Highest finish ever for a female XC runner in the D2 era
- Second Place at the PacWest Cross Country Meet – right behind her teammate Jori Paradis (who won this award last year!)
- All-Conference in XC multiple times
- Academic All-PacWest every year she was eligible in BOTH cross country AND track and field.
- She has also won the D2ADA Academic Award multiple times
- Helped women's XC and Track earn the most ever NCAA D2 All-Academic distinctions by the U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA)
Christopher Haygood – Men's Swim & Dive – Male Golden Eagle Award
- Member of Conference title team as a sophomore that won the 2022 PCSC Championship by securing just enough points in the final race on the last day in stunning fashion
- Overcame injury during senior year to help CUI men's swim and dive team pull off stunning upset victory in the 4x200 at PCSC Championships – which was also third-fastest relay time in this event in school history.
- Member of second-place finish in 4x50 relay team as a senior
- PCSC Male Swimmer of the Week
- PCSC Academic All-Conference selection
- Inaugural member of student-led "The Hunt" initiative to help inform and promote school spirit to students for upcoming home sporting events & activities on campus
- SAAC representative
Cortney Koelmans – Softball - Female Golden Eagle Award
- Threw the first Perfect Game for Concordia softball in the NCAA DII Era (earlier this year against second-place APU)
- PacWest Pitcher of the Week *FOUR* TIMES this season
- All-PacWest Conference selection multiple times
- Led entire conference in Wins this season!
- Ranks Top 10 in Record Books with More than 250 Career Strikeouts
- Helped CUI Lead All of NCAA D2 with lowest Team ERA in 2023 during her junior season (1.11 ERA as a pitching staff)
- She also became a weapon at the plate – She hit two home runs as a hitter
- Including a Grand Slam against Chaminade
- Twice this season – she knocked in the game-winning run at the plate… including a RBI double to beat Dominican
- Academic All-PacWest every year
- NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete
At this year's banquet, a faculty member and a staff member were also honored by the athletics department for their unwavering support of our student-athletes.
Computer science professor
Joshua Tallman received the "Faculty Award." He was introduced by SAAC representative and men's volleyball player Liam Roberts and women's tennis All-Conference selection Tiffany Carrillo.
CUI Athletics also acknowledged
Amador Bermudez as the "Sixth Man Award" winner. This award debuted in 2023 as a special thank you to dedicated staff members at
Concordia who make an impact behind the scenes. They are dedicated problem-solvers and crucial to the student-athlete experience at CUI with countless hours of work before and after all competitions.
Before concluding the evening, CUI athletics director
Crystal Rosenthal introduced a new initiative aimed at keeping our new alumni connected to their programs while also building up our school's alumni network.
The
Concordia Varsity Club is a way for this graduating class – and all alumni who were student-athletes at Concordia – to continue to be a part of our Golden Eagle family.
We encourage you to check out that webpage and the video to learn more about special perks you will receive and how you can help the next generation of Golden Eagles soar to new heights.
Congrats to the award winners and to ALL our seniors – you will be greatly missed. We are so proud of you and how you have left your legacy at Concordia.
CLICK HERE for a look back at the 2023 Senior Award Winners from Last Year
