USF's student-athletes were lauded for outstanding achievements on the field, classroom and in the community at the Fourth Annual Hilltop Awards which were held Sunday night in Memorial Gymnasium.
 
Director of Alumni Engagement Jay Dillon served as master of ceremonies for the event which featured multi-media displays, highlight videos and special recognitions.
 
Jana Soethout, a cross country and track & field standout, was named the recipient of the Anne Dolan Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award while men's tennis player Bernardo Saraiva received the Bill Russell Award as the school's top male athlete.
  Soethout, a native of Cologne, Germany, earned first team All-America honors by virtue of her eighth place finish in the 10,000 meters at the 2014 NCAA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., becoming USF's first All-American in track & field. She also earned honorable mention All-America status as a national finalist in the 10,000 meters in 2013. A mainstay on USF's women's cross country team, Soethout followed an 11th place finish at the WCC Championships with a 12th place showing at the NCAA Regionals.
 
A four-time first team selection as a singles and doubles player, Saraiva's accomplishments on the tennis court over his four-year career certainly places among the best players in USF history. He earned first team All-WCC singles honors in 2014 and '15 and along with partner Nils Skajaa, garnered first team all-conference accolades in doubles in 2013 and '15. The team of Saraiva and Skajaa also captured the ITA Pacific Northwest Doubles Championship in October, one of the most significant titles in the history of the men's tennis program. The native of Lisbon, Portugal compiled a 79-37 career record in singles competition, which included a 22-5 mark as a senior.
 
Jaciara Mello (women's soccer) and Brendan Hendricks (baseball) were presented with the Four Pillars Awards, given annually to a male and female senior student-athlete who attains the highest standards of athletic performance, academic achievement, community service and leadership.
 
A team captain on USF's women's soccer team, Mello is a three-time team MVP selection and earned honorable mention All-WCC honors as a senior. She is a three-time WCC All-Academic selection and plays an active role in the team's community relations projects.
 
A four-year standout on USF's baseball team, Hendricks currently leads the Dons in both home runs and doubles and maintains a 3.56 cumulative grade point as a business administration major. He has been an active participant in many of the department's community relations programs, including Harper for Kids, San Francisco RBI and the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.
 
Kate Jamboretz (cross country / track & field) and Tim Derksen (men's basketball) were presented with the Dante Benedetti Awards which honor a male and female student-athlete who serve as an inspiration to their teammates through their unwavering sense of loyalty, self-sacrifice, unselfishness, positive attitude and hard work.
 
A senior from Boise, Idaho, Jamboretz has been a four-year standout on USF's powerful cross country team and twice earned All-WCC honors. A team leader, Jamboretz "embraces the qualities we want all of out student-athletes to have," said head coach Helen Lehman-Winters.
 
Derksen started 31 of 32 games on the year and posted career highs in scoring (12.6) and rebounding (4.5). He also led the team and ranked 10th in the WCC in 3-point field goal percentage at .400 (42-for-105). A very consistent season yielded 25 double-figure scoring games, including a pair of season-high 21-point efforts vs. Hawaii (Nov. 24) and Gonzaga (March 7).
 
Anna Seilund (women's basketball) and Mohamed Aziz (men's cross country / track & field) received the department's Newcomer of the Year Awards. A native of Denmark, Seilund played in 29 games and made two starts as a freshman on USF's women's basketball team, which finished 19-12 overall and made its first postseason appearance in 10 years, landing a spot in the Women's National Invitational Tournament. She averaged 5.1 points a game and led the West Coast Conference in three-point shooting percentage at .453 (34-for-75).
 
Anja Segota (volleyball) was presented with Stephen Privett, S.J. Award, which is given annually to a USF student-athlete who has demonstrated commitment to a higher standard of learning and social justice for their outstanding work in the community. A senior from Pula, Croatia., Segota has been an active participant in Harper for Kids and San Francisco RBI, two mentorship programs that teach life skills and reading comprehension to young children in San Francisco. She has adapted and translated the Harper for Kids teaching method, based largely on John Wooden's famed Pyramid of Success, in her native language to share with young children in Croatia. In January, she joined teammate Jurja Vlasic and head coach Gilad Doron in Peru, where they taught impoverished children the importance of athletics as part of USF's Arrupe Immersion Prorgam.
 
The award honors Stephen A. Privett, S.J., whose 14-year tenure as USF's President was defined by his commitment to "whole person education" and social justice. Under his leadership, making the world a better place is at the core of every USF curriculum.
 
The Spirit of '51 Award, which is presented annually to a USF team that embodies success both on the field and in the classroom while creating leaders who are ready to make an impact of the world. was awarded to the men's soccer team. Under first-year head coach Eddie Soto, the Dons recorded their first winning season since 2006, finishing 11-6-2 overall and 5-2 in the WCC. USF defeated two top-25 teams in the first month of the season, including a memorable road victory over No. 21 Wisconsin. A total of 10 Dons earned all-conference honors, including first team selections Miguel Aguilar and Danny Kirkland. In January, Aguilar was the 17th overall selection in the MLS Draft by D.C. United.
 
The award is named in honor of USF's 1951 "undefeated, untied and uninvited" football team whose stand against racism is perhaps one of the greatest symbolic victories in the history of college athletics.
 
Women's soccer player Celia Pellegrini (3.82; hospitality) and David Romney (3.70: finance) from the men's soccer team were presented with the Charles Harney Awards, which are presented to the male and female student-athletes who compiled the highest cumulative grade point average during their USF careers.
 
The Athletic Performance Carpe Diem Awards were presented to Jurja Vlasic (volleyball) and Christian Cecilio (baseball) for their outstanding commitment to strength and conditioning and performance enhancement.
 
USF dance team member Gabrielle Diamse de Peralta was presented with the USF Spirit Award.
 
The San Francisco RBI program honored Daryl Phill (cross country/track) and Jessica Kennan (women's volleyball) with its Volunteer of Excellence Awards for their efforts in tutoring and mentoring young children at KIPP and Cobb Elementary schools.
 
In addition to the departmental awards, one individual from each were presented with Team Student-Athlete of the Year Awards.

Watch the 2015 Hilltop Awards, powered by SnappyTV

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Hilltop Award Winners

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Athletic Performance Carpe Diem Awards
Christian Cecilio (baseball)
Jurja Vlasic (women volleyball)
 
Newcomers of the Year
Mohamed Aziz (cross country / track & field)
Anna Seilund (basketball)
 
Spirit Award
Gabriel Diamse
 
Stephen Privett, S.J. Award
Anja Segota (volleyball)
 
Charles Harney Awards
David Romney (men's soccer)
Celia Pellegrini (women's soccer)
 
Dante Benedetti Awards
Tim Derksen (basketball)
Kate Jamboretz (women's cross country / track & field)
 
Spirit of '51 Award
Men's Soccer
 
Four Pillars Award
Brendan Hendricks (baseball)
Jaciara Mello (women's soccer)
 
Anne Dolan Female Student-Athlete of the Year
Jana Soethout (women's cross country / track & field)
 
Bill Russell Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award
Bernardo Saraiva (men's tennis)

Team Student-Athletes of the Year
Christian Cecilio (baseball)
Tim Derksen (women's basketball)
The Team - accepted by seniors Aundrea Gordon, Paige Spietz and Taj Winston (women's basketball)
Jose Madera (men's cross country and men's track & field)
Jana Soethout (women's cross country)
Sebastian Crookall-Nixon and Jobim Carlos (men's golf)
Ayaka Suzuki (women's golf)
Danny Kirkland (men's soccer)
Jaciara Mello (women's soccer)
Bernardo Saraiva (men's tennis)
Andrea Ka (women's tennis)
Elena Burkard (women's track & field)