**Please note: the watch link to the Ninth Annual Hilltop Awards will be provided on this page on Sunday, May 17**
SAN FRANCISCO – USF Athletics will honor its best and brightest student-athletes and teams on Sunday May 17 at the Ninth Annual Hilltop Awards. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hilltop Awards will be held totally online for the first time ever, and Dons from across the globe can celebrate the successes of 2019-20.
For the second consecutive year, legendary public address announcer, Joe Hallisy, will lend his voice talents and serve as the master of ceremonies. Fans will be able to watch the entire awards show via YouTube. The show will premiere at 9:00 a.m. PST.
Athletes were nominated for the various awards by head coaches and staff. A selection committee determined the finalists for each award. The winners are selected in a vote of athletics department personnel.
The Roger and Claudia Salquist Athletics Directors Leadership Award will be presented to a student-athlete that best exemplifies the campus-wide philosophy to "Change the World From Here." This athlete goes beyond the call of the department's foundational beliefs and serves as the epitome of what it means to be a Don.
Awards to be presented include the Bill Russell and Anne Dolan Awards, honoring USF's male and female student-athletes of the year respectively.
The Dante Benedetti Award, named after USF's legendary longtime baseball coach, will be presented to the male and female student-athlete who serves as inspiration to their teammates through their unwavering sense of loyalty, self-sacrifice, unselfishness, positive attitude and hard work.
The Newcomer of the Year will be awarded to a male and female student-athlete who has excelled in in athletic competition during their first year on the Hilltop.
The Stephen Privett, S.J. Award will be presented to a student-athlete who has demonstrated a higher commitment to learning and social justice through their outstanding work in the community. The award is named in honor of the 27th president of the University of San Francisco, whose 13-year tenure was distinguished by a commitment to "whole person education," a traditional hallmark of Jesuit education.
The Spirit of '51 Award will be presented to a USF team that embodies success both on the field and in the classroom by creating leaders who are ready to make an impact in the world. The award is given in honor of USF's undefeated, untied and uninvited 1951 football team whose dramatic stand against racism is perhaps the single greatest symbolic victory in the history of college sports.
USF will also recognize a male and female student-athlete who displays maximum effort on and off the field of competition while bringing out the best in their teammates through a consistent commitment to performance enhancement with the Carpe Diem Award.
The Charles Harney Award will be presented to the senior student-athletes who have maintained the highest grade point average during their tenure at the University.
2019-20 Hilltop Awards and Finalists:
Athletic Performance Carpe Diem Award
Winners selected by Hilltop Awards Committee
Newcomer of the Year
Female
Mikayla Williams (Women's Basketball)
Toni Sottile (Women's Golf)
Eve Jensen (Women's Cross Country)
Evelyn How (Women's Track and Field)
Valeria Alegrias Cambindo (Volleyball)
Laurie McGrath (Beach Volleyball)
Chiho Mushika (Women's Tennis)
Male
Jesse Barron (Baseball)
Sam Stevens (Men's Cross Country)
Khalil Shabazz (Men's Basketball)
Ori Maior (Men's Tennis)
Nathan Simeon (Men's Soccer)
Stephen Privett, S.J. Award
Amber Del Rosario (Women's Tennis)
Alex Chin (Men's Golf)
Carley Hopton (Women's Golf)
Jamal Bernardez (Men's Soccer)
Camille Araujo (Volleyball)
Tyler Villaroman (Baseball)
Charles Harney Award
Winners determined by GPA achieved
Dante Benedetti Award
Female
Candace Hillegas (Women's Soccer)
Rita Colyer (Women's Tennis)
Emily Zinger (Indoor and Beach Volleyball)
Dolapo Balogun (Women's Basketball)
Annika Borrelli (Women's Golf)
Male
Riki Urata (Baseball)
Jordan Ratinho (Men's Basketball)
Taiki Kajitani (Men's Soccer)
Nitzan Ricklis (Men's Tennis)
Jimbo Lull
Spirit of '51 Award
Winners selected by Hilltop Awards Committee
Roger and Claudia Salquist Athletics Director's Leadership Award
Winners selected by Hilltop Awards Committee
Anne Dolan Award - Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year
Aoibhe Richardson (Women's Cross Country)
Annika Borrelli (Women's Golf)
Mikayla Williams (Women's Basketball)
Miciah Madison (Women's Soccer)
Anna Dalla Vecchia (Indoor and Beach Volleyball)
Mya Bui (Women's Tennis)
Bill Russell Award – Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year
Robert Emery (Baseball)
Jimbo Lull (Men's Basketball)
Andy Snyder (Men's Cross Country)
Jonah Van Der Werf (Men's Soccer)
Tim Widing (Men's Golf)
