Athletics

Shane Holmes ’20 and Elizabeth Radley ’20 have been named by the Northeast Times as the Holy Family University Athletes of the Year. Bestowed annually by the publication’s sports department, this recognition honors the area’s top competitors at both the high school and collegiate levels.

Holmes, an anchor in the Holy Family Men’s Soccer team defense, helped to lead a backfield that allowed the second fewest goals in conference play with just 15. In his two seasons with the Tigers, Holmes started all 34 games, and totaled two goals and three assists.

This year, he earned All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) first team honors, and was among 31 student-athletes at Holy Family inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma—the National College Athlete Honor Society.

In was a season to remember for the Men’s Soccer program as the Tigers finished 11-8-1, marking the most wins since 2011. The team set a new program record for the most conference victories at 8-4-0, clinching the third seed in the 2019 CACC Tournament and advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2011.

Radley put together an impressive senior season on the Women’s Basketball team, also earning All-CACC first team honors. She averaged 15.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, setting career-highs in both categories. She also set career-highs in steals (18), blocks (36), and field goals made (181).

During the course of the season, Radley recorded her 1,000th career point, becoming the 25th member of this elite club. She was named to the Academic All-District I first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), and as CACC Student-Athlete of the Month in February. In 104 career games, Radley totaled 1,179 career points, the 18th highest in program history.

The Women’s Basketball team had a season to remember as well, with the Tigers advancing all the way to the CACC Championship game. It marked the program’s 11th CACC Championship game appearance since joining Division II in 2003-04 and the first since the 2015 title game. Holy Family finished the season 18-11 overall and 14-5 in conference play.

The Holy Family University Women’s Indoor Track and Field team surpassed preseason predictions considerably, finishing fourth overall at the 2020 East Coast Conference (ECC) Championship in February, held in Staten Island, New York.

The Tigers were expected to finish last when the ECC announced its preseason championship poll back in December. Instead, Holy Family earned 63 points with 17 individuals placing in the top 10 in their respective events, marking the program’s best showing since joining the conference in 2016.

The Tigers also set a program record for the most individuals earning All-ECC honors with seven, including one relay team. Congratulations to Korryn Braxton-Young ’23, Leah Gaston ’21, Kimoya Henry-Ellis ’23, Nyoki Jones ’22, Kai B. Lash ’22, Shania Le Maitre ’22, and Shanell Pusey ’23 for earning this recognition.

Thirty-one Holy Family University student-athletes have been inducted into the Pennsylvania Psi Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma—the National College Athlete Honor Society—for the 2019-20 academic year.

Chi Alpha Sigma recognizes collegiate student-athletes who receive a varsity letter in their sport, achieve junior academic standing or higher after their fifth fulltime semester, and earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.4 or higher. The nonprofit organization is the first and only entity established to recognize collegiate studentathletes who excel both on and off the field of competition, and connect them within a fraternal association that aligns their educational and athletic successes for a lifetime.

“We’re extremely proud of our student-athletes for this earning prestigious honor,” said Robin Arnold, Associate Director of Athletics. “It’s a testament to their hard work and dedication. Congratulations!”

Over the past academic year, the Holy Family University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) participated in several initiatives in service to the community.

In the fall, SAAC helped the Department of Athletics collect and donate 1,000 new children’s books to William Loesche Elementary in Philadelphia, in conjunction with the 14th annual Build-A-Library campaign. Since the program launched in 2006, nearly 17,000 new books have been presented to 16 schools in Philadelphia.

In February, SAAC visited Overbrook School for the Blind to support the School’s ninth annual Hoopla for Hearts event. Held each year during Heart Awareness Month, Hoopla for Hearts promotes the importance of healthy eating and exercise. Our HFU studentathletes assisted participating students at various stations featuring basketball, jump rope, and hula hoop.

Also in February, SAAC volunteered at the third annual BennettStrong Gala, held at the Northampton Valley Country Club. The BennettStrong Foundation is local nonprofit organization with the mission of providing support to families who have children with complex medical needs. The student-athletes, dressed in their formal best, greeted guests upon arrival, and provided oversight for the raffle basket exhibits and silent auction.

SAAC is pleased to announce our officers for the 2020-2021 academic year: Hannah Derby ’21, President; Mackenzie Meyers ’21, Vice President; Megan Hughes ’21, Secretary; Taylor Nichols ‘21, Treasurer; and Sean Touey ’23, Social Media/Video.