Longwood athletes honored with leadership awards

Longwood University recently handed out some of its prestigious awards to students, and Longwood athletics was well represented.

Kate Frey of Longwood field hockey earned a Citizen Leader Award. Lauren Cerretani of women’s lacrosse, Kayley DeVivi and Lauren Fox of Longwood softball, Nina Hederich of women’s tennis, Drew Messick of men’s soccer, and Kiersten Witte of cross country and track all earned the Joan of Arc Award for Excellence.

The Citizen Leader Award is given to students who exemplify true citizen leadership by embracing diversity and demonstrating virtue, empathy, generosity, teamwork, social responsibility, and dedication to the common good through their dedication to the campus community and/or contributions to the local area.

Frey was a four-year player on the Longwood lacrosse team, and she scored nine goals and added two assists while competing in 62 games. She had three game winners in her collegiate career.

The Joan of Arc Award for Excellence is presented to students whose demonstrated leadership ability and/or future leadership plans and shows accomplishment and influence through co-curricular activities, including, but not limited to: academic, special activities, athletic, employment (on/off campus), community service/engagement.

Cerretani played for four seasons for Longwood women’s lacrosse, and she was awarded the Jimmy. M. Yarbrough Inspiration Award at the Longwood Athletics student-athlete awards banquet. She ranks fifth in the Longwood lacrosse record book in draw controls, and this season she was transitioned to an assistant coaching role after a season-ending injury before opening day.

DeVivi is a career .280 hitter for Longwood softball, and she leads the team this year in RBI with 28. She has played in more than 140 games and posted her 100th hit earlier this season. The senior has 15 career home runs, 32 career doubles and 80 RBI.

Fox, who was named the Henry I. Willett Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year by Longwood Athletics, ranks second in the Big South in base hits and leads the Lancers in batting average. This season, she holds a .347 batting average, and she has 133 career hits and 75 runs scored. By the end of the season, she will have started more than 160 games in her Longwood career.

Hederich has been a four-year player for Longwood women’s tennis, and she earned a spot on the Big South All-Academic Team this season. She went 3-3 in singles this season and also won four doubles matches as well.

Messick served as the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) while also playing for the men’s soccer team. He battled injuries over two of the past three seasons, and he made 16 appearances while scoring one goal in 2022.

Witte has been a runner for Longwood cross country, and she also is on the outdoor track team this spring. She helped the cross country team post its best ever Big South finish in the fall while earning a spot on the Big South All-Academic Team, and she has repeatedly set new personal bests in the spring with the track team.

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