Rewatch the GWAs
CLEVELAND, Miss. -- The 53rd Green and White Awards virtually hosted by Delta State University Athletics on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, saw Lucia Martelli (swimming and diving) and Giulio Brugnoni (swimming and diving)
take home the Charles S. Kerg Senior Student-Athlete of the Year awards.
Overall, 30 student-athletes and teams were honored during the event that was available via YouTube.com/DSUStatesmen, as well as the school's social media channels (Twitter:
@DSUStatesmen and Facebook:
DSUStatesmen).
"I want to congratulate our Kerg winners, Lucia Martelli and Giulio Brugnoni, along with all of our deserving award recipients," Director of Athletics
Mike Kinnison said.
"Our student-athletes put in a lot of work to represent Delta State Athletics on and off the field, especially this year, and our staff felt it was important to keep honoring their achievements through a virtual presentation."
The Charles S. Kerg Senior Student-Athlete of the Year Award was established in 1968 by former Director of Athletics and Head Football Coach Horace McCool to honor the all-around student-athletes who excelled on the field, in the classroom, and within the campus and community.
Martelli became the first Lady Statesmen to win an NCAA Division II Individual National Championship, capturing the 100-Butterfly title. The two-time women's team captain had 70 career individual points at the NCAA DII Championships to place her fourth in Lady Statesmen history.
Martelli set two Ronald G. Mayers Aquatic Center pool records, two NSISC records, and three Lady Statesmen team records during her storied career. The Bologna, Italy, native is a six-time NCAA All-American and NSISC conference champions, winning four titles in the 100-yard butterfly from 2018-2021.
Out of the pool, Martelli is a four-time NCAA Academic All-American and received the Health, Physical Education' Forest E. Wyatt Scholarship in 2020-21. Martelli was also named to the President's in all eight semesters at Delta State. During her time at DSU, Martelli also gave her time working than 40 hours at multiple high school, private school and club swim meets during her DSU career.
Brugnoni won the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Individual title in the 100-yard backstroke to become the third of four overall DSU swimming and diving national champions. The 18-time NCAA DII All-American, finished as the highest career NCAA individual point scorer in DSU history, amassing 167.5 career points at the NCAA DII Championships.
Brugnoni owns 14-NSISC individual titles which are the most individual conference titles in school and conference history. The Perugia, Italy, native is the three-time NSISC Swimmer of the Year and leaves the Delta owning two Mayers Aquatic Center pool, four NSISC, and seven Statesmen team records.
Brugnoni is a four-time NCAA Academic All-American and was named the Emerald Top International Student in 2020-21 and the Emerald Top Men's swimming scholars in 2019-20. He has also made the President's list every semester from 2018-2021.
Each year, the AD's Academic Hall of Fame inducts the top male and female student-athlete with the highest GPA while recognizing the top men's and women's programs as well. Andrew Swatzell (Football) and Lucia Chacon Habis (Lady Statesmen Soccer) took home the top awards in that category this year.
Swatzell carries a 4.0 GPA and has earned 78 credit hours in biology (major) and exercise science (minor), while Chacon Habis, a graphic design major, has completed 94 hours with a 4.0 GPA. Men's soccer (3.29 GPA) and women's soccer (3.56 GPA) and women's swimming and diving (3.56 GPA) earned the team awards.
Additionally, Delta State's women's teams complied a 3.35 GPA while the men's teams posted an overall 3.12 GPA. The overall team average was 3.23.
A complete list of award recipients is below:
