February 2010, Volume 14, Number 1

Features


Student-athletes and coaches honored

Several Miami Dade College coaches and student-athletes have been honored in the past few weeks as the Sharks athletic teams venture into another outstanding season of success.

Volleyball head coach Orígenes "Kiko" Benoit was honored as the American Volleyball Coaches Association Southeast-Northeast Coach of the Year for Division 1 Coaches. Only four coaches in the nation are recognized by this organization, and it is the second time Benoit has received the award, also being named in 2005.

Benoit led the Lady Sharks to a fifth-place finish at the recent NJCAA Championships and a 32-5 record for the season. Benoit has also been honored as the Florida Community College Coach of the Year and the Southern Conference Coach of the Year.

Volleyball student-athletes Sandra Montoya and Yenifer Calcano received the highest honor for an athlete in being named to the NJCAA All-American Team. Montoya, a sophomore from Bogota, Colombia, was also honored as the FCCAA Player of the Year in November and named a First Team All American. Calcano, a freshman coming to MDC from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was named to the Second Team. Both of these students were also named to the AVCA All-American Teams.

MDC Women’s Basketball Head Coach Susan Summons reached a milestone with her 400th career victory in a December win over Daytona State College. Summons is in her 24th year as head coach and is the winningest active coach among all Florida community college coaches, as well as the longest tenured among Florida’s women’s basketball teams. Summons has led the Lady Sharks to 18 post-season appearances and several Southern Conference Championships.

One of Summons’ students, Ashley Wilkes, was honored recently as the Florida Community College Women’s Basketball Player of the Week. Wilkes, who hails from Windsor, Ontario, Canada, averaged 15.5 points, 14 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in two games at the Florida JUCO Shootout.

— Athletics Staff Report


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