During Friday's Honors Convocation, Bulldog Athletics and the University of Redlands formally announced that football standout Mike Nicolini (Novato, CA) and dual-sport sensation Mackenzie Smith (Hoquiam, WA) were named the 2011 Frank Serrao Senior Student-Athletes of the Year.
Given in honor of longtime football coach and educator Frank Serrao, this award acknowledges the top male and female senior student-athletes who best exemplify strong academic and athletic success at the University of Redlands. The coaches and various directors within the Department of Athletics nominate and vote upon this prestigious accolade.
A defensive back and return specialist for the Bulldog football team, Nicolini wraps up his illustrious career with this great honor. Earlier the fall, this four-year veteran landed on the 2010 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Coaches All-America Team for Defense. He became just the fourth Bulldog in school history to garner this award and the first to do so since 2003.
In addition, Nicolini earned D3football.com All-West Region honors, including First-Team recognition as a return specialist and a Second-Team nod for his contributions as a safety. Earlier this season, he was also named the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Defensive Player of the Year and landed on the All-SCIAC Second Team as a return specialist.
Off the field, Nicolini has collected numerous academic accolades, highlighted by his SCIAC All-Academic selection while receiving the Presidential Scholarship and Achievement Award throughout his tenure. Nicolini recently completed his degree in Biology with a cumulative GPA of 3.19.
Smith emanates the true definition of student-athlete with her multifaceted achievements in two sports while majoring in Mathematics.
As a veteran of the track & field team, she has excelled in the Javelin Throw by becoming the first four-time female All-American in the same event in Redlands history. She had finished as high as third at the NCAA Championships but placed among the top eight each year of her career.
A four-time SCIAC champion in the Javelin, Smith has also posted solid numbers in the High Jump, recording three All-SCIAC marks. She currently sits third all-time at Redlands in both events.
Playing in more than 100 games for the women's basketball program, Smith established herself as one of the elite defensive specialists in program history. Primarily playing as a forward, Smith swatted away more shots than any other Bulldog with 108 in all.
This seven-time Dean's List member also corralled a quartet of UR Scholar-Athlete honors as a result of her 3.74 cumulative GPA and involvement in athletics.