CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – One male and female student-athlete from the Class of 2017 were selected as the Patriot League’s recipients of the Award of Outstanding Leadership and Character for the 2016-17 academic school year, announced on Friday by the League office. Bucknell women’s basketball player Sune Swart and Lafayette men’s lacrosse player Matt Cortese were chosen by vote based on each institution’s Senior Woman Administrator (SWA).
The Patriot League has established an Award of Outstanding Leadership and Character to recognize and honor those who demonstrate excellence in leadership and service while participating in Patriot League athletics, with one male and one female winner selected each year. Provided the minimum conduct standards are met, any Patriot League student-athlete and/or team is eligible for the award, which was first awarded at the conclusion of the 2011-12 academic year.
Swart moved to the United States from South Africa when she was in middle school. In the fall of 2014, Swart’s father passed away unexpectedly. A few months later, her mother and brother were forced to leave the U.S. and return to South Africa because they were in the States under her dad’s work Visa. Just a sophomore in college, Swart could have easily let the unfortunate situation consume her life. Instead, she used it as a driving force to improve in the game of basketball and as a leader. As explained by head coach Aaron Roussell, “Sune transformed herself from the quiet kid that everyone had to coax into being social to the unquestioned leader and soul of our team. Our culture took a dramatic turn for the better over Sune’s years in our program and she was a driving force behind that.”
With her leadership, Swart helped the Bison claim their third Patriot League Championship. A third-team All-League selection, Swart played the best basketball of her career this past season. The 6’3” forward was named to the All-Tournament Team and later scored a team high 14 points against No. 3 Maryland in the NCAA First Round. Roussell said, “There wasn’t a teammate or fan that didn’t mention how badly they wanted this [the Patriot League Championship] for Sune. It was an amazing nod to her selfless leadership.”
A native of Franklin, Pa., Swart graduated from Bucknell with a major in Computer Science and a 3.46 grade-point average. Over her four years, she was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three times with her most recent recognition being this past semester for earning a 3.75 GPA. She leaves the women’s basketball program as the single-season record holder in field goal percentage (.540) and played a total of 116 games, starting 33. She was honored with the Ronald J. “Pete” Pedrick Award at the annual Department of Athletics & Recreation Senior Recognition Dinner, which is presented in recognition of demonstrated improvement and special contributions to Bucknell Athletics over a four-year period.
Cortese took over as the starting goalkeeper for the Lafayette men’s lacrosse team during his junior year but got injured and only played two games. He came back healthy for his senior season and won the starting job in the cage, but once again got injured and played in just five games. Not only did he deal with injuries over the past two years, but Cortese received news in the spring of 2016 that a close high school friend and teammate passed away suddenly.
After telling friends and teammates about what happened, he informed his professors at Lafayette that he’d likely be missing some classes in the coming week to attend the viewing and funeral. Cortese eased back into his routine and asked head coach Jim Rogalski if he could speak with the team. Rogalski said, “It was one of the most amazing things I have been a part of in a locker room. It was honest, it was educational, and above all else, it was supportive. Matt has spoken to other teams at Lafayette about his situation. He just wants his teammates and other teams to be successful in everything they do and in the decisions they make in life. He is a true leader and ambassador for Lafayette College and the Patriot League.” To honor his friend, Cortese wore No. 14 his senior year.
Hailing from Garden City, N.Y., Cortese graduated from Lafayette with a major in Economics and a 3.29 GPA. He was named to the honor roll five of the last seven semesters and was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll twice. In addition to his studies and men’s lacrosse responsibilities, he was involved with the Oaks Leadership Training Program. Through the program, he worked with mentally disabled children at St. Anne’s Respite at the St. Anne’s Parish, helping them with development of their communication and physical activity skills. Cortese was also involved with the Peer Mentor Program, From Me to We – a program in which issues of social injustice were explored, in addition to coordinating the men’s lacrosse team efforts to raise money for cancer research at the St. Baldrick’s event on campus each year. Rogalski said, “He [Cortese] is first rate in his trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. He is the gold standard for the type of individuals we want in our program.”
Swart and Cortese were chosen from a poll of 12 total candidates which included American’s Charlie Jones (Men’s Basketball) and Shannon Scovel (Women’s Swimming & Diving), Boston University’s Justin Flynn (Men’s Track & Field) and Rachel Blauner (Women’s Soccer), Colgate’s Steph Poland (Women’s Basketball), Lafayette’s Jet Manzi (Volleyball), Lehigh’s Justin White (Men’s Swimming & Diving) and Vicky Lattanzio (Softball), and Loyola University Maryland’s Jarred Jones (Men’s Basketball) and Bailey Mathis (Women’s Lacrosse).