Newman athletics enjoys stellar year

The 2014-15 academic year was the best ever for Newman University Athletics since joining the NCAA Division II, with strong performances from teams and individual student-athletes.

Throughout the year, Newman was recognized by the Heartland Conference and respected by competitors for its strong and growing athletics programs. With 12 out of 16 sports advancing to post-season play and five student-athletes having exemplary seasons, the Newman Athletic Department had plenty to celebrate.

Among others, student-athletes Kendall Anderson, Julie Bernard, Jeremy Espinoza, Jarrod Flax and Rubi Torres had outstanding seasons, resulting in recognition on the local, state and national levels. They also received honors at the first-ever Jetspy Awards, a year-end ceremony and banquet to recognize all that was accomplished during the 2014-15 season. The Jetspy was modeled after the ESPN “Espy” Awards, with a good measure of Jet pride built into the name.

While it was clearly a stellar year for the Jets, Newman Athletics Director Vic Trilli said it’s just the beginning. “We have plans in place to keep our athletic programs growing and getting better,” he said.

Trilli said Newman wants to keep taking big steps in improving athletics, including making more improvements to facilities to bring more student-athletes to Newman.

“The more we address the issue of facilities and we keep improving, the better chance we have to compete,” he said.

While Newman Athletics is yet to be known as a “powerhouse” for sports, the significant progress of the 2014- 15 year has brought the Jets to a place they want to be, and set the stage for where they want to go.

Read more about Newman Athletics and the Jetspy Awards at newmanjets.com