LARCHMONT, NY - Men's basketball's Sean Armand, men's soccer's Franklin Castellanos and women's water polo's Amy Olsen headlined the 2014 Senior Awards Banquet as the school's 2014 Joseph E. O'Connell Award Winners. The Gaels trio was named Iona's most outstanding senior student-athletes as 86 seniors were honored tonight at the Larchmont Shore Club.
The Joseph E. O'Connell Award is named for Iona's first outstanding athlete. The son of immigrants, Joe O'Connell grew up in Corpus Christi Parish, Morningside Heights, and played basketball for the Brothers at All Hallows High School. Arriving at Iona in 1941, Joe joined the squad coached by Br. Arthur A. Loftus, CFC, and became the Gaels' leading scorer his freshman season with 242 points. After Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into World War II, Joe, together with most of his classmates, enlisted in the military. On September 5, 1943, Cpl. Joseph E. O'Connell, U.S. Army Air Corps, was killed in the South Pacific. He was the first Iona student to give his life in the service of his country. In 1946, Br. Loftus established this award in the memory of his player, and on December 7, 1948—the seventh anniversary of Pearl Harbor—Br. Loftus dedicated the new Iona field-house as the Joseph E. O'Connell Memorial Gymnasium. Although the gymnasium no longer stands, the talent, grace, and courage of Joe O'Connell continues to be memorialized through the lives of all the Iona Gaels who have earned the Joseph E. O'Connell Award.
Sean Armand, Men's Basketball
- Appeared in two NCAA Championships with the Gaels, and was a part of Iona's 2013 MAAC Championship team
- Two-time All-MAAC Selection
- Seventh all-time in scoring at Iona with 1,694 career points
- All-time leader in three point field goals with 348 and first in attempts with 807
- All-time leader in games played with 137 and 11th all-time in assists with 294
- Single season record 112 three point field goals as a junior
- Career high 17.5 points per game as a senior, finishing fifth in the MAAC in scoring
- In 2013-14, Armand was also second in the league in three pointers per game with 2.9 and three point field goal percentage, converting 44.0% of his attempts.
Franklin Castellanos, Men's Soccer
- Three-time First-Team All-MAAC Selection
- 2013 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and Capital One Academic All-America Selection
- Two-time NSCAA All-North Atlantic Region All-Team Selection
- Iona's all-time leader in assists with 37, and second all-time in points with 71
- Nation's leader in assists and assists per game in 2011 and finished third in the category in 2013
- Appeared in 74 games for Iona, tied for third most all-time
- In 2013, led MAAC in points, points per game and assists
- Four-time Dean's List member and three-time MAAC All-Academic Team Selection
Amy Olsen, Women's Water Polo
- Three-time MAAC Champion and four-time All-MAAC Selection
- 2013 and 2014 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and the 2011 MAAC Rookie of the Year
- All-time leading goal scorer in program history with 361 goals and second all-time in points with 443.
- Fourth all-time in steals and first all-time in ejections drawn.
- Scored 100 goals as a senior, becoming the first player in MAAC history to score 100 goals in two separate seasons
- As a junior, tallied 128 points on 102 goals and 26 assists
- Named All-American Honorable Mention and named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team as a junior.
- Two-time MAAC All-Academic Team Selection.
Two members of Iona's staff and administration were honored with the Br. John G. Driscoll Appreciation Award for their contributions to the athletic department. Iona's Facilities & Maintenance staff members Mike Overton and Sean Piggott were selected for their support of Iona College Athletics, our student-athletes, coaching staffs and administrators.
The 38 seniors earned the Merit Award for maintaining a 3.5 or above cumulative grade point average were:
