NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Women's basketball star
Juana Camilion, women's swimming and diving standout
Julia Moser and men's track & field speedster
Jadyn Tabois, were honored at Iona Athletics' Annual Senior Awards Banquet as recipients of the 2023 Joseph E. O'Connell Award Winners. The Gael trio was named Iona's most outstanding senior student-athletes as the 2023 senior class was honored Wednesday night 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 fieldhouse 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.
O'CONNELL AWARD WINNERS
JUANA CAMILION
- One of the all-time greatest women's basketball players in Iona history.
- In her final season she helped lead the program to its second ever MAAC regular season and tournament championships while earning MAAC Player of the Year, MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and MAAC Championship Most Outstanding performer.
- Earned All-Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Second Team honors in 2023.
- Also earned MAAC Defensive Player of the Year as a true senior in 2022.
- Earned All-MAAC honors in all five seasons including first team in 2023, second team in 2022, third team in 2020 and 2021, and all-rookie in 2020.
- Finished her career with 1,614 points (fifth all-time at Iona), 580 rebounds, 433 assists (sixth all-time), 278 steals (first all-time) and 160 three-pointers made (sixth all-time).
- She appeared in 131 games and started 128, missing just five total games as a freshman and played every game in her final four seasons.
- Four time MAAC All-Academic Team selection.
JULIA MOSER
- One of the most decorated women's swimmers in program history.
- Finished her career with individual school records in the 100-yard individual medley and 200-yard breaststroke events along with the fastest 50-yard split in the breaststroke.
- Also holds school records as part of the 200- and 400-yard medley relays and 200-yard freestyle relay quartets.
- Seven-time gold medalist at the MAAC Championships/Invitational events including three-times in the 100-yard breaststroke, twice in the 400-yard medley relay and once in the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard medley relay events.
- Four-time silver medalist at MAAC Championships, twice in the 200-freestyle relay, and once each in the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard freestyle relay.
- Her 12th overall MAAC Championship medal was bronze in the 50-yard freestyle event.
- Earned the Hind Courage Award at the conclusion of the 2022 season from the Iona coaching staff.
JADYN TABOIS
- One of the top sprinters in Iona University men's track & field history.
- Set the school record in the 200-meter dash both indoors (21.02) and outdoors (20.87) and is the only performer in school history to break 21 seconds in the event.
- Ranked No. 2 all-time in the 60-meter dash indoors (6.85), just .01 seconds off the school record.
- Ranked No. 3 all-time in the 100-meter dash outdoors (10.49), also .01 seconds off of the No. 2 time and the second fastest 100-yard sprint for an Iona runner in the 21st century.
- His personal best outdoor 400-meter time ranked no. 5 all-time and indoor 400-meter is among the 20 best performances in Iona history.
- In the five MAAC Championships he competed in, he earned five gold medals, twice in the 200-meter indoors and 4x100-meter relays and once in the 200-meter outdoors.
- Also earned silver medals in the 100-meter outdoors in 2022 and 400-meter outdoors in 2021.
- His eighth and ninth MAAC medals were bronze, in the 60-meter indoors in 2023 and 400-meter outdoors in 2022.
NEWYORK-PRESBYTERIAN STAY AMAZING AWARD WINNER
In addition to the O'Connell Award, Moser was presented with the inaugural NewYork-Presbyterian Stay Amazing Award. The 2022-23 year saw the beginning of an incredible partnership between Iona University Athletics and NewYork Presbyterian Hospital. Part of the relationship is this new award that will be given annually at the senior awards event. The Stay Amazing Award is presented to an Iona student-athlete who demonstrated exemplarily resilience on and off the field throughout their career. When faced with adversity, this student-athlete triumphed over obstacles and embodied what it meant to "Fight the Good Fight."
MERIT AWARD WINNERS
Forty-two seniors earned the Merit Award for maintaining a 3.5 or above cumulative grade point average, representing nearly 60% of Iona's graduating class this year.
