May 19, 2006

VILLANOVA, Pa. -

May 19, 2006

VILLANOVA, Pa. - On Thursday, May 18, the Villanova University Athletic Department held the 13th annual Senior Student-Athlete Banquet. Each senior student-athlete was honored during the event for their Villanova careers and given a watch to commemorate their Wildcat experience.

Former Villanova volleyball student-athlete Kris Tomasovic Nelson served as the keynote speaker. A 1998 Villanova graduate, Tomasovic Nelson graduated Summa cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. She is currently a director and analyst for Forstmann Leff Associates in New York.

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Male and Female Senior Student-Athlete of the Year awards. This year's male and female recipients were Frank Cirone of baseball and Liad Suez-Karni from the women's basketball team.

A native of Even-Yehuda, Israel, Suez-Karni became a mainstay in the Wildcat line-up as a sophomore and finished her career 12th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,274 points. She also registered 424 rebounds, 299 assists and 203 made three-point field goals. During her Main Line career, she was a three-time All-Big East Conference performer, including a first team honoree in 2006. In the classroom, Suez-Karni earned a psychology degree with a 3.66 GPA.

"Liad is one of the most dedicated players that I have coached," said Villanova head women's basketball coach Harry Perretta. "Throughout her Villanova career, she represented herself, her country and Villanova in a truly exemplary fashion. I really enjoyed the opportunity to have coached Liad the last four years."

Cirone is one of the captains of the baseball team and a four-year member of the program. A versatile player who began his career as an outfielder, Cirone was moved to the infield this season and took over as the starting third baseman. He is currently batting .250 for the season with seven doubles, 24 runs batted in and just 16 strikeouts in 154 plate appearances. He has appeared in 85 career games for the Wildcats, including 41 starts.

"Frank has played a valuable role on the team from the day he got here," head baseball coach Joe Godri said. "To me he represents the true student-athlete because he will walk away with a great degree and the experience of playing Division I college baseball. Throughout his career, we have asked him to play a variety of roles and each time he has stepped up and filled that role to the utmost of his ability."