Newburgh, NY- The Mount Saint Mary athletics department is proud to announce our Knights of the Month for April 2024! These eight student-athletes have exemplified excellence on and off the field earning them recognition from the department staff.

Lily O'Brein- Track and Field

Lily O'Brein had an amazing month of April that culminated in a dominate performance at the Skyline Conference Championships.  Coming off a great winter indoor season, and a cold start to the outdoor season, she was in top form at the end of the Conference season.  Lily Competed in five events, the 100m Hurdles, 400m Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump and the Triple Jump.  She took the gold medal in three of the five events, and finished in second in the other two.  She set a personal record in the 100m Hurdles, and a season best in the high jump and triple jump. 
" Lily has had an unbelievable month, her dedication to the sport shows. She had an unbelievable day on Sunday at Skyline with three individual championships in both hurdles, and High jump, along with two silver medals in triple & long jump.  She is by far the best Track & Field athlete in the conference" said head coach Fred Callo.
 

Christopher Christiano- Track and Field

Christopher Christiano- Coming off a strong fall cross country season, Chris kept his winning ways up through the indoor season and came into the month of April ready to push himself.  The month finished with a trip to the Conference Championship.  Chris competed in 2 events, the 800m and the 1500m.  He brought home a gold in the 800m with his season best time, and a bronze in the 1500m.
"Chris has had a fantastic senior year, I am so happy for him and his achievements this spring semester, breaking numerous school records with his crowning achievement being a Skyline Conference Champion in the 800 Meter run on Sunday.  He is one of the most dedicated athletes I have had run for me during my time at the college." Said Head Coach Fred Callo 
 

Erik Albanese- Esports

Erik Albanese- In the inaugural year of Esports, what Erik has been able accomplish is indicative of what it means to be a Knight.  He took on a challenge met it head on, and rose to the occasion.  During the month of April, Erik completed in the East Coast Conference Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament and brough home the title.  Erik isn't just competing he is setting the new benchmark and culture for the growing program. 
Head coach Brian Venard had this to say about Erik's month.  "Erik's dedication and skill has been unmatched, and I'm so happy for him that the season ended in championship glory."
 

Victoria Ward- Women's Lacrosse

Victoria Ward- Our first two-time winner of Knight of the Month, and it is well-deserved.  This is not to take away from the amazing work her teammates did during the month.  Victoria would be the first to commend the amazing work her defense did all month and how well her middies and fellow attackers helped support her.  She is a true team player and understands that her accomplishments where because of the amazing team around her.  Victoria was the leader in offensive production for the month of April, 29 goals, 10 assists, 25 Draw controls, which lead to a 5-win 3-loss month.  Further capping off her incredible career as a Knight, Victoria just surpassed 200 career points.
Head coach Mike Lowell has this to say about his departing Attacker "Victoria had an excellent month both offensively and in the mid field.  Her efforts contributed to a 5 and 4 month and helping us to secure a 4^th place seed in the conference and a home game for round 1 of the playoffs."
 

Bobby DeSantis- Men's Lacrosse

Bobby DeSantis- Bobby was the X-factor all April for the men's lacrosse program.  As a defender he did the little things that don't show up on a stat sheet.  In the three conference games the team won this month Bobby didn't lose a defensive matchup and cleared the ball the most out of any player on the field for the Knights.   He even went on the create three scoring opportunities which the offense was able to capitalized on.  The month of April Bobby forced 10 turnovers, and collected 27 ground balls for the Mount.
Head Coach Justin Lorenzo proudly had this to say about his junior defender "This month Bobby has been the unsung hero for us on the field doing the little things and ultimately was a huge factor in our 2 conference wins at the end of the season. He has done it all on the defensive end for us and has played every position possible besides goalie; his success on that end translated to offensive production as he scored his first career goal as a Knight!"
 

Kaylee Poppo- Women's Golf

Kaylee Poppo- Kaylee did an outstanding job in the conference championship. This month Kaylee took on the Northeast Women's Golf Conference Championship in Rexford, NY. Preparing for the biggest event of the season is a lot of pressure, especially as a freshman playing in a conference championship for the first time, but also to be the team leader and captain while also preparing for the biggest tournament of the year and handling all the extra is extraordinary.
 
Coach Andy Crane boasted, "She is going to be a bright star for our program for many many months to come."
 

Grace MacDonald- Softball

Grace MacDonald- The queen of the diamond for the Knights.  An offensive and defensive weapon that the whole team has rallied around.  Grace has stepped up and has been throwing literally every conference game for the team since April 7th.  She is having a standout year. 103 strikeouts on the season, with 12 to go for 200 for her career.  She is also leading the team in offense with a .449 batting average and only 3 strikeouts on the year with 49 at bats. 3.78 ERA overall, 1.51 ERA in conference.  She was named co-pitcher of the week by the Skyline during the month and has pitched 99.2 innings in the month of April and has 73 strike outs during that time.  As a hitter she has batted 17-for-38.
 
Coach Samantha Howe had this to say about Grace's month "Grace has been the backbone of this team all month.  I'm so proud of her stepping up and taking on this leadership role."

Luke Barone- Baseball

Luke Barone- Hitters hit.  It's as simple as that when it comes to the month that Luke Barone has had.  He is currently leading the Knights on offense.  During the month of April Luke when 21-for-51, with 9 runs, and 15 RBI's.  He swung a .412 batting average in the 15 games the Knights played this month.  Luke is both a leader on and off the field and something the coaches can count on. 
Coach Trevor Purcell had this to say about Luke " Luke continues to produce for our offense. He is hitting the ball hard to all parts of the field and driving in runs. He has been consistent all season for us."
 
"Congratulations to Lily, Christopher, Erik, Victoria, Bobby, Kaylee, Grace and Luke on being named our Athletes of the Month for April.  From Lily and Christopher excelling at the Skyline Championships, Erik taking home an ECC championship, Victoria helping us secure the #4 seed in the Skyline Tournament, Bobby continuing his great season on defense, Kaylee having an excellent spring on the links and Luke helping to lead our team in the field and at the plate, it's been a great month for MSMC Athletics.  GO KNIGHTS!"- Shane Bell, Director of Athletics
Congratulations to Lily, Christopher, Erik, Victoria, Bobby, Kaylee, Grace, and Luke on being named Mount Saint Mary's Knights of the Month for April 2024!