This past Wednesday evening at the 56th Annual Lehman Athletics Awards Dinner in the East Dining Room at Lehman College, two outstanding student-athletes were presented with a pair of very prestigious awards. Emmanuel Vera, a member of the baseball team, was recognized with the Charlie Greenberg Scholarship Award, while Fiseha Brooks, a member of the track and field teams as well as the cross country team, was honored with the Ed Kramer Scholarship Award.
Each year at the annual Lehman athletics dinner, the Charlie Greenberg Scholarship is presented annually to a student who exemplifies the commitment and dedication that Charlie showed to the Lehman College community. Everyone who knew Charlie knew of his passion and dedication to the athletic programs at Lehman. Emmanuel Vera, this year’s recipient, established himself as a fine student athlete, excelling both academically and in the field of competition. This past season for the Lehman College baseball team, Vera became the squad’s ace pitcher and model teammate. His contributions helped the Lightning advance to the CUNYAC playoffs for the first time since 2003. In the classroom and on the field, Vera gave 100 percent and committed to being the best that he could be. (To see a picture of Vera receiving his award, click here.) The Lehman College baseball Head Coach, John Quirk, was extremely proud of his stud pitcher for being chosen for this award.
“Manny did such a solid job for us this year,” Quirk said. “Every time we needed a big outing or a pitcher to eat innings for us, he was always very reliable. The great thing about him is that I always knew I was going to get everything that he had each time he took the mound. I’m very proud of him for receiving this award and I’m looking forward to seeing what he could do for us next year.”
The Ed Kramer Scholarship Award is presented in honor and memory of one of the greatest coaches in Lehman College history. Ed Kramer led Lehman College to consecutive City University of New York championships in 1974 and 1975. In those same years, he was chosen NCAA Division III and the City University of New York Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. His dedication to each of his student athletes was evident in his commitment to each student-athlete as a special individual. The 2008 honoree, Fiseha Brooks, exemplified a commitment to both the academics and the athletic aspects of Lehman College. His dedication to the men’s track and field programs have been a reason for the continued success of those respective teams. This past fall in the men’s cross country season, he established himself as the number two performer on Head Coach Lesliegh Hogg’s squad. His hard work as a member of the cross country and indoor track and field units weren’t all, as he posted a 3.0 grade point average as well.
“Fiseha has been an integral piece to the men’s track and field and cross country programs here at Lehman College,” Hogg said. “An award like this suits him just right. I’m glad to see his hard work pay off.”
As always, the Lehman College Athletics Awards Dinner was a success.
“This has been a very satisfying year for our student-athletes, as they’ve continued to make progress in the classroom and on the field,” Director of Athletics Dr. Martin L. Zwiren said. “The awards dinner is a special night that we embrace, and it is an evening we use to reflect on the accomplishments of our great student-athletes. We’re all very proud of them, and we’re looking forward to seeing continued improvement during the 2008-2009 athletic year.”