Manhattanville Honors and Awards
"To the Valiant of heart, nothing is impossible." - Jeanne d'Albret
Student-athletes at Manhattanville College take that 16th century quote to heart, ever since it was uttered in the Kennedy Gym locker rooms and spurred the Manhattanville men's basketball team on to victory. Taking their unique nickname from that quote - the Valiants are the only team in the NCAA with the moniker - Valiant athletes have been doing the impossible ever since.
Manhattanville has a rich history of athletic success at both the team and individual levels. Valiant teams have earned a collective 51 conference regular-season championships and 44 conference tournament titles; as a result, the school has made 33 appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Valiants have spread the wealth throughout the program, as 13 different Valiant sports teams have captured at least one conference championship and 10 programs have made the NCAA Tournament in school history.
Due in large part to its constant regular-season and tournament success, Manhattanville has been a consistent presence on the national stage. The limelight has expanded greatly in recent years, as the school boasts 27 All-American selections since 2000 and 31 in program history. Perhaps more impressively, the honors have come year in and year out: the Valiants had at least one All-America representative in 14 of the last 17 years since 1999.
The Valiants also succeed regularly in the classroom as well. Manhattanville student-athletes routinely achieve a cumulative grade-point average of over 3.20 and the department has averaged over 100 Conference All-Academic selections per season over the last decade. Manhattanville has also had six student-athletes named a CoSIDA Academic All-American in the last six years and 14 Academic All-District selections in the last six years as well.
In addition to its current excellence, Manhattanville also boasted one of the best women's swimming programs in the country in the late 1970s and early 1980s, boasting 82 AIAW All-Americans and 91 NCWSCA All-America selections between 1977 and 1983, as well as the two-time national champion in the 50-yard breaststroke (Judy Felice, 1980 and 1981) and the 1980 national champion in the one-meter dive (Alyce Sinnott). The program finished second in the AIAW National Championships in both 1978 and 1980 and made six straight national championship appearances from 1978-83. The small men's swimming team also boasted a national champion, as Anthony Reino captured the NCAA championship in the 200-yard breaststroke in 1978 and earned four NCAA All-America laurels.
