May 3, 2007
Bronx, N.Y. - The 73rd annual Block F Awards dinner was held last night at the Villa Barone Manor, honoring Fordham University's student-athletes for their accomplishments in the 2006-07 academic year.
Among those honored was women's soccer coach Ness Selmani who was received the Iron Major Award as Fordham's Coach of the Year. This is the second Iron Major Award for Selmani, who also won the award in 2004. Senior Leah Jerome (Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) also received both the Terence J. O'Donnell Award and the Kiwanis Community Service Award as well as being named Most Valuable Player of the women's soccer team.
The "Iron Major" Award is presented to honor the "Coach of the Year", as selected by his or her fellow coaches. The award is named for Hall of Fame member and former football coach Frank Cavanaugh, the first in a long line of nationally famous Fordham coaches.
Selmani, who just completed his eleventh year as the head coach at Fordham, guided the Rams to their finest season yet. Fordham finished with a 14-7 record, setting a school mark for most wins in a season, surpassing the 2003 squad which won 11 games. The squad also set the team single season record for goals (45), assists (44) and points (134).
In the Atlantic 10, the Rams went 6-3, earning a berth in the Atlantic 10 Championship where Fordham advanced to its first ever Atlantic 10 championship game where the Rams fell to the host team, Saint Louis, 2-1.
He was also selected as the 2006 Atlantic 10 Coach of the year by his peers.
The O'Donnell Memorial Award is presented to the Fordham athlete who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, loyalty, dedication and self-discipline. The award is in memory of Terry O'Donnell, a 1955 graduate who died in a military plane crash shortly after graduation.
The Fordham Kiwanis is part of a worldwide service organization that is committed to improving the quality of life through volunteer action. The members of Fordham Kiwanis, comprised of university faculty, staff, and administrators, wish to recognize student-athletes who not only excel in academics and in their respective sports, but who are also committed to working in community service activities.
Jerome, a senior with the women's soccer squad, truly represents the Jesuit ideal of being a person for others. Over her career, she has served as a two-year team captain, leading her team to their finest season to date, while receiving first team All-Atlantic 10 honors.
She led the Rams to a 14-7 overall record, setting a school mark for most wins in a season, surpassing the 2003 squad which won 11 games. The squad also set the team single season record for goals (45), assists (44) and points (134). In Atlantic 10 play, Fordham finished with a 6-3 record to earn a berth in the Atlantic 10 championship where the Rams advanced to the title game for the first time in school history.
A senior forward and three-year starter who started all 19 games for the Rams this year, Jerome set career highs with eleven goals and five assists for 27 points in 2006, ranking second on the team in all three categories. She also ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 conference in goals and fifth in goals/game, points and points/game.
For her exploits, Jerome was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 in 2006, becoming the fourth Fordham women's soccer player to garner First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors, as well as Third Team All-Northeast Region.
Over her career, Jerome scored 22 goals and added 11 assists for 55 career points in 77 career games, breaking Beth Kitson's (1999-2002) school mark for most games played in a career (75). She graduates in third place on the Fordham all-time career scoring list while ranking fourth on the all-time goals list and tying for fifth in career assists.
Away from the field, she has been involved in tutoring middle school students in the Bronx and she has worked with the Global Outreach-Navajo program. She helped lead the Fordham initiative this year for the Global Aids Campaign, raising funds through a 3-on-3 basketball tournament held at Fordham, and has been a devoted volunteer with a number of other organizations.
Jerome is also a standout in the classroom, receiving Third Team CoSIDA/ESPN The magazine Academic All-American® honors this year.
