Nazareth University

Nazareth College undergraduate students earned their bachelor's degrees at the 88th Annual Commencement ceremony that took place at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY, on May 10, 2015.

Nazareth student Heather Aprile is awarded a paid SITE scholarship for an eight-month internship at a secondary school in Lombardy, Italy.

The Nazareth College Theatre and Dance Department has announced the winners of its department awards for the 2014-2015 academic year. The awards were presented at the end of the College's spring semester.

Students in the Nazareth College Department of Music's Jazz Ensemble (Michael Sapienza, interim director; Wills McKenna, graduate assistant) present their final concert of the 2014-2015 season on Thursday, April 23, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. in the Wilmot Recital Hall. The evening's program will feature works by Thad Jones, Don Menza, Charles Mingus, Bob Mintzer, Sammy Nestico, Radiohead, Chuck Sayre, and Fred Sturm. This event is free and open to the public.

Several Nazareth College students were inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society, dedicated by its founders to the fostering of scholarly interest in the theoretical and historical aspects of music, and to the stimulation of eminent achievement in performance, composition, the music professions, and research.

The Nazareth College Department of Music has announced the winners of its department awards for the 2014-2015 academic year. The awards were presented at the department's annual convocation at the end of the spring semester.

The Nazareth College Art Department announced the winners of its department awards for the 2014-2015 academic year. Student winners received their awards during the reception for the annual Student Art Show at the end of the spring semester.

Two Nazareth College visual communication design students created the 2015-2016 season and event artwork for Blackfriars Theatre. "I'm extremely proud of Meagan and Amanda's efforts," said Sherri Baker Hamilton, assistant professor in the College's Art Department and director of the visual communication design program. "We couldn't have achieved such a successful outcome of a real-world project, or had the rich community engagement experience, without the tremendous support we received from Blackfriars." Blackfriars Theatre is a mid-sized professional theatre that has entertained audiences for 63 years in Rochester, New York.

Students in the Nazareth College Department of Music's Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of assistant professor Kristen Shiner McGuire, present their final concert of the season on Tuesday, April 21. The Nazareth student musicians will be joined by the Honeoye Falls High School Percussion Ensemble (Brian Wilkins, conductor). The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, 2015 in the Wilmot Recital Hall. The evening's program will feature works by John Cage/Lou Harrison, Anthony Cirone, Mark Ford, George and Ira Gershwin, Murray Houllif, and Dan Moore. This event is free and open to the public.

Drew Simoneau, member of the men's lacrosse team, is one of Nazareth College's Athletes of the Week for the period ending April 27 and the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Week for the period ending April 26. Simoneau reached 1,000 face-off wins for his career in a pair of Empire 8 Conference wins. He won 12 of 14 face-offs with 11 ground balls in a 29-0 win over Houghton. Simoneau then captured 12 of 19 face-offs in a 16-6 win at St. John Fisher.

Haley DeVona, member of the women's lacrosse team, is one of Nazareth College's Athletes of the Week for the period ending April 27. DeVona scored two goals and had four assists in a 21-3 home-field win over Alfred. In a 13-12 win against Stevens, she added four goals, including one in overtime, and one assist. DeVona leads the Golden Flyers in scoring with 52 points on 35 goals and 17 assists.

Luke Lawatsch, member of Nazareth College's men's volleyball team, is named to the United Volleyball Conference first team 2015 All-American team that was selected by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. He was a first-team selection in 2013 and a second-team choice in 2014. Lawatsch leads the Golden Flyers and is ranked fourth nationally with a .441 hitting percentage (191-46-329). He also ranks fifth nationally with 1.22 blocks per set. He ranks second all-time at Nazareth with a .410 hitting percentage.

Tim Zyburt, member of Nazareth College's men's volleyball team, is one of Nazareth's Scholar-Athletes for the month of March and earned United Volleyball Conference (UVC) honors for the period ending March 29. Lastly, the UVC recognized Zyburt on the first team 2015 all-star team for the conference.

Hannah Brackley, member of the women's track and field team, is one of Nazareth College's Athletes of the Week for the period ending April 13 and is the Empire 8 Conference Track Athlete of the Week for the period ending April 12. Brackley helped Nazareth set school and stadium records in the 4 x 400-meter relay with a winning time of 4:01.36 as Nazareth hosted the annual ROC City Invitational at the Golden Flyer Stadium. She also finished second in the 200-meter dash (:26.05) and third in the 400-meter dash (:59.02).

Jake Kemp, member of Nazareth College's men's volleyball team, is named a United Volleyball Conference co-Rookie of the Year. Kemp has excelled as a setter for the Golden Flyers this season as he amassed 872 assists (8.30 per set); he also had 128 digs and 34 blocks. Lastly, Kemp led the conference with a .324 hitting percentage, which ranks him third nationally.

Michael Cuciti, member of Nazareth College's men's lacrosse team, is the Empire 8 Goalie of the Week for the period ending April 12. Cuciti had a career-high 12 saves in a 15-10 loss to Rochester Institute of Technology. He added nine saves of a 9-6 Empire 8 Conference win over Ithaca.

Brandon Vuolo, member of Nazareth College's men's track and field team, is the Empire 8 Field Athlete of the Week for the period ending April 12. Vuolo set a school record in winning the discuss throw with a heave of 40.61 meters (133 feet, 3 inches). He also equaled his own school record by placing second in the shot put with a distance of 13.76 meters (45 feet, 1 3/4 inches).

Carly Gates, member of the women's lacrosse team, is one of Nazareth College's Athletes of the Week for the period ending April 20. Gates scored four goals for Nazareth as the Golden Flyers won 19-8 at Hartwick to improve to 10-3 overall and 5-1 in conference play. Gates also added three ground balls, three caused turnovers and five draw controls as the Golden Flyers remain tied for first place in the E8 standings.

Matt Battaglia, member of the men's track and field team, is one of Nazareth College's Athletes of the Week for the period ending April 20. Battaglia ran a person-best time of 1:56.51 to win the 800-meter run at the Empire 8 Conference Track and Field Championships. He was also part of the winning 4 x 400-meter relay that posted a time of 3:23.55.

Brooke Sullivan, member of the women's lacrosse team, is one of Nazareth College's Scholar-Athletes for the month of March. Sullivan helped the Golden Flyers to a 7-2 overall record this season, including a 2-0 mark in Empire 8 Conference games. She leads the team with 27 points on 18 goals and nine assists.

The following students were inducted into the Gamma Kappa Alpha National Italian Honor Society.

Chris Mahan, member of Nazareth College's men's volleyball team, is named to the second team 2015 All-American team that was selected by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. Mahan posted a .336 hitting percentage on the strength of 174 kills. He is also ranked second for Nazareth and 25th nationally with 1.01 blocks per set.

Haley DeVona, member of the women's lacrosse team, is one of Nazareth College's Athletes of the Week for the period ending April 6. DeVona totaled a career-best seven points on five goals and two assists against Elmira.

The Nazareth College Art Department will present "Interdimensionality: A BFA Thesis Exhibition by Madalyn LaCava," from Friday, April 24-Friday May 1, 2015, with an opening reception Friday, April 24 from 6-8 p.m.

Three Nazareth College Visual Communication Design students won awards at the Rochester Advertising Federation's annual Addy Awards competition. Student Ashley Neal was awarded a gold Addy and cash scholarship for her Owl Company Rum Packaging Design; Desiree Moore was awarded a silver Addy for her Stephen King Movie Poster Series; and Mary Bonomo was awarded a silver Addy for her Hutch Milk Packaging and Branding in the Student Category. The RAF Addy Awards are part of the national American Advertising Federation professional competition, and are judged anonymously outside of the Rochester market. These students' submissions were judged in New York City.

The Nazareth College Department of Music's Wind Symphony, conducted by assistant professor Jared Chase, will present its season-ending recital, OF THIS EARTH, featuring student Nick Sutton, winner of the College's Wind Symphony Concerto Competition. This performance is free and open to the public.

The Nazareth College Department of Art's annual juried Student Art Show, featuring the work of more than 60 undergraduate students and Art Education graduate students, is on display in the department's two galleries through April 19, 2015.

Students in the Nazareth College Department of Music's Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of assistant professor Nancy Strelau, present CREATING THE IMPRESSION Friday, April 10. In addition to nearly 75 student musicians, the performance will feature student conductor S. SHADE ZAJAC. The concert takes place Friday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the College's Linehan Chapel. The evening's program will feature works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, John Williams, and Ottorino Resphigi. This event is free and open to the public.

Students in the Nazareth College Department of Music's Chamber Singers and Concert Choir will team up to present EVERYTHING MOZART on Sunday, April 19, at 3 p.m. in the Linehan Chapel. The concert will be conducted by Nazareth faculty Mark Zeigler, Rebecca English, and Brian Stevens, and will feature "Regina Coeli, K. 276;" "Ave Verum Corpus, K. 618;" "Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K. 339;" and "Coronation Mass in C Major, K. 317." This program is free and open to the public.

Students in the Nazareth College Department of Music's Campus Band, Wind Symphony, and Wind Ensemble will team up to present OF THIS EARTH on Sunday, April 12, at 3 p.m. in the Linehan Chapel. In addition to nearly 75 student musicians, the performance will feature two student conductors: NICOLE DARLING and RAHMY ELTOURY.