UNF Athletes Recognized at the 2022 Ozzies
It’s a great time to be a supporter of UNF’s sports teams. UNF Athletics has experienced many achievements in the 2021-22 season. In the month of April alone, the men's and women’s golf teams both won ASUN Championships while basketball standout Jazz Bond became the first UNF women’s basketball player drafted to the WNBA where she will suit up for the Dallas Wings.
On Wednesday, April 20, student-athletes, UNF staff, coaches and supporters of North Florida Athletics gathered at the Andrew A. Robinson Jr. Theater for the 4th annual end-of-season awards ceremony, known as the Ozzies, to celebrate the accomplishments of student-athletes during the 2021-22 season.
Highlights of the evening for individual athletes included Gabby O’Connell, volleyball, winning Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year; and Nathan Jubran, men's cross country/track and field, winning both Best Individual Male Performance and Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Regarding team awards, the softball team shined brightest winning two awards — Most Improved Team and Best Team Performance.
“To me, winning an Ozzie is a huge deal because I was selected to win an award over many other student-athletes who are exceptionally talented in both the classroom and in their sport,” said Jubran. “It also represents that I have reached the pinnacle of UNF athletics.”
During the ceremony, Athletic Director Nick Morrow spoke about the accomplishments of the current athletic season, which includes 38 ASUN conference player of the week honors held among UNF’s athletes and 66 single-game and career records being broken thus far during the season. Morrow stated that he’s always excited for The Ozzies as it’s a great way to highlight why UNF has one of the best athletic programs in the ASUN Conference.
“The UNF student-athletes are a very impressive group who have accomplished a lot in the classroom and in competition,” said Morrow. “Whether it’s achieving a department-wide GPA of 3.41 last fall or winning four more ASUN Championships (and counting) this year, they positively represent our great University.”
A total of 17 athletes across nine sports teams received highest individual GPA honors with a perfect 4.0 average. Men’s tennis and beach volleyball won for Top Male Team GPA (3.6 average) and Top Female Team GPA (3.73 average).
Morrow emphasized that the Ozzies is one of his favorite days each year as it highlights why UNF is one of the best athletic programs in the ASUN Conference.