WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley University handed out its Outstanding Senior Athlete awards on Friday with hockey scoring leader Ethan Leyh (Anmore, British Columbia) and women's swimming standout Emma Hapkiewicz (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor HS) the recipients.

In addition, the Edward J. Powers Scholar-Athlete Award was presented to women's lacrosse captain Caroline Affolter (Newburyport/Central Catholic HS). The Powers Award, which has been presented annually since 1965 to Bentley's premier senior scholar-athlete, is named in honor of the late President of the Boston Garden who was an alumnus and trustee of what was then Bentley College.

Leyh served as team captain during the first season of a new era of Bentley hockey and led the way as the Falcons greatly exceeded preseason expectations. After overcoming an injury that prevented him from playing during the 2022-23 season, he earned third team All-Atlantic Hockey honors. He was also a finalist for Atlantic Hockey's Best Defensive Forward award. 

Leyh, who appeared in all 35 games, led the Falcons in goals (13), game-winning goals (3) and points (29), and was a two-time AHA Player of the Week honoree. His season included a pair of hat tricks, against Union College on Dec. 30 and against Army West Point Feb. 2.

"Most importantly, Ethan quickly established himself as our team's heartbeat," said Bentley hockey coach Andy Jones. "Highly resilient and fiercely competitive, he raised our competitive level on a daily basis and led the charge as we established an identity of being difficult to play against. We could not have asked for more from a locker room leader in Year 1."

The premier long distance swimmer in program history, Hapkiewicz is a two-time Northeast-10 Women's Swimmer of the Year who captured conference gold in distance freestyle events eight times during her illustrious career. Overall, she made 14 trips to the NE10 podium with nine gold medals, four silver and one bronze.

Hapkiewicz represented Bentley annually at the NCAA Division II Championships each of the last three seasons and owns the school records in the 500, the 1000 and the 1650 freestyle events. In addition, she is the Northest-10 record holder in both the 1000 and 1650.

"They say that no one is irreplaceable, but maybe Emma is that person," praised longtime Bentley swimming coach Mary Kay Samko. "She has been the number one distance swimmer in the conference each year and has carried the distance group at Bentley. What set her apart from her competitors is her tremendous work ethic and determination. She welcomed the challenge of tough competition and while she hates to lose, she loves winning even more as she led her team to great success over her time at Bentley. "

Affolter has been a standout both on the field and in the classroom throughout her four years at Bentley. She helped lead the Falcon women's lacrosse team to the first two NCAA Division II tournament appearances in program history, as well as the program's first Northeast-10 championship in 2021. A standout all-around midfielder who excels in every aspect of the game, Affolter was voted to the All-Conference first team earlier this month.

Affolter, who scored over 100 goals during her career and had 42 goals and 59 points this season, will graduate summa cum laude as a finance major. Last year, she was selected to the Academic All-Northeast-10 team as well as the CSC Academic All-District team.

"Caroline has been a key contributor for the women's lacrosse program since stepping on campus," said head women's lacrosse coach Taylor Bastien. "A caring teammate, relentless force on the field, and role model in all that she does, she has certainly left her mark on Bentley. We are so proud of all she has accomplished!"