UB's Lorraine Galow One Of Three Student-Athletes To Receive The East Coast Conference's 2013 John Smillie, Jr. Award

Old Westbury, N.Y. - Graduate student Lorraine Galow (Suwanee, Georgia) of the University of Bridgeport women's gymnastics team, junior Casey McKay (North Massapequa, N.Y.) of the LIU Post baseball team and senior Kristyna Nepivodova (Breznice, Czech Republic) of the University of the District of Columbia women's tennis team have been named the 2013 recipients of the John Smillie, Jr. Award. 

This award is given in honor of NYIT Athletic Trainer, John Smillie, Jr. who passed away two years after battling cancer.  The John Smillie, Jr. Award is given annually to a student-athlete or student-athletes who have overcome personal or physical challenges and hardships to pursue their intercollegiate athletic careers. John Smillie's children were in attendance to present the awards.

Lorraine Galow

After competing for three successful seasons with Bridgeport, the team was expecting Lorraine's senior season of 2010-2011 to be nothing short of spectacular. At the first meet of that season, Galow was competing bars, stuck her dismount and endured a career changing injury.

She had damaged both of her knees in one shot. In her right knee, Lorraine tore her ACL and medial meniscus. She also had a posterior medial tibial plateau compression fracture, along with a patellar dislocation.  In her left knee, she tore her ACL, and both her medial and lateral meniscus. She also had a posterior medial tibial compression fracture. She was told her return to the sport of gymnastics was questionable.

Following her surgeries, Lorraine was a fixture in the UB athletic training room doing rehab.  She returned to the classroom for the 2011-2012 season to finish her degree in psychology and human services, and continue her rehab but could only serve as a volunteer assistant coach.

In 2012-13, Lorraine enrolled as a graduate student at UB and returned to gymnastics as a team member, working her way back to competing on both the uneven bar and balance beam. Her return did not come easy as she endured an additional surgery this past January to remove part of her meniscus that she re-tore.

However, this season was one of Lorraine's best. She was a huge contributor for the team and its success. During nationals in Shreveport, La. this April, Lorraine scored a career high during the team finals to help the UB gymnastics team to another national title and secured her spot in the event finals, where she placed fifth.

Casey McKay

Casey McKay, finishing his junior year at LIU Post, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder when he 14 years old. It manifested in Casey as Morphea which led to bilateral foot and lower leg deformities as well as severe lower leg muscle atrophy.

Over the years Casey has fought to overcome the numerous challenges imposed by the disease and through all that managed to become a standout high school and collegiate baseball player.

In March 2011, Casey's sophomore season at LIU Post, he suffered a right thumb fracture while batting. He was still able to play and although at times he experienced significant pain, he did so with little complaint.

In the summer of 2011, Casey tore the labrum in his right shoulder while playing summer ball in Virginia. He returned to New York for surgery to repair the damage and began months and months of recovery and rehabilitation. Although sidelined the entire 2012 baseball season, he was still a permanent fixture in the dugout providing guidance and support to his teammates.

As the sport medicine staff and administrators at LIU Post pointed out,  since Casey joined the LIU Post baseball program, he has been a leader on and off the field. His strong character and determination which has helped him to overcome obstacles was always done while he maintained a positive attitude and enthusiasm for the game.  He truly represents the qualities and character the John Smillie Award was created to recognize.

Krystina Nepivodova

Kristyna Nepivodova, a senior member of the successful women's tennis team at UDC has persevered as an elite player despite two shoulder surgeries and consistent pain and injury.

Kristyna injured her shoulder at the end of the 2010-11 season and  had surgery that summer for a torn labrum. After the surgery, she still faced significant pain throughout the next year. She could not serve overhand the whole year, had to serve underhand, and could not hit overhand shots with full force.

Despite the pain and injury, she still was able to garner First Team All-ECC and perform at a high level in the No. 2 position, and earn a 15-3 record in singles and 17-3 in doubles. This past season Kristyna continued to battle injury and played through continuous pain on a daily basis. She had an exceptional season, going 9-2 in singles and 7-3 in doubles.

She has amassed a 29-5 record in singles and 29-7 in doubles throughout her career.