Rutgers-Camden Athletics

LaPorta, Carbone, Sirko, Boney earn honors at annual senior awards banquet

5/15/2026 2:54:00 PM

DEPTFORD, NJ (May 5, 2026) – A trio of outstanding senior student-athletes and a coach leading his team into the ECAC Division III Women's Basketball Tournament were the big winners at the annual Rutgers University-Camden Athletic Awards Banquet May 5 at the Adelphia Restaurant in Deptford.
 
Multi-sport star Sophia LaPorta, a member of the volleyball and the indoor and outdoor track and field programs, was honored as the Wilbur W. Wilson Scholar Athlete of the Year, while Evan Carbone and Ashton Sirko, from the baseball and women's tennis programs, respectively, were recognized with the Jeffrey L. Dean Scarlet Raptor of the Year awards.
 
Women's Basketball Head Coach James Boney was honored as the Dr. Edward Cialella Coach of the Year.

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The school also recognized 37 individuals with Senior Awards, an honor given to student-athletes who have either exhausted their eligibility in a particular sport or are graduating.  
Senior Awards winners included baseball players Carbone, Gavin Cunard, Justin Figueroa, Dylan Oliver, John Ormsby IV and Ricky Snyder,  cross country/indoor and outdoor track stars Jacob Dinerman and Xochitl Bautista-Castelan, indoor/outdoor track athletes Deleon Benjamin, Brandon Butts, Kayla Franklin and Walter Pierce, and golfers Pearse Lee, Ryan Macuch and Reid Walker. Rutgers-Camden also honored senior men's basketball players Eric Benjamin, Cameron Downs and Isaiah Waters, women's basketball senior Tireya Wyatt, softball star Gianna Bauer, women's tennis stars Katie Moore and Sirko, and volleyball players Avery Ang and LaPorta, who also participated with the indoor and outdoor track programs. From the men's soccer team, recognized seniors included Jordan Brickner, Evan Isenbarger, Joseph Lodise, Jason Stearn, Ethan Steinbiss, Brandon Valeri and Grant Williams, while women's soccer seniors included Kylie Barber, Jordana Fredo, Gianna Patitucci, Morgan Riley, Maresa Savarese and McKenna Williams.
   
Named for the late Rutgers-Camden Athletic Director Jeffrey L. Dean, the award recognizes two senior athletes who embody what it means to be a Scarlet Raptor. These individuals support the mission of Rutgers-Camden Athletics by working individually and collaboratively to accomplish goals, conduct themselves with integrity and compete with passion and sportsmanship, while achieving academic excellence and service to the community.
 
Carbone, a four-year member as a catcher on the Raptors' baseball team, compiled a .988 career fielding percentage, the sixth-highest in program history for all players with 200 or more total chances. He had 470 putouts, 32 assists and only six errors during his 85-game career, while hitting .262. He was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference's First Team catcher in 2024, was a NJAC Academic Honorable Mention for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 scholastic years (the 2025-26 NJAC Academic Team won't be named until June) and was a member of the Rutgers-Camden Athletic Director's Honor Roll for all seven of his full semesters on campus (the 2026 Spring honors are still pending). A Dean's List student as a Finance major, Carbone posted a 4.0 GPA in a pair of semesters..
 
A four-year member of the women's tennis program, Sirko was a team co-captain for three seasons. She finished her career tied for sixth in career singles victories (25), tied for ninth in career doubles wins (24) and tied for sixth in overall career wins (49). Like Carbone, she captured New Jersey Athletic Conference Academic Honorable Mention during both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 scholastic years, with this year yet to be announced. A Dean's List student as a Business major, she was a seven-time member of the Rutgers-Camden Athletic Director's Honor Roll, with the spring semester yet to be announced, and she had a pair of semesters with 4.0 GPAs. Sirko also was very active as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, including her role on the SAAC Leadership Committee.
 
The Coach of the Year Award is presented in honor of Dr. Edward Cialella, who retired in December 2002, after five years as the school's athletic director. He joined the faculty in 1969 as a member of the physical education department and over the years he coached Rutgers-Camden programs in both men's and women's basketball and tennis. From 1969-97, he served as the school's director of recreation and intramurals and he chaired the physical education department from 1994-98. The Coach of the Year Award is presented to a coach nominated by the Rutgers-Camden Athletic Department who has displayed responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and excellence, both on and off the field.
 
Boney captured the honor after leading the women's basketball team to a 15-14 season, its most victories since a 15-11 season in 2018-19. The Scarlet Raptors also posted a 63-36 victory over Cedar Crest in the ECAC quarterfinals, marking their first ECAC win since 2002, before losing to host and eventual champion McDaniel College, 57-56, in the ECAC semifinals. Rutgers-Camden snapped a streak of six straight losing seasons and its 15 victories were one more than the previous three seasons combined. The Scarlet Raptors also featured one of the top players in the conference in sophomore Courtney Edmundo, who earned New Jersey Athletic Conference First Team honors.
 
The Wilbur W. Wilson Scholar Athlete Award is presented in honor of the late Athletic Director, Wilbur "Pony" Wilson, whose dedication, integrity and accomplishments guided the Rutgers-Camden Athletic Department for 28 ½ years. The award is a testimony to his resolve to have athletes display excellence not only on the playing field, but also in the classroom. The recipient of this award is the senior athlete with the highest accumulative academic average of 3.25 or above, while meeting a two-year academic criteria.
 
LaPorta finished her four-year career at Rutgers-Camden with four letters apiece in volleyball and outdoor track, while adding three with the indoor track program. It was on the academic stage, however, that she truly made her mark. A Dean's List student with a major in Chemistry and minors in Biology and Mathematics, LaPorta rolled up a 4.0 GPA during every semester of her career, adding Rutgers-Camden Athletic Director's Honor Roll recognition each semester and capturing a pair of New Jersey Athletic Conference Academic Honorable Mentions during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 scholastic years (the NJAC doesn't award academic honors during freshman years and the 2025-26 awards won't be announced until June).
 
During her volleyball career as a defensive specialist/libero, LaPorta appeared in 224 sets over 93 matches, collecting 356 digs, 28 service aces, 18 assists and eight kills. During track seasons she competed in sprints and the long jump.