With the decade coming to a close shortly, the Hofstra University Department of Athletics is thrilled to unveil its "Best of the Decade" list. 

The list, a top 10 and a group of 10 honorable mentions, was put together with the assistance of members of the Hofstra community. We certainly understand any list will spark discussions and we encourage members of the Hofstra community to share their thoughts on social media and with their family and friends. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Stephen Gorchov in the Office of Athletic Communications at stephen.a.gorchov@hofstra.edu. 

Brittain Altomare (women's lacrosse)
One of only nine All-Americans in program history, Brittain Altomare was a 2015 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association All-American honoree. She graduated as the program's all-time leading scorer with 247 points and that total ranks second all-time today. Altomare also totaled 129 assists and 200 draw controls to hold the program record in both categories and ranks eighth all-time with 118 goals. 

Arguably one of the best players to ever play in the Colonial Athletic Association, Altomare's assist total ranks first in CAA history and her draw control total is fourth all-time. The 2015 CAA Player of the Year, the program's first-ever honoree from the conference, Altomare was a three-time IWLCA All-Region selection and a three-time All-CAA first team honoree. Amazingly she olds the top three spots on the program's single season assists records as her senior year total of 42 ranks first on the single season chart, while her junior year total of 36 is second and her sophomore toal of 35 ranks third. 

Maddie Anderson (women's soccer)
Maddie Anderson, a member of the Hofstra Women's Soccer team from 2015-18, concluded her Hofstra career as one of the top defenders in program history. The back-to-back Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018, Anderson guided her team to two-straight NCAA tournament appearances, including a second-round appearance in 2018.
 
During her 2017 breakout season, Anderson collected several honors in addition to her major CAA award, as she was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team, All-CAA First Team, and was selected to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America squad. She played nearly every minute on the Hofstra backline, anchoring the Pride to 11 shutouts during the 2017 season. One year later, Anderson repeated as the CAA Defensive Player of the Year while collecting First Team All-Region and All-CAA accolades. During her senior season, she led a Hofstra defense that compiled a 1.14 goals against average with nine shutouts.  

Steve Bonanno (wrestling)
Steve Bonanno's excellence on the mat and in the classroom has placed him in many prestigious Hofstra wrestling categories during his career from 2008 through 2013. He was a four-time CAA Championship finalist and won 125-lb. titles in 2012 and 2013. Bonanno was also a four-time NCAA Championship qualifier and earned one of the 30 NCAA All-American honors bestowed upon Pride wrestlers with an 8th-place finish in 2012. He posted 103 victories for the Pride during his career.

While his credentials on the mat were impressive enough, his work in the classroom is even more so. Bonanno is one of just two Pride wrestlers to earn four National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team honors during his career. His academic excellence earned him two CAA Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, two Capital One-College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District At-Large first team honors, and two Capital One-CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large awards. That at-large category is the most difficult to earn honors as student-athletes from as many as nine sports are included in the balloting.

Jay Card (men's lacrosse)
A key player on four Hofstra Men's Lacrosse teams which earned NCAA Championship bids from 2008 through 2011, Jay Card is, without question, one of the top Pride players in Hofstra history. The team season leader in goals and points three times and assists twice, Card accumulated 122 goals and 61 assists for 183 points during his four-year career in Hempstead. Card recorded career-highs of 35 goals in 2009, and 22 assists and 53 points in 2010. He ranks second in career goals and fifth in career points.

His excellence on the field throughout his career earned him three USILA All-America Honorable Mention honors and four All-Colonial Athletic Association awards including three first team honors from 2009 through 2011. Card also earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors in 2008, and the CAA Player of the Year Award in 2009. He also earned an invitation to the 2011 USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game.

Jack Concannon (men's lacrosse)
One of just 44 Hofstra student-athletes to earn United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-America first, second or third team honors, Jack Concannon enjoyed an outstanding college career that has evolved into the professional ranks as well. A two-time All-American, he earned second team honors in 2017 and third team honors in 2018. Concannon was also a three-time All-CAA first team selection and a two-time All-ECAC selection.

As a senior, Concannon posted a 7.81 goals against average to lead the CAA and finish fifth in the nation, made 142 saves, and posted a .566 save percentage to finish first in the CAA and eighth in the country. He was also named to the 2018 CAA Championship All-Tournament team after recording a career-high and a CAA Championship Tournament-record 22 saves in the CAA semifinals against UMass. In his Hofstra career, Concannon played in 47 games and started 45 and recorded an 8.43 goals against average with 481 saves and a .564 save percentage. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2018 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft and is currently a standout goalie in the Premier Lacrosse League.

Shaun Foster (men's soccer)
Shaun Foster, a 2013 graduate of the men's soccer program, is one of just four All-Americans in program history after earning third team accolades from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in 2012. A three-year member of the Pride, Foster was a three-time Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year, earning the award from 2010 to 2012. He also was an All-CAA First Team selection in each of his three seasons and was the league's rookie of the year in 2010. Foster, who was a finalist for the MAC Hermann Award in 2012, also earned NSCAA All-Region honors in each of his three years including a pair of first team selections in 2011 and 2012.

While known for his defensive prowess, Foster contributed on the offensive end as well. The Southport, England, native recorded nine goals and three assists for 21 points during his tenure with four game-winning goals. His best offensive season came in 2011 when he posted five goals and one assist for 11 points to rank second on the team. Foster, who started 54 games over his three years, graduated from Hofstra in December 2014 with a degree in rhetoric and is currently an assistant coach on the Pride staff. 

Claudia Marin-Samper (field hockey)
Claudia Marin Samper enjoyed one of the finest careers in Hofstra Field Hockey history from 2013 through 2016. Her name is included all over the Hofstra Field Hockey Record Book. Marin-Samper holds the second (54 in 2015) and fourth (49 in 2016) places on the Hofstra single season points list, second (16 in 2015) and third (13 in 2016) in single season assists, and fifth (19 in 2015) and seventh (18 in 2016) in single season goals. As a result, she is Hofstra's all-time career points (151) and assists (39) leader, and is second in goals with 56 just one goal behind the all-time leader Genna Kovar.

Marin-Samper is one of just seven National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-American recipients in school history. She was named to the NFHCA All-America third team in 2015. Marin Samper is also a three-time NFHCA All-Mideast Region selection and a three-time All-CAA first team selection. If that wasn't enough, she is also a four-time NFHCA National Academic Squad member.

Laura Masciullo (volleyball)
The first-ever four-time All-Colonial Athletic Association first team honoree in program history, Laura Masciullo put together an impressive career as she totaled 1,739 kills, 652 digs, 223 blocks, 82 service aces, and 40 assists. She ranks second all-time at Hofstra in kills and sixth all-time in CAA history in that category. 

She had her finest year as a junior as she compiled 466 kills in leading Hofstra to the 2018 NCAA Tournament as she was named the CAA Championship Most Outstanding Performer. Also the 2016 CAA Rookie of the Year, she earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors three times during her spectacular career. In each of her final three seasons in a Pride uniform she compiled at least 400 kills and following her senior season she became only the fourth volleyball student-athlete to ever be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team (and the 27th Pride student-athlete ever). 

Sam Scolarici (women's soccer)
Sam Scolarici played on the Hofstra women's soccer team from 2011-2014. Scolarici collected several accolades during her time at Hofstra, as she was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association First Team in 2013 and 2014, while earning NSCAA All-Region honors in 2014. In addition, Scolarici was named to the NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches Scholar-All America Team in 2013.
 
To this date, Scolarici is at or near the top of the Hofstra record books in several categories. She is the all-time leading scorer in Hofstra program history with 50 career goals and is second with 108 career points. Scolarici also holds the single-season record with 18 goals scored in a single season (2013), and nearly matched that record a year later with 17 goals in 2014. In addition, Scolarici is in the top-five for points in a single season twice, as she notched 38 points in 2013 and added 37 points in 2014. 

Tessa Ziemba (softball)
Tessa Ziemba was a standout on the Hofstra Softball team from 2010-13. Ziemba was a member of three NCAA Tournament Teams (2010, 2012, 2013), highlighted by an NCAA super regional appearance during her junior year (2012). As an outfielder, Ziemba was an All-CAA and All-Northeast Region selection during all four years she spent at Hofstra.
 
Ziemba's name can be seen throughout the Hofstra record book, as she is currently tied for first in program history with 180 career runs batted in. In addition, her 39 career home runs are tied for second in program history, and also ranks top-10 in the career record books in games played (219), at bats (701), batting average (.330), runs scored (148) total hits (231), doubles (45), and walks (78). 

SCHEDULE
December 16: Honorable Mention List of 10
December 17: #10
December 18: #9
December 19: #8
December 20: #7
December 23: #6
December 24: #5
December 26: #4
December 27: #3
December 30: #2
December 31: #1