Canisius College men's soccer player Alan McGreal (Dublin, Ireland) and softball player Katie Miranto (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) have been named the Federated Insurance Male and Female Athletes of the Year at the athletic department's annual awards ceremony, held April 30, in the Montante Cultural Center. The awards were voted on by Canisius student-athletes, coaches, administrators and support staff.
McGreal, a 5-foot-10 sophomore midfielder, led all Canisius players with 33 points on 12 goals and nine assists during the 2007 season. His 33 points in a single season ranks third best in school history and his 1.65 points per game ranked 10th in the country at the Division I level. McGreal started the year as a Preseason All-MAAC choice and closed out the campaign as a first-team All-MAAC selection after he helped the Golden Griffins to a school-record eight wins, with five of those coming in league play, which also set a school record for conference victories in a year. The Griffs advanced to the MAAC Tournament semifinal round for the first time since 1999, where McGreal earned MAAC All-Tournament accolades. He will enter his junior season in the fall ranked eighth in career points (49), tied for seventh in career goals (18) and tied for seventh in career assists (13). His career points per game average of 1.36 is tops in program history among players with 30 career games played.
Miranto, a 5-foot-7 senior infielder, ranks second on the team with her .373 batting average and 53 hits, with six doubles, six triples and a home run. She has scored a league-high 40 runs this season and enters her final regular season weekend tied for the school's all-time runs scored record with 147. She's driven in 25 RBIs this year, which ranks second on the squad and she's one of three Canisius players to have 14-plus stolen bases this season. A two-time MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, Miranto ranks among the top-five in the MAAC in five different offensive categories and as of April 30, she ranks 10th in the nation in triples per game. Entering the Griffs' final four regular season games of the season, Miranto boasts 210 career hits, which leaves her seven shy of breaking the current school record, which has stood for 12 years.
McGreal is the first men's soccer player to receive the Federated Insurance Male Athlete of the Year Award while Miranto joins with former Griff softball player Andrea Bunten as the only softball players to receive the award, which is the highest honor given by the College to an active student-athlete.
