Garden City, N.Y. - A set of captains for their respective programs, Adelphi's Jackie Brown, Jack Ryan and Gordon Purdie, Jr. were named recipients of the 2020-21 Panther Leadership Award, in a social media reveal last Wednesday night.

The Panther Leadership Award is presented annually to a deserving male and female student-athlete, who exhibits leadership, both on and off the field, and fully encompasses what it means to be a Panther.

Brown, a member of the Adelphi SAAC E-Board and NE10 SAAC Female Co-Vice Chair, earns the honor for the second time in as many years.

"It is truly an honor to receive the Female Panther Leadership Award for the second-straight year," Brown said. "I know this year was one like no other, but it was great to see that -- even during these hard times -- we found a way to represent the Brown and Gold of Adelphi University."

Although her team was unable to take the field this fall, Brown supported her fellow Panthers this spring and prepared for the nearing 2021 field hockey season, in which Adelphi will look to build on a historic 14-5 campaign from 2019.

"I know all of our (the team's) hearts broke when we found out we couldn't compete this year, but we took this opportunity to put in the work, improve our skills and become closer as a team. I'm extremely excited to see what the fall season holds for us and am happy to be taking my extra year along some of my fellow senior teammates to represent Adelphi field hockey one last time."

As SAAC President, Brown coordinated efforts to raise funds this year for Island Harvest and Make-A-Wish Foundation. She also serves on the department's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and co-chairs Adelphi's SAAC Community Service Sub-Committee.

On the diamond, Ryan was the embodiment of leadership for the Adelphi baseball team, which turned its season around following a 4-7 start and captured a second-straight NE10 Southwest Division regular-season championship.

Behind a year that saw him set career-highs in every offensive category, Ryan collected his first-ever NE10 All-Conference citation with a third-team spot. He also earned selection to the NE10 All-Championship Team, after driving in five runs in the team's six postseason contests and helping lead the Panthers to their first NE10 Championship final appearance since 2014.

Additionally, Ryan threw out the second-most base stealers (8) in the conference in his 21 starts at catcher and posted an exceptional .991 fielding percentage, which included 11 starts at first base.

"Being a Panther for four years and seeing athletes who have come before me and won this award, it's truly an honor to be thought of in the same category as them," Ryan stated. "This year, we had a really special group of guys. To overcome the adversity that we did and end up in the NE10 Championship is truly impressive. It was an honor to take the field with them each and every single day."

One of the Top 10 all-time leading scorers in Division II men's lacrosse history at Adelphi, Purdie, Jr. scored the third-most goals (13) on the team in 2021 and averaged 2.6 points per game, en route to claiming NE10 All-Conference third-team honors.

A six-year member of the men's lacrosse program from 2016-21, he was a three-year team captain, two-time SAAC President and ranks sixth all-time at Adelphi in career assists (91) and seventh in career scoring with 185 points (94 goals, 91 assists).

"As President of our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee E-Board, this award means so much to me because I was able to make an impact on campus and be a voice for student-athletes from all teams," Purdie,Jr. explained.

"Adelphi University gave me the opportunity to follow my dreams, both athletically and academically. Since I was a little boy, it was always a dream of mine to play lacrosse at Adelphi and receive such an amazing education that Adelphi has to offer."