Garden City, N.Y. - A pair of elected members to the SAAC Executive Board for 2024-25, Adelphi University rising senior athletes Matthew Wenz and Delaney Kiendra were named the school's Panther Leadership Award winners for the 2023-24 academic year.

The Panther Leadership Award is awarded annually to both a male and female candidate who -- in the opinion of the athletic department -- exercise their will as leaders for both of their respective programs, both on and off the playing surface.

A couple of 'Cats devoted to the betterment of their community, Wenz will serve the University's almost 400 student-athletes next year as SAAC Co-President, and Kiendra as SAAC's co-lead representative for community service.

"I want to thank all those who voted for me for this award, and am truly honored to receive it," said Wenz. "Being a leader is more than just a title or an award. It's doing right by those around you. I've tried to be a selfless, supportive and understanding person, and Adelphi has allowed me to surround myself with leaders I can look up to and enhance my experience as a student-athlete."

Wenz served his fellow Panthers in multiple different capacities in 2023-24. In addition to being labeled a gold-medal decathlete at this year's NE10 Championship, Wenz, already a full-time track and field student-athlete, has dedicated countless hours as a loyal student worker within the department's event management and sports information offices since arriving at Adelphi.

Tasked with supervising fellow student workers and authoring stories for the department's athletic website, Wenz still manages to maintain a 3.271 cumulative grade-point average as a Communications major.

While also co-chairing SAAC's Community Service Sub-Committee, Wenz helped to establish the first-ever SAAC Awards. A Most Improved Award and Community Service Award were presented by the Executive Board at this year's awards ceremony.

Kiendra overcame a season-ending injury last preseason to help lead the Adelphi volleyball team to its first NE10 regular-season championship since 2015. The 'Cats were ultimately awarded the East Region's No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

As one of Adelphi's lead swingers out of the middle, Kiendra .273 hitting percentage, not to overlook a 3.937 cumulative GPA as a Management major, placed her among the Top 10 leaders in the NE10 in that category.

Off the court, Kiendra serves in an array of on-campus roles, lending a hand as an event assistant to the University's admissions office, a health and wellness peer educator, and as a volunteer to Adelphi's Human Resource Society.

"Being at Adelphi these past few years has been a rewarding experience. I want to thank my family and friends for always teaching me to lead with my heart, my amazing coaching staff for showing me what true leadership looks like and most importantly, my teammates who have been there for me every step of the way, and encouraging me to always be the best version of myself. I truly found my home away from home here within the [athletic] department," Kiendra said.

More information on our 2023-24 year-end award winners is forthcoming this week. Stay tuned to AUPanthers.com for updates.