UPDATED: May 6, 2017 at 4:44 p.m.

At the end of every sports season, there’s an award ceremony. With the Syracuse academic year coming to a close, The Daily Orange sports staff wanted to hand out its own awards, decided on by the readers.

There will be five categories to vote on: Best Transfer, Best Team, Best Moment, Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. One poll will be sent out every day on Twitter (@DOsports) and will be open for 24 hours, giving readers a full day to vote and pick the winner. The Daily Orange sports staff considered multiple options for each category before settling on the four in each poll.

Here are the nominees for Best Moment:

Jessica Sheldon | Staff Photographer

Jim Boeheim’s 1,000th* victory 

As part of NCAA sanctions levied on Syracuse in 2015, men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim had 101 wins vacated. But while the record book reflected the vacated wins, the fans didn’t share the same sentiment. Boeheim walked off the court waving to the crowd after the 66-62 upset victory over then-No. 9 Virginia. At his postgame press conference, he said, “I know how many wins I’ve had. I’m very proud of that. Very proud.”

Jeff Anderson | Staff Photographer

Women’s basketball breaks attendance record

Syracuse Athletics and the women’s basketball team had a goal leading up to the matchup with then-No. 7 Notre Dame. The Orange wanted to break the attendance record and get 5,000 fans to the Carrier Dome. SU announced a partnership with 13 local companies, each one offering group ticket discounts. The end result was an announced attendance of 11,021, shattering the old mark in one of the program’s biggest-ever games.

Jessica Sheldon | Staff Photographer

*Winner* Men’s basketball upsets Duke at the buzzer

Over 30,000 people packed the Carrier Dome for the late-season matchup against then-No. 10 Duke. The game came down to the wire and was tied at 75 with 30 seconds to go. Duke’s Luke Kennard tried to shoot a foul-line jumper over SU point guard John Gillon, but missed. After some time was spent passing the ball in the backcourt, Gillon got the ball, darted up the court and banked in a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer to win the game. Fans stormed the court after the win.

Jordan Phelps | Staff Photographer

Sydney O’Hara hits four home runs in one game

On March 10 against North Carolina State, the SU senior smacked four home runs in an 11-5 victory. The four home runs tied an NCAA record and the eight RBIs that came with it were a new single-game record for SU. She also was named the espnW Player of the Week, the first Orange player to win that award.

Published on May 5, 2017 at 3:59 pm