UDAA Warner & Taylor Award Winners
The 2024 recipients of the Emalea Pusey Warner and Alexander J. Taylor Awards for Outstanding Seniors are Allie G. Rebuck and Emilie J. Delaye.
Presented annually, the Warner and Taylor awards recognize seniors who demonstrate leadership, academic success and community service. Students must also have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better at the end of the first semester of senior year.
Read more about Allie and Emilie
High Index Senior
Katherine Snyder has earned the highest grade-point index for the Class of 2024 for a combination of a 4.0 GPA with the highest number of earned hours taken in residence. Snyder graduated with a honors bachelors of music degree in instrumental music education and a minor in spanish.
The High Index Senior award recognizes the graduating senior who has achieved the highest grade-point index, earned in full-time study toward a degree, which combines GPA with the highest number of earned hours taken in residence at UD. To be eligible for this award, students must earn at least 90 credits. Blue Hens earning a single degree must complete their program in four years, and students pursuing multiple, simultaneous degrees must complete their studies in five years or less.
Joseph V. Flacco
A UD alumnus with a degree in accounting, Joseph Vincent Flacco has spent his career as a National Football League quarterback.
In 2008, he was a first-round NFL draft pick (18th overall; still the highest recruit from Delaware) by the Baltimore Ravens. He led the team to the six playoffs, three AFC championships, and the Super Bowl XLVII title in 2012, when he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Flacco has since played for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. Read More »
Signed to the Cleveland Browns' practice squad in November 2023, the Blue Hen quickly found himself as the starter. His 1,616 passing yards and 13 touchdowns are both the most in NFL history by a quarterback who made his debut in the final six games of a season. Flacco's 323.2 passing yards per game led the league in 2023, and he became the first quarterback in Browns history to have 300-plus passing yards in four straight games. After leading the team to a playoff berth, Flacco won the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year.
In March 2024, he was named a quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.
At Delaware, Flacco set 20 school records, including yards passed in a single season (4,263 in 2007) and career completions (595).
He still recalls the acclaimed matchup against Navy, where he threw for 434 yards, and the five-overtime game against Richmond, which UD ultimately lost, but which still stands out in Flacco’s mind as one of the most memorable games he’s ever played.
In 2018, he and his wife, Dana, made a significant gift to UD Athletics to support the University’s Whitney Athletics Center, a one-stop facility for all 600-plus student-athletes in all 21 D1 sports programs.
“Some of my biggest memories at UD were playing in the stadium and having 22,000 people excited about winning football games,” he said in a 2021 UD Magazine profile. “I remember how cool it was to play there and how passionate the people were, and I want all the players coming through to have the same experience I had.”Show Less