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SCHENECTADY, NY -- The 2010 Union Athletics Senior Appreciation Dinner recognized the achievements of 96 seniors and other individuals Thursday night, May 20 at College Park. In addition, 14 outstanding student-athletes received the traditional and historic department awards.
It was another memorable athletic season for Union Athletics, featuring 173 all-academic league selections (including Liberty League and ECAC Hockey), two Academic All-Americans, 56 league all-stars, an ECAC tournament championship, six league Players of the Year, and three league Coaching Staffs of the Year. In addition, Union had a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy (for the top player in Division III), four performers in national all star games, and five Academic All-District honorees.
Director of Athletics
Jim McLaughlin '93 provided a review of the athletic year as well as his thoughts about the students with their work in the community and classroom. Union President Stephen C. Ainlay presented the Presidential Award of Academic Achievement to
John Houghton, the Head Coach of the Women's Cross Country team that recorded a team grade point average of 3.52. The master of ceremonies for the event was Kierre Daniels, who provides public address announcing services at a variety of Union athletic events.
The first award of the evening was presented to
Gary Reynolds. Reynolds took over as the Interim Head Baseball Coach late in the season and also serves as the Associate Head Football Coach. He has served Union Athletics for 27 years as a coach, mentor and friend.
The seniors who spoke on behalf of their classmates were
Mario Valery-Trabucco from men's ice hockey,
Allison Cuozzo from women's soccer and women's lacrosse,
Leah Robison from women's crew,
Tim Schwarz from men's lacrosse, and
John Peters from football. Each of these seniors received awards during the evening, and you can learn more about their honors and the other recipients in the following capsule summaries.
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SENIOR SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
John Peters (Football)
~ Has a 3.90 GPA in Biology
~ One of four national finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy, the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for the top football player D-III
~ One of two students to receive the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American honors
~ A Liberty League First Team All Star also was an All-Region selection and played in the Senior Bowl All- Star Game
~ Finished with 121 tackles, the second most in a season in Union history
~ Serves as a tutor for the Academic Opportunity Program at Union, and also was presented with the Presidential Scholarship
~ One of four students nominated for the Goldwater Scholarship
~ Awarded the Davenport Summer Research Fellowship to conduct organic chemistry research off campus
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AWARD FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Tim Schwarz (Men's Lacrosse)
~ Member of the Delta Phi Alpha German Society and a member of the Union College Scholars Program
~ Volunteer at the Joan Nicole Prince Home, assisting end-of-life, terminally ill patients with less than three months to live who have limited financial and family support
~ Instrumental in the team's bone marrow donation efforts, and prior to the season returned from a term abroad in Australia and New Zealan
~ Leadership helped lead the team to only its third season of 10 or more victories since the 1976 season
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AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Leah Robison (Women's Crew)
~ A 3.9 GPA in Neuroscience
~ Her senior thesis is on Enzyme Regulation in an Organisms Life Cycle in the Biology Department
~ Received the Obenzinger Scholarship for pre-medical students
~ Started an Alzheimer's care team on campus, and has been accepted into the SUNY Upstate Medical University and Albany Medical University for the fall of 2010
~ On the water, she was a key member of the crew team that finished third in the states during her career
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ROBERT M. RIDINGS AWARD
Allison Cuozzo (Women's Soccer & Women's Lacrosse)
~ A 3.46 GPA in Spanish
~ Received a female athlete honor at this event in each of her four seasons
~ Student Athlete Advisory Committee President
~ Named the Liberty League Soccer Player of the Year and also a first team all-region performer
~ She was one of two athletes named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American team
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WILLIAM B. JAFFE '26 AWARD
Mario Valery-Trabucco (Men's Ice Hockey)
~ Named the team's Most Valuable Player and helped lead the team to the best season in Union's ECAC Hockey and Division I history
~ Led the team in scoring, producing a program record 45 points with 23 goals
~ Selected to the First Team for InsideCollegeHockey.com and Second Team for ECAC Hockey
~ Was a three-time ECAC Hockey Player of the Week and was also a national player of the wee
~ He was also the top vote getter by online fan voting for the Hobey Baker Award for the nation's top Division I men's hockey player
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JUNIOR SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Stéphane Boileau (Men's Ice Hockey)
~ A 3.88 GPA in Neuroscience and a finalist for the ECAC Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year Award
~ Part of Union's Health Professions Program that provides activities related to Health Care in the United States, and also serves as a tutor in the French Departmen
~ Received the team's Thomas VanArden Dukehart Award, presented to the player with the highest GPA on the team
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WILLIAM A. PIKE AWARD
Chris Coney (Football)
~ With 1,164 rushing yards, he is only the second player ever at Union with two 1,000 rushing seasons
~ A first team Liberty League all star who led the league in touchdowns and average per rush
~ Now ranks fourth in career yards at Union and was 20th in NCAA Division III rushing in 2009
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ECAC MEDAL OF MERIT
Bridget Little (Volleyball)
~ Member of the Liberty League All-Academic Team with a 3.80 GPA in Mechanical Engineering
~ Was one of four Union students named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine All-District Team
~ Tied for the league lead in blocks per game and had 129 total blocks for the season
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SOPHOMORE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Kelsey MacElroy (Field Hockey)
~ A 3.56 GPA in Political Science and was a key defender for the Dutchwomen
~ Received the Union College Presidential Scholarship
~ Received an award for the Outstanding Position Paper at the Distinguished Delegation Awards at the United Nations in New York
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HAROLD R. MOORE SOPHOMORE ATHLETIC PRIZE
Sean Aaron (Men's Lacrosse)
~ Led all of NCAA Division III in goals against average and save percentage
~ Tied the school record for wins in a season by a goaltender with 11
~ Finished with a 5.69 Goals against average and is a strong All-American candidate
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FEMALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Nina Cervini (Softball)
~ Won the Liberty League Championship with a walk-off, three run home run over RPI
~ Named the league tournament MVP
~ Batted .392 with 42 RBIs and four home runs, leading team in five offensive categories
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FRESHMAN SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Keven Donohue (Men's Basketball)
~ Two weekly player honors in the league, and was sixth in league scoring
~ Named the team's Most Improved Player and was a key component of the team's late season run into the league playoffs
~ Selected the William Grant Academic Achievement Award winners with a 3.63 GPA
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FRESHMAN ATHLETIC PRIZE
Sebastiaan Jansen (Men's Soccer)
~ Named both the ECAC and Liberty League Men's Soccer Rookies of the Year
~ Named to the NCSAA All-East Region Team and a First Team Liberty League All-Sta
~ Led Union in scoring with six goals and six assists for 18 points
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TERRY LYNCH-JACKIE HAVERCAMP CUTTITA AWARD
Alana Marcinko (Women's Ice Hockey)
~ Recorded the most shutouts for a season in the program's history (3)
~ Was named the ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Week in January
~ She was the team's community service leader, with numerous events including Pink at the Rink, Adopt a Family and the work with the Boys & Girls Club
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ATHLETICS APPERCIATION AWARD
Gary Reynolds
~ Took over as Interim Head Baseball Coach late in the season
~ Also serves as Associate Head Football Coac
~ Has served Union for 27 years as a coach, mentor and friend
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