view slide show
Senior Tom Manzo (Liverpool, NY) won both the Individual S.A.A.C Award and the Ed Sayer Memorial Award, highlighting the selections at the annual Clarkson University Athletic Banquet on Friday night at Alumni Gymnasium.
Manzo, a standout swimmer for four years at Clarkson, won the Individual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.) Award for his continued service on the vital student-run organization. Manzo has served as both the Clarkson University SAAC President and as the SAAC Conference Vice Chair. He exemplifies the true meaning of student-athlete and has been a major contributor with community service events and athletes supporting athletes.
Manzo also took home the Ed Sayer 
Memorial Award, an award that remembers former swimmer Ed Sayer, who passed away after a long and valiant battle against cystic fibrosis. The award recognizes individuals that exemplify Ed’s spirit in exhibiting compassion for teammates, his indelible work ethic, his passion for sport, and an appreciation of the intricacies and importance of teamwork. Manzo exceeded all the criteria for the Ed Sayer Memorial Award. His passion for the sport of swimming, his leadership, and his unbelievable work ethic are second to none. During his 
time on the SAAC, Manzo set up the 5K-run to benefit Cystic Fibrosis and established the current program for special Olympics.
Additionally, senior Alicia Chace (Cortland, NY) won the Female Athlete of the Year Award for her three-sport performance over the past four seasons, and senior Kurt Naser (Arlington, MA) of the alpine ski team and Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) of the men's basketball team shared the Male Athlete of the Year honor.
Chace will finish out her collegiate career on Sunday as the only female to ever compete in three varsity sports for all four years at Clarkson University. Chace was an all-conference performer in both soccer and lacrosse in her career and she showed remarkable improvement in basketball this season, serving as the team's starting point guard for the majority of the campaign. She was captain of the soccer team,
voted MVP by her peers, and was named a Liberty League All-Star this past fall. As the lone senior in baskeball, she stepped up her game from being mostly a defensive stopper her first three seasons to one of the top scorers and rebounders on the team, with a selection as Liberty League Guard of the Week. In lacrosse, she is just a few points shy of becoming the school's second all-time leading scorer despite only playing the game occasionally before coming to Clarkson, proving her superior athleticism.
Naser, a senior on the men's alpine ski team, dominated the USCSA Adirondack League. He won the individual championship at the Mideast Regionals and in the Adirondack Division prior to his second consecutive selection as a USCSA All-American at Sunday River, ME, in March. He was the top performer at the USCSA Nationals, leading the Golden Knights to a seventh-place finish at the championships.
Pickering, a junior forward on the men’s basketball team, was a three-time Liberty League Forward of the Week and took that honor in stride in becoming a Liberty League Second-Team All-Star. An impressive return from a shoulder injury late in the season sparked the Golden Knights to their first-ever Liberty League Tournament Championship and NCAA appearance. Pickering set the single-season block record at Clarkson this year with 51 and ranked among the league leaders in scoring, 
rebounding, and field-goal percentage. Three newcomers took home the Rookie of the Year awards. Once again, a pair shared the Male Rookie of the Year award as men's soccer player Scott Desmond (Enfield, CT) and Mike Perkins (Baldwinsville, NY) of the men's lacrosse team tied for the selection, while Alison Schroeder (Webster, NY) of the volleyball squad won the Female Rookie of the Year award.
Scott Desmond was twice voted Liberty League Rookie of the Week during the 2007 season and he scored the game-winning goal against 
then-15th ranked Geneseo. Desmond was named Liberty League Rookie of the Year in the conference and he was additionally selected as a Liberty League All-Star Honorable Mention.
Mike Perkins is a defenseman for the 17th-ranked men's lacrosse team at Clarkson, and he has been instrumental in the staunch defensive effort displayed thus far by the Golden Knights. With the fifth-toughest schedule in the nation, the Knights have still compiled an 8-3 record through 11 games and have the inside track to host a Liberty League playoff contest next weekend.
Alison Schroeder was a vital cog in the volleyball team’s turn around this past season. She earned three all-tournament selections during the 2007 campaign and beat the single season digs record by nearly 100, compiling over 792 through 40 matches. This type of play earned her Honorable Mention for the New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletic Association and a spot on the Liberty League All-Star Second-Team.
The Female Scholar Athlete of the Year award went to senior swimmer Kristen Larsen (Fort Edward, NY). While majoring in Biomolecular Science with a Pre-Physical Therapy concentration, Kristen has maintained a 3.943 grade point average. Her hard work was not
restricted to the classroom, as Larsen broke school records in the 100-meter and 200-meter breast stroke events at the NYSWCAA meet in February.
The Male Scholar Athlete of the Year award was given to junior golfer Ryan Swanson (Rochester, NY). Ryan boasts a 3.962 grade point average, majoring in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Math. He has been named to the Liberty League All-Academic Team each of the years he has 
been eligible, and this past fall Swanson came in an seventh place at the Liberty League Championship.
Finally, the women's cross country team claimed the Team GPA Award, maintaining a ridiculous 3.826 cumulative grade point average.
