On Wednesday night, the Clarkson University Athletic Department held its annual Athletic Awards Ceremony, handing out numerous year-end awards to recognize the accomplishments of many student-athletes and several outstanding teams.
View Photo Slide Show
Winning the Ed Sayer Memorial Award, an honor that recognizes the individual who exhibits compassion for their teammates, an indelible work ethic, a passion for their sport, and an appreciation of the intricacies and importance of teamwork, was Clarkson Women’s Hockey player Carlee Eusepi (Oakville, ONT). As an assistant captain of the women’s hockey team, Eusepi was an ECAC Hockey Second-Team All-Star and was named Best Defensive Defenseman of the Year with a +22 rating. She posted a 3.2 GPA while studying communications, business and psychology. A member and officer of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Eusepi also helped coordinate the women’s hockey team’s participation in Big Brothers/Big Sisters, as well as a Reading and Learn to Skate program at Potsdam Elementary. Additionally, she has worked with a U-12 Postdam Youth Hockey team as a volunteer coach and she also helped raise over $26,000 as Super Heroes in the fight against cancer in Relay For Life.
The Male Athlete of the Year Award went to Clarkson University Baseball team member David Kinney (Mexico, NY). Just a sophomore, Kinney has enjoyed a breakout season offensively for the Golden Knights. He ranks among the national leaders in six different categories and is hitting .434 with a .724 slugging percentage, plus an on-base percentage of over .500. He leads the team in hits (33), home runs (5), runs batted in (20), and total bases (55) through only 22 games this season.
Kinney’s counterpart as the winner of the Female Athlete of the Year was senior Jenna Stock (Johnstown, NY) of the volleyball team. Stock was named a Liberty League First-Team All-Star for the second time in three seasons, and also gained AVCA All-Region All-Star notice, leading the team to its first-ever NCAA appearance in 2009. Stock became the first player in Clarkson history to amass 1,000 assists, 1,000 digs, and 500 kills, and became Clarkson’s all-time leader in assists, recording more than 3,500 in her career. She ranks first all-time in assists, second all-time in aces, and fifth all-time in digs at Clarkson.
First-year standouts Bryan Chudy (Goshen, NY) and Alyssa Cristaldi (North Syracuse, NY) were picked as Clarkson’s Male and Female Rookie of the Years. Chudy, a two-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week, ranks in the top 10 in the conference in earned run average with a mark of 2.83, the lowest figure by a freshman at Clarkson since 2004. He threw a one-hitter against Skidmore three weeks ago and ranks second in the conference in complete games. He also leads the nation in runners picked off with seven, which is four more than other pitcher in the Liberty League. Cristaldi has been equally impressive in her first collegiate season, setting a single-season record at Clarkson for points (63), while tying for assists (21), and scoring 42 goals, becoming only the fourth player to top 40 in a season. She has gained Liberty League Weekly notice on three occasions and ranks in the top 50 in the country in points, points per game, assists, and assists per game.
Picking up the Male and Female Scholar Athlete awards were junior baseball player David Goerold (Clifton Park, NY) and senior women’s basketball player Casey Laush (Jericho, VT). Goerold owns a flawless 4.00 grade-point average in financial information analysis and has excelled on the field this year as well. He ranks 51st in the country in earned run average and leads the Liberty League in complete games (4) and shutouts (2). Laush, a two-time captain for the women’s basketball team, has accumulated a 3.944 grade-point average in civil engineering and has gained numerous academic awards over the years at Clarkson, including Female Scholar Athlete in 2009.
Gaining the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee awards were Carlee Eusepi, Kimberly Loucks (Waterloo, NY), Tyler Mokay (Liverpool, NY), and Stephanie Seward (Pembroke, NY). All participated in S.A.A.C. over the years as officers and have helped form the organization into the impressive group that it is today. The Team S.A.A.C. award went to the Clarkson University Women’s Lacrosse team. Thanks to a solid representation in S.A.A.C., the women’s lacrosse program has been a frequent contributor to many of the organization’s gatherings and outreach programs.
