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General April 23, 2013

Clarkson Celebrates Winners of 11th-Annual Athletic Awards Ceremony

2012-13 Clarkson Female and Male Athletes of the Year - Erica Howe and Ryan Cole
Tuesday evening the Clarkson University Athletic Department took the time to honor its student-athletes at the 11th-annual Athletic Awards Ceremony where all 19 offerings were recognized for another outstanding year.

Slide Show of Awards Ceremony

The Ed Sayer Memorial Award, an honor that recognizes an individual that exemplifies the former Clarkson swimmer’s spirit in exhibiting compassion for their teammates, an indelible work ethic, a passion for their sport, and an appreciation of the intricacies and importance of teamwork, went to senior women’s soccer and lacrosse player Katie VanDeValk (Baldwinsville, NY). A four-year starter for both programs, VanDeValk has had an integral role in helping the two programs reach new heights in her athletic career, leading the soccer team to its first winning record in two decades in 2011 and pushing the lacrosse team to its first winning season ever this spring. Additionally, VanDeValk has performed numerable services for the athletic department, including working in the fitness center and as an announcer for both basketball and lacrosse. A member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, VanDeValk helps Clarkson give back to the community in numerous ways and has been a vital part of the women’s lacrosse team that has consistently been at the top of the Champ Life Skills points among Clarkson Athletic teams. She is also on the verge of becoming only the second player ever at Clarkson to record 200 points for the women’s lacrosse team.

Thanks to an historic season for the Clarkson Women’s Hockey team, Erica Howe (Ottawa, ONT) was chosen as the Clarkson Female Athlete of the Year. For the second straight year, Howe was picked as the ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Year and she was also named the ECAC Hockey First-Team Goaltender as well as to the USCHO.com Second-Team. She ranked 10th in the country in goals against average, eighth in save percentage, eighth in winning percentage and third in shutouts with six. The Golden Knights set a record for wins in a season with 28 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four seasons.

Nominated for the third straight year, the Clarkson Male Athlete of the Year award went to Ryan Cole (Orchard Park, NY). A three-time Liberty League All-Star, Cole is the Golden Knights’ all-time leader in saves with 566 and he ranks third all-time at Clarkson in goalkeeper victories. This year he is allowing just eight goals per game with a save percentage above 60 percent while also ranking in the top 50 in the country in saves per game, goals against average and save percentage despite Clarkson playing one of the toughest schedules in the country.

Winning the Male Rookie of the Year award was Felix Abongo (Beacon, NY) of the Clarkson Men’s Basketball team, while the Female Rookie of the Year award was shared by Erin Ambrose (Keswick, ONT) of the Clarkson Women’s Hockey team and Victoria Kirkemo (Englewood, CO) of the Clarkson Volleyball team. The third straight member of the Golden Knights’ basketball team to win the award, Abongo started all but one game as a freshman, finishing fourth on the team in scoring (9.8 points per game) and second in rebounding (5.2 rebounds per game). A unanimous selection to the Liberty League All-Rookie team, Abongo also led the team in blocked shots and ranked second in assists to help the Golden Knights to an overall record of 17-8. Ambrose was chosen as the ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Year for the Golden Knights and also earned an honor as a member of the USCHO.com All-Rookie team. Despite playing on defense, she finished 33rd in the country in points with 36, the second-rated defenseman. Ambrose also played a key part on Clarkson’s stingy defense, helping the Knights reach the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four seasons. Kirkemo was the fourth player in the last five years to be named as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year for the volleyball team and was also named a Liberty League First-Team All-Star and an NCAA New York All-Regional Team member. She ranked second in the conference in total kills and aces and was seventh in the league in digs. The Golden Knights reached the NCAA Elite 8 in 2012 by winning the NCAA New York Regional, posting an overall mark of 31-7 this season.

The Male and Female Scholar Athlete of the Year awards went to Matt Zarbo (Grand Island, NY), a junior from the Clarkson Men’s Hockey team, and Erica Chin (Katy, TX), a junior from the Clarkson Volleyball team. Zarbo has a 3.923 grade-point average in Civil Engineering through five semesters and was chosen as the ECAC Scholar Athlete of the Year, a considerable honor with numerous players coming from the Ivy League. Chin, who has a 3.842 grade-point average as a double major in Chemical Engineering and Engineering & Management, helped Clarkson reach the NCAA Elite 8 in 2012 and was chosen as a Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American for the second straight year. The Team GPA award went to the Clarkson Women’s Nordic Ski team, which has a cumulative GPA of 3.471.

The Individual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee award, an award that recognizes the accomplishments of a Clarkson S.A.A.C. member for community involvement and sportsmanship, went to junior Chris Plummer (Spencerport, NY), a member of the swimming team. The Team S.A.A.C. award went to the Clarkson Women’s Lacrosse team for the fourth straight year.
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