Just a week before final exams begin, the Clarkson University Athletic Department took the time to honor its student-athletes at the 12th-annual Athletic Awards Ceremony where all 20 offerings were recognized for another outstanding year.Slide show of 2013-14 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 hockey player Vanessa Gagnon (St. Constant, QUE). A four-year member of the women's hockey team, Gagnon played a key role in the Golden Knights on-the-ice and off-the-ice success. Selected for numerous awards this year, including the Elite 89 winner for the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average at the Frozen Four, ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Forward, and the ECAC Scholar Athlete of the Year, Gagnon is currently enrolled in the MBA and was an ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District winner in 2012-13. She has helped organize the Lil' Knights Club outings and has organized a partnership with Helping Hands in the community. Additionally, she has been a part of or spearheaded numerous philanthrophic endeavors in the community.
Senior Jamie Lee Rattray (Kanata, ONT) added to her already packed trophy case with her selection as the Clarkson Female Athlete of the Year. Rattray led the country with 66 points and was second in the nation in goals with 29, but more importantly she was picked as an ECAC Hockey First-Team All-Star, ECAC Hockey Player of the Year, USCHO.com Player of the Year, CMM First-Team All-American, the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team, NCAA Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player, and the Patty Kazmaier National Player of the Year award winner. The Golden Knights won the NCAA Division I National Championship in women's hockey, and Rattray finished as the team's all-time leader in points with 181.
Sharing the honor as the Clarkson Male Athlete of the Year award, junior Tyler Cline (Tuxedo, NY) and junior John Coleman (Potsdam, NY) each gained notice. Cline finished second among 49 golfers at the Liberty League Qualifier this past fall, shooting a five-under par 139 in the two-day event, including a torrid round of six-under on the second day with a 66. In the fall he averaged just a stroke over par per round at 73.3 strokes per round. As for Coleman, he broke a single-season record at Clarkson for field goals made and also set the career record as a junior. He scored 512 points this season, the third most in a single-season in over 100 years of Clarkson basketball history, tied the record for most steals in a season, and already ranks eighth all-time in scoring and is 11th in rebounding. For the baseball team, he leads the team in several offensive categories and has made only four errors at shortstop through 22 games. Winning the Male Rookie of the Year award was Steve Perry (Ligonier, PA) of the men's hockey team. Perry started the final five games of the season, all post-season contests, and ranked second in the country in shutouts among freshman. He played in 24 games overall this past year and finished eighth in the nation in goals-against average with a mark of 2.05 and posted a .917 save percentage. His four shutouts in ECAC Hockey ranked third in the conference despite not playing the entire season as the starting goalie. As the Female Rookie of the Year, Paige Fayette (Theresa, NY) currently leads the women's lacrosse team in total points with 53 and goals with 39, ranking seventh in the conference in points at 3.53 per game and sixth in the league in goals at 2.6 per game. Additionally, she ranks second on the team in groundballs and is a two time Liberty League Rookie of the Week.
For the second straight year, the Male and Female Scholar Athlete of the Year awards went to Matt Zarbo (Grand Island, NY), a senior from the Clarkson Men's Hockey team, and Erica Chin (Katy, TX), a senior from the Clarkson Volleyball team. Zarbo has a 3.935 grade-point average in Civil Engineering through seven semesters and was chosen as the ECAC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2012-13, plus he was named a Second-Team Senior CLASS Award winner. Chin, who has a 3.813 grade-point average as a double major in Chemical Engineering and Engineering & Management, helped Clarkson reach the NCAA Elite 8 for the second straight year and was picked as an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention and a Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American. The Team GPA award went to the Clarkson Women's Nordic Ski team, which has a cumulative GPA of 3.529. The Team S.A.A.C. award went to the Clarkson Women's Lacrosse team for the fifth straight year.
