AWARDS PHOTO GALLERY | SENIOR GIFTS PHOTO GALLERY | ALL PHOTOS (FACEBOOK) | FULL CEREMONY VIDEO
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College Department of Athletics held its annual Senior Student-Athlete Awards Ceremony on Friday afternoon at Memorial Chapel, recognizing the achievements of Union's 105 seniors and other friends and contributors to the department. In addition, 27 year-end awards were announced to Union's outstanding student-athletes and staff members.
Director of Athletics
Jim McLaughlin '93 opened the afternoon by reflecting on yet another excellent season on and off the fields for Union's student-athletes, followed by President David R. Harris, who addressed the seniors and also presented the Presidential Award for Academic Achievement to the women's golf team. In addition, women's volleyball senior
Emma Sprotbery spoke on behalf of her classmates.
Seniors and staff members were recognized with some of the department's year-end awards, while all Union senior student-athletes received their Senior Gifts at the event as well. Junior, sophomore and freshman awards were also announced today and the winners will be recognized in the fall.
A full list of 2018-19 award winners are listed below:
Robert M. Ridings Memorial Award
Presented to the senior female athlete for her attitude, ability, participation and achievement in intercollegiate sports.
Nicole Conley (Women's Basketball)
Conley had an excellent senior season in leading the Dutchwomen to a Liberty League Tournament berth, averaging 14.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game while ranking 13th nationally with a conference-best 71 blocks. The senior was named to the All-Liberty League second team and twice earned D3hoops.com Team of the Week honors this year. In four years, she finished second in school history with 175 blocks, 16th with 507 rebounds and 19th with 858 points.
Kelsey Hartsoe (Women's Soccer/Softball)
Hartsoe was a key figure on two teams for the Dutchwomen over her four-year career. As a senior, she was named to the All-Liberty League second team on the soccer field after posting a 1.09 goals against average and .848 save percentage with a career-high 89 saves in 16 starts, while also posting a team-leading .431 batting average as a full-time starter both at shortstop and center field. In four years at Union, she recorded 12 of her 17 wins in goal via shutout and was a career .313 hitter on the softball field.
William B. Jaffe '26 Athletic Award
Presented to the senior male athlete voted by the Athletic Department to be outstanding athlete of the year, taking into account the character and motivation of the individual in addition to athletic excellence.
Jack Reilly (Football)
Reilly was the leader of the Dutchman defensive unit in 2018, earning D3football.com All-America honorable mention and unanimous All-Liberty League first-team recognition with 51 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss as a senior. The linebacker ranked 13th in the country in tackles for loss this season and finished his career with a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown against nationally ranked RPI. In his career, Reilly recorded 19.5 sacks, 51 tackles for loss and 214 total tackles.
Jack Santilli (Men's Lacrosse)
Santilli had a breakout senior season for the Dutchmen, posting a 14-4 record and earning USILA All-America honorable mention with a 7.88 goals against average and .592 save percentage. He finished the year 10th in the country in GAA and 16th in save percentage and also set a new school record for single-season wins by a goalie, while also scoring and earning the win at the USILA Senior All-Star game in May. In 38 career games, Santilli finished with a 17-5 record, an 8.48 goals against average and a .582 save percentage.
Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year Award
For outstanding performance in the classroom, community and playing arena.
Hannah Christian (Field Hockey)
Christian has been a leader on and off the field for the Dutchwomen, serving as team captain as a senior and starting every game for Union during her four-year career. She scored three goals with five assists in her final season, playing multiple positions on the field and contributing wherever she is needed.
She also boasts a 3.74 GPA as a neuroscience major and a four-time NFHCA National Academic Squad honoree and an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction.
Arianna Kosakowski (Women's Hockey)
Kosakowski captained the Dutchwomen as the team's lone senior in 2018-19, leading the team in scoring with four goals and eight assists for 12 points from the blue line. On the ice, she is one of the team's most versatile players who contributed in every situation throughout the season. A French and Francophone Studies major with a 3.85 cumulative GPA, she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa this year and was a finalist for the ECAC Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year award.
Award for Academic Excellence
Presented to a senior athlete for outstanding performance in the classroom.
Thomas Gagliardi (Men's Crew)
Gagliardi is a valedictorian of the 519-person senior class with a 4.00 GPA as a biochemistry major. The four-year member of the crew team was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as a junior and earned the school's Ronald Obenzinger Prize for a pre-med student with high academic merit and personal worthiness. He interned at IBM in computational neuroscience research last summer and wrote a paper, "Canopy structure affects temperature distributions and free convection in moss shoot systems" for the American Journal of Botany in September.
Samantha Miller (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field)
Miller is also a valedictorian of the 519-person senior class with a 4.00 GPA as a visual arts major and mechanical engineering minor. A three-sport athlete for four years at Union and captain of the cross country team as a senior, she earned a prestigious Watson Fellowship for her project, "Poignant Nostalgia: Investigating Architecture Through Abandoned Spaces". Miller, who was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in May and is eligible for Academic All-America honors, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as a junior and earned the Andrew Archibald Prize for Bachelor of Arts as a senior with the highest scholastic standing.
ECAC Medal of Merit
Presented to the junior female athlete for attitude, ability, participation and achievement in intercollegiate sports.
Kerry Kelly (Women's Swimming and Diving)
Kelly had another superb season as a junior, earning a pair of CSCAA All-America honors and capturing three individual titles to win Liberty League Swimmer of the Year honors for the second straight season. She set a school record with a sixth-place in the 400 individual medley to earn All-America first-team laurels at the NCAA Championships, then took 11th in the 200 butterfly to becoming just the third Dutchwoman since 1998 to earn multiple All-America honors in the same season. Her 19 points at the national meet were good enough to place Union 31st and are the most scored by the team since 2007.
William A. Pike '60 Award
Presented to a junior male athlete for attitude, ability, participation and achievement in intercollegiate sports.
Salvador Lopez Jr. (Men's Soccer)
Lopez again led the Dutchmen in scoring as a junior, setting new career highs with 10 goals and four assists for 24 points. He earned All-Liberty League first-team honors and All-ECAC second-team recognition after pacing the conference in goals and tying for first in points in 2018. In his first three seasons, Lopez has 21 goals and nine assists for 51 points as a Dutchman.
Junior Scholar Athlete of the Year Award
For outstanding performance in the classroom, community and playing arena.
Joana Santos (Women's Basketball)
Santos was a standout defensively for Union as a junior, regularly assigned to the opponent's top scorer while still ranking second on the team in assists (49) and finishing second among the team's backcourt in rebounds (68). Off the court, she boasts a 3.80 GPA as a mechanical engineering and has remained on campus during the summer gaining experience in the school's aerogel research lab.
Female Sophomore Athletic Prize
Presented to a sophomore female athlete for attitude, ability participation and achievement in intercollegiate sports.
Megan Brown (Women's Tennis)
Brown finished second among Dutchwomen in total victories as a sophomore, winning a team-leading 11 matches in singles play and adding five doubles wins playing primarily at the second singles and doubles flights. She closed the season strong with four straight singles victories, including three conference wins in a row that gave her a 5-3 mark against Liberty League foes this season.
Harold R. Moore Sophomore Athletic Prize
Presented to a sophomore male athlete for attitude, ability participation and achievement in intercollegiate sports.
Will Bellamy (Football/Baseball)
Bellamy was terrific in his first season as the starter under center, earning All-Liberty League first-team honors after passing for 2,037 yards (226.33 yds/gm) and 22 touchdowns in nine games. The two-time Liberty League Offensive Player of the Week tossed at least two touchdowns in eight of nine outings, including four TDs in a win over #25 Springfield College, and set a school single-game record with 39 completions in a win at the Coast Guard Academy.
Darion Hanson (Men's Hockey)
Hanson started a team-leading 28 games in goal as a sophomore, backstopping Union to a 13-10-5 record in his appearances with a 2.33 goals against average and .919 save percentage. A four-time ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Week and November's ECAC Hockey Goalie of the Month, he was named the Friendship Four Most Valuable Player after making 70 saves against Yale University and Boston University. His three shutouts this year are tied for fourth in the school's D-I single-season list.
Sophomore Scholar Athlete of the Year Award
For outstanding performance in the classroom, community and playing arena.
Amanda Ashmen (Women's Soccer/Track & Field)
Ashmen managed a 3.86 cumulative GPA as a computer engineering major while playing a sport all three seasons for the Dutchwomen. She started five of her 15 appearances on the soccer field this year, scoring three goals to tie for the team lead, while competing in a team-best seven events at the Liberty League Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Outside of competition, she is public relations chair of the Union College Scholars Program and secretary of the Society of Women Engineers.
Ryan Ehrets (Football)
Ehrets had another excellent season on and off the football field as a sophomore. The two-year starting center was named to the All-Liberty League first team in 2018 after not allowing a sack all season, leading an offensive line that conceded only 12 sacks in nine games. A biology major with a 3.85 cumulative GPA, he also was the first Union student-athlete since 2012 to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American as a sophomore.
Terry Lynch-Jackie Havercamp Cuttita Memorial Award
Presented to the freshman female athlete who has shown leadership qualities as well as sportsmanship.
Grace Heiting (Women's Hockey/Lacrosse)
On the ice, Heiting ranked third on the Dutchwomen in scoring as a freshman, scoring a team-leading five goals and adding five assists for 10 points. She capped a three-game scoring streak with her first collegiate goal (the game-winner) against Rochester Institute of Technology, then scored twice (including the game-winner) to beat Dartmouth College. On the lacrosse field, Heiting added three goals and five assists off the bench in 13 games.
Freshman Athletic Prize
Presented to a freshman male athlete for attitude, ability, participation and achievement in intercollegiate sports.
Ioannis Binopoulos (Men's Tennis)
Binopoulos earned All-Liberty League recognition in both singles and doubles in his first collegiate season, winning a team-best 22 matches on the year. He won eight matches after stepping into the first-singles slot as a freshman, and also won the most doubles matches by a Dutchman since at least 2006 with a 14-9 mark.
Andre Ross Jr. (Football)
Ross made an immediate impact on the gridiron, earning ECAC Div. III Offensive Rookie of the Year and Liberty League Rookie of the Year honors after catching 57 passes for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman. He led all NCAA freshmen (in all Divisions) in receiving yards per game (103.2/gm) and receiving touchdowns, while also ranking second and fourth in single-season touchdowns and receiving yards, respectively, in the Union record books.
Freshman Scholar Athlete of the Year Award
For outstanding performance in the classroom, community and playing arena.
Amber Raisner (Women's Basketball)
Raisner made immediate contributions for the Dutchwomen as a freshman, ranking third among Liberty League rookies by averaging 8.1 points per game and finishing second among newcomers with a team-leading 50 assists. Boasting a 4.0 GPA as a pre-med major, she earned the Welle Ten Broeck Van Orden Prize for a first-year student excelling in English composition and is a member of the Garnet Society.
Stephen Ritterbush '68 Award
Presented annually, by select vote, to the student who best exemplifies "mente et corpore" sound mind in sound body -- the attributes of scholar-athlete, and board of trustee member Stephen Ritterbush, Class of 1968. Stephen's outstanding intellect, forthright character, and incisive leadership distinguished him both on and off the field at Union and beyond.
Thomas Gagliardi (Men's Crew)
Gagliardi is co-valedictorian of the 519-person senior class with a 4.00 GPA as a biochemistry major. The four-year member of the crew team was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as a junior and earned the school's Ronald Obenzinger Prize for a pre-med student with high academic merit and personal worthiness. He interned at IBM in computational neuroscience research last summer and wrote a paper, "Canopy structure affects temperature distributions and free convection in moss shoot systems" for the American Journal of Botany in September.
Jennifer Nutter (Women's Swimming and Diving)
Nutter entered her final trimester with a 3.86 GPA as biomedical engineering major and a four-year contributor in the pool for the Dutchwomen. She posted a pair of top-10 finishes at the Liberty League Championships this year and is fifth and sixth all-time at Union in the 100 and 200 backstroke, respectively. Out of the pool, the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society vice president earned a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study "The Influence of Sensory Pathways on the Biomechanics of the Lower Leg" in Germany and also was given the school's Fletcher and Grace Blanchard Memorial Prize in Bioengineering.
President's Commission on the Status of Women Leadership Award
To the senior female student-athlete who has done the most to promote athletics for women at Union College.
Emma Sprotbery (Women's Volleyball)
Sprotbery has set an example on and off the court for her fellow Dutchwomen over her four-year career. A Phi Beta Kappa inductee, the English and environmental policy double major has interned with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and the Nature Conservancy and a member of the Schenectady County Environmental Advisory Council. She also serves as treasurer of Signa Tau Delta (the English Honor Society) and is vice president of the Garnet Minstrelles. She will be attending Cornell Law School in the fall.
Leadership Award
For exceptional leadership of a team in competition and on campus, providing positive direction for their fellow student-athletes.
Packy Brown (Football/Men's Lacrosse)
Brown has been a key member of the football and lacrosse teams for four seasons, starting two seasons on the gridiron while also playing a role on the Dutchman man-down unit for four years. A member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a Gift of Life student ambassador, he won the Chris Schmid "Pay It Forward" award for the Union football player who embodies Chris' spirit, heart and dedication to the team.
Cole Maier (Men's Hockey)
Maier served as team captain for the second straight year in 2018-19, becoming only the second Dutchman to serve twice as sole captain of the hockey team since the 1930s. He was named to the All-ECAC Hockey third team as a senior after leading the team in scoring with nine goals and 23 assists for 32 points and also earned a third straight spot on the ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team.
Award for Community Service and Community Outreach
Presented to a senior athlete for outstanding performance in community service.
Brendan Laing (Men's Basketball)
Laing has been a leader on and off the court for the Dutchmen, volunteering at the Joan Nicole Prince Home while also participating in Nourish International to raise money for impoverished countries and Engineers for a Sustainable World to develop new methods for the College to be environmentally friendly. The team captain and biomedical engineering major also is a member of Best Buddies on campus and is a BME "Be With Me" mentor.
Athletics Appreciation Award
Paul Wehrum (Men's Lacrosse)
Wehrum will retire at the end of the month following a 13-year tenure at the helm of the men's lacrosse team. In his 13 seasons, the Dutchmen appeared in the first five NCAA Tournaments in program history, captured the 2011 Liberty League Championship and earned the six highest single-season win totals ever at the school, including a program-record 15 wins and an NCAA quarterfinal berth in 2014. In all, he coached 18 All-Americans, 16 Scholar All-Americans, 84 All-Conference honorees and 142 All-Academic Team selections in addition to impacting more than 200 Union student-athletes during his time on campus.
