SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - The Union College Department of Athletics held its annual Senior Student-Athlete Awards Ceremony on Friday afternoon at College Park Hall, recognizing the achievements of Union's 132 seniors and other friends and contributors to the department. In addition, 14 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 the many achievements that were earned in competition, in the classroom and in the community by Union's many dedicated student-athletes, followed by President Elizabeth Kiss, who addressed the seniors and also presented the Presidential Award for Academic Achievement to senior members of the Union women's tennis team. In addition, senior
Isaiah Russell of the Union football team spoke on behalf of his classmates.
Seniors and staff members were recognized with some of the department's year-end awards, while all Union senior student-athletes received their Block U senior gifts at the event as well. Union previously announced its
underclass awards at the annual Student Affairs Leadership Celebration on May 29.
A list of 2025-26 senior and staff award winners are listed below:
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.
Skylar Semon (Women's Tennis)
Semon has been a leader both on and off the court for Union, serving as team captain for the last two years and helping guide the Garnet Chargers to four straight Liberty League Tournament appearances. The sociology major earned Union's Scholar-Athlete of the Award for her class in each of her first three seasons on campus and was named winner of Union's Andrew W. Archibald (1872) Prize for the senior earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with the highest scholastic standing, in addition to being named one of four Division III winners of the ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. On the court, Semon held down the first-singles and second-doubles slots for Union in her senior season, earning All-Liberty League honors for the first time in her career with honorable mention in singles. She completed her time in Schenectady with 45 singles wins and 44 doubles victories to her credit, ranking fourth and second, respectively, in program history.
Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award
Presented to a senior student-athlete for outstanding performance in the classroom, community and playing arena.
Brandon Buhr (Men's Hockey)
Buhr was selected as the team's most outstanding player after tying for the team lead in goals (19) and assists (17). Six of his scores served as game-winners, marking the third-most in Division I, while his seven power-play goals were the seventh-most nationally. The economics major was the runner up for the ECAC Hockey's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and was named the recipient of the Thomas Van Arden Dukehart Academic Award, presented to the men's hockey player with the highest grade point average, for the third straight season. He signed a professional contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in March and has had two assists in five games with the AHL's Toronto Marlies.
Anne Pearl (Women's Hockey)
Pearl earned a second straight All-Region recognition from United Soccer Coaches this year after her All-Liberty League first-team selection. The senior captain started all 19 matches for the second straight season as the leader of a defensive unit that conceded only 14 goals in 19 contests, including nine shutouts and 15 matches of one goal or fewer. Pearl also took a career high 23 shots and scored the game-winning goal against St. Lawrence University that clinched a postseason berth, while also chipping in two assists for a career-high four points. Pearl started 64 of her 65 career appearances in garnet, scoring four goals with three assists for 11 points in addition to her work on the defensive side of the ball.
Robert M. Ridings Memorial Award
Presented to the senior female 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.
Stephanie Bourque (Women's Hockey)
Bourque finished a record-setting career with a record-setting season on the ice for the Garnet Chargers, scoring two goals with a program D-I record 21 assists for 23 points. She set new single-season standards for assists and points for a Union blueliner as a senior in captaining the team to the second postseason win in program history, and finished as Union's all-time leader in assists and points with 16 goals and 54 assists for 70 points, playing in all 142 games over her four-year career. The senior also was the recipient of ECAC Hockey's Wayne Dean Sportsmanship Award, given to the ECAC Hockey student-athlete who demonstrates the highest level of integrity and sportsmanship.
Shannon McGrath (Women's Volleyball)
McGrath was named an AVCA All-America honorable mention after capping her stellar four-year career with a fourth straight All-Liberty League honor. McGrath led the Garnet Chargers in kills for the fourth consecutive year with 407 while also ranking second on the team with 39 service aces and 290 digs, ranking third in the conference and fourth in the region in kills. She finished second on the school's all-time single-season list in kills per set (4.24) and eighth in both single-season kills and hitting percentage (.264), and completed her decorated career fifth all-time in kills (1,297) and second in kills per set (3.51) at Union. She also leaves as one of six players in program history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career.
Jelena Perovic (Women's Basketball)
Perovic earned WBCA All-America honorable mention and Liberty League Player of the Year laurels after finishing the season as the conference's only player in the top-six in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.6 points (second) and 7.0 rebounds (fourth) per game, while also leading the conference in both field-goal percentage (.468) and ranking second in blocks (38). Her 382 points as a senior rank ninth on the program's single-season list and are the most by a Union player since 2008-09. A three-time All-Conference honoree, Perovic finished her impactful four-year career with 1,103 points and 582 rebounds, ending her time in Schenectady seventh all-time in scoring and 10th in rebounding at Union.
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.
Patch Flanagan (Football)
Flanagan was named Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year after accounting for a conference-best 25 touchdowns on the season, passing for 1827 yards and 15 touchdowns while also rushing for 891 yards and 10 scores. He ended the year as the conference leader in passing TDs, passing yards and total offense as the first Liberty League player since at least 2006 to finish top-three in both rushing and passing yards in a season. He was one of seven quarterbacks in Division III this season with at least 15 scores through the air and 10 on the ground, helped by eight games of two TDs or more and five games with at least three scores.
Caleb Miller (Baseball)
Miller completed his record-setting Union career by tallying his third straight All-Liberty League first-team honor to go with consensus All-Region recognition. As a senior, he hit .368 with five homers, 39 runs scored and 29 runs batted in, ending the year on a 12-game hitting streak and recording 15 multi-hit games. He also threw out the most runners in the Liberty League, erasing 20 would-be base stealers. Miller leaves Schenectady as the Garnet Chargers' all-time leader in hits (181), runs (138), RBIs (122), total bases (302) and at-bats (527).
Award for Academic Excellence
Presented to a senior student-athlete for outstanding performance in the classroom.
Kennedy Alexis (Women's Tennis)
Alexis spent the majority of the season at the top doubles flight for the second straight season, earning All-Liberty League honorable mention after posting a 4-3 record in Liberty League play and a 9-13 record overall on the year, including a 6-7 mark in first-doubles competition. The biochemistry major entered her final trimester with a 3.88 GPA and was a three-time CSC Academic All-District honoree and Liberty League All-Academic Team selection, as well as earning the Lee, William, Dr. Norman '43 and Dr. George '53 Wrubel Memorial Prize for a senior preparing for dentistry or medicine with academic achievement and character.
Sam Flynn (Men's Crew)
Flynn was a four-year varsity boat member for the Garnet Chargers, manning stroke seat in every race as a senior captain. In his final year, he helped the team to a third-place finish at the Liberty League Championships, the team's best finish since 2018. Off the water, the psychology major boasted a 3.94 GPA after his first 11 trimesters and was a finalist for both the Lisa S. Gerhan Memorial Award for academic excellence in psychology and the John Lewis March Prize for increased interest and ability in psychology.
Leadership Award
Presented to a student-athlete for exceptional leadership of a team in competition and on campus, providing positive direction for their fellow student-athletes.
Cooper Ames (Baseball)
Ames has been a leader on and off the baseball field for Union over his four year career. On the diamond, he served as a team captain in his senior year and hit .327 with 17 extra-base hits and 36 runs scored in his third season as a starter. Off the field, he served as president of Union's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and led many of the baseball team's community service activities.
Award for Community Service and Community Outreach
Presented to a student-athlete for outstanding performance in community service.
Isaiah Russell (Football)
In addition to his role as a starting wide receiver for the conference champion football team, Russell serves as president of the Class of 2026 in addition to his work with MAMBA, Union's Black Student Union and the Community Service House. He also earned two awards on Prize Day, taking home the John R. Glover '82 Memorial Book Prize in English and the Albert Hill Recognition Award for the senior who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to enhancing the College community through leadership positions.
Justin Ely (Men's Soccer)
Ely led by example on and off the field for the men's soccer team this season, serving as team captain and starting every match for a squad that won its first conference tournament game since 2009. A member of Union's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, he led his team's efforts in several community service efforts, including the John Calvin Toll Day of Service and the Community Carnival.
Athletics Appreciation Award
Presented to an individual in appreciation of his or her service and dedication to the Department of Athletics staff and its student-athletes.
Tom Constantine (Campus Safety)
As director of the Williams Center for Campus Safety, Constantine is a regular presence at Union home games and is an invaluable partner in providing a safe environment for student-athletes and fans both on campus and at the M&T Bank Center. The partnership of his department also is crucial for the success of on-campus athletics events for student-athletes and families.
