SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – American International College announced its 2010-11 athletic award winners at the College's co-curricular, athletic and academic award banquets, honoring the top student-athletes in the Class of 2011.
Garrett Beyor (Monson, Mass.) of the men's golf team was named the 2011 recipient of the President's Cup, which is presented annually to the individual who has made a major contribution to the athletic program during the past academic year for outstanding ability, character and sportsmanship.
Beyor earned medalist honors after tying for first overall with an even-par 144 (74-70) and then winning a one-hole playoff at the 2010 Northeast-10 Men's Golf Championship Tournament. The most decorated golfer in program history, Beyor is a three-time National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) all-region selection, a two-time Division II New England champions and two-time all-New England performer, and has twice earned first-team Northeast-10 all-conference honors. He also achieved another program first in the spring of 2010 when he became the first-ever gofer from AIC to qualify and compete at the NCAA National Championship Tournament. Beyor has captured five individual tournament titles in his career and AIC, and has been the runner-up on six occasions.
The F.J. Maloney Award, presented annually to two individuals that had the most outstanding four-year athletic career at AIC, were presented to Rob Parent (West Warwick, R.I.) of the football team and Cassie Ashwell (Agawam, Mass.) of of the women's soccer team.
Parent had a record-setting career in four years as AIC's starting quarterback. He started in 37 of his 38 career games played and set the program records for touchdown passes in a game (six, twice in 2008), touchdown passes in a season (28 in 2008) and career touchdown passes (76). Parent's 7,645 career passing yards, 959 career pass attempts and 542 career pass completions rank him second all-time at AIC. The 2007 Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year was also a two-time NE-10 first-team all-conference selection, two-time ECAC all-stat and an all-New England selection in 2008. Parent guided the Yellow Jackets to a record of 26-12 while under center, guided the team to a program-record 15 consecutive victories spanning the 2007 and 2008 seasons, and led AIC to its first-ever NCAA Championship Tournament appearance in 2008.
Ashwell played a key role in returning the AIC women's soccer program to prominence since arriving on campus in 2007, culminating with a 14-7-1 record this season that included the Yellow Jackets' first Northeast-10 Championship Tournament appearance since 2000 and its first NCAA Championship Tournament appearance since 1998. She started in all but three of her 79 career games played, splitting time between the back and forward positions, and scored 21 goals with 19 assists for 61 career points. Ashwell was named a Northeast-10 all-conference selection and an all-New England selection each of the last three years and earned all-region honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) each of the last two years.
Justin Roberts (Sutton, Mass.) of the men's track & field team and Kat Heterbring (Java Center, N.Y.) of the field hockey team were named the recipients Lt. Alvin J. Carocari Memorial Scholarship Award, which is presented to the student-athlete(s) that demonstrate outstanding contributions to intercollegiate athletics at AIC.
Roberts shined as a member of the men's track & field team, which in five short years ranks among the best in Division II. He holds the program record in four events, and was a provisional qualifier in the javelin during the 2010 outdoor season and in the heptathlon during this past indoor season. He also earned all-region honors in the heptathlon, long jump and triple jump from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association following the 2011 indoor season. Roberts, who has become known to some as the 'Voice of AIC' while serving as the public address announcer at countless sporting events, has also grown into a campus leader at AIC, with one of his many roles being President of AIC's Student Government Association.
Heterbring was one of the key figures in the evolution of the field hockey program during her four years at AIC, which was capped off in 2010 with a program record 14 wins, as well as the first-ever Northeast-10 and NCAA Championship Tournament appearances in program history. She holds the school record for defensive saves in a season (11 in 2009) and in a career (20) at AIC, and led all of Division II with 11 defensive saves as a junior.
The Alumni Award, presented annually to two student-athletes for their academic scholarship and athletic achievement, went to Mike Little (Enfield, Conn.) of the men's ice hockey and tennis teams and Lauren Silva (New City, N.Y.) of the field hockey and women's lacrosse teams.
Little, a dual major criminal justice and psychology major with a 3.81 grade point average, skated in 133 games on defense for the men's ice hockey team, scoring five goals with 27 assists for 32 career points. He recorded a career-best 13 points in each of the past two seasons. Little, who has also been a member of the men's tennis team each of the past two years, has been named to the Atlantic Hockey all-Academic Team each of the past three years.
Silva, a marketing major with a 3.86 grade point average, appeared in 64 games in four years as a defensive midfielder with the field hockey team and saw action in 30 games in her two seasons in the midfield as a member of the women's lacrosse team. She became President of the AIC and Northeast-10 Student Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) two years ago, which has allowed her be an advocate for student-athletes as a number of NCAA event, including it national convention. She has also been named to the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll seven times.
Milton J. Piepul Merit Medals, which combine academic and athletic excellence, were awarded Kenner Almeida (Vinhedo, Brazil), Sarah Beaudoin (Chicopee, Mass.), Tomas Benovic (Trencin, Slovakia), Zach Bunszell (Medford, Mass.), Alex Casparius (Portland, Maine) of the men's lacrosse team, Becky Dion (Raynham, Mass.), Colleen Dorsey (Wilbraham, Mass.), Kent Graham (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Adrian Hynes-Guery (Montreal, Que.), Robert Lubold (Holyoke, Mass.), Steve McLeod (Antikoken, Ont.),
Almeida, a management major with a 3.69 grade point average, played in 42 games on defense during his three varsity seasons at AIC. He appeared in 17 of the team's 18 games this past season with 11 starts. Almeida has earned a spot on the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll five times.
Beaudoin, a physical therapy major with a 3.75 grade point average, has been one of the top-three runners for the women's cross country team since her arrival on campus four years ago, and is the first four-year runner for the program. She has served as team captain each year and recorded a career-best 37th-place finish at the 2009 Northeast-10 Championship meet. She has also competed in the distance and middle-distance events as a member of the track & field team. Beaudoin has been named to the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll seven times.
Benovic, an international business major with a 3.50 grade point average, skated in 104 games on defense as a member of the men's ice hockey team, scoring three goals with four assists for seven points. He scored a career-best three goals with one assist for four points in 30 games played as a senior. Benovic has been named to the Atlantic Hockey all-Academic Team each of the past three years.
Zach Bunszell, a marketing major with a 3.48 grade points average, has split his time as a starting and relief pitcher for the Yellow Jackets, winning four games in 39 total appearances. He has one victory to his credit in eight appearances so far this season while registering 19 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched.
Casparius, a business major with a 3.57 grade point average, has appeared in 49 games on attack as a member of the men's lacrosse team, scoring 11 goals with four assists for 15 points with 49 ground balls. He has scored four goals with 15 ground balls in his 11 games played this season, and has been named to the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll seven times.
Dion, a physical therapy major with a 3.59 grade point average, has started in 104 of her 114 games played as a catcher and outfielder for the softball team, recording 78 hits with 34 RBIs and 35 runs scored with a career-.976 fielding percentage. She had a career-year last season with career-highs of 33 hits, 19 RBIs and 11 runs scored, and as of April 18 had 20 hits with eight RBIs and 11 runs scored this season. Dion has earned a spot on the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll seven times.
Dorsey, a dual major in liberal studies and special education, has appeared in 55 games as a member of the women's lacrosse team, scoring 15 goals with 12 assists for 27 points to go with 46 ground balls, 20 caused turnovers and 19 draw controls. She was also a member of the women's soccer team her freshman and sophomore years. Dorsey has been named to the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll seven times.
Graham, a sports and recreation management major with a 3.54 grade point average, has help make the AIC men's golf team one of the best in the region since his arrival on campus in the spring of 2008. He is playing some of his best golf as a senior, winning Le Moyne's Mike Bello Invitational, recording six top-10 finishes and nine-top 15 efforts. Graham was also a member of the men's basketball team for three seasons, serving as a backup forward, and has been named to the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll six times.
Hynes-Guery, a sports and recreation management major with a 3.47 grade point average, started in all but four of his 75 career games played as a member of the men's basketball team, averaging nine points and 4.6 rebounds per game while registering 230 assists and 90 steals as the teams point guard. He averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with 86 assists and 33 steals while helping lead AIC to a 20-win season and a berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament this year. He has been named to the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll five times.
Lubold, a criminal justice major with a 3.56 grade point average, has been one of AIC's top-three singles players and top-two doubles players since his arrival on campus. He has split time between first and second-singles since the start of his sophomore season, and has played at first doubles in every match since 2009. Lubold has earned a spot on the Northeast-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll seven times.
McLeod, a mathematics major with a 3.86 grade point average, skated in 126 games on the wing as a member of the men's ice hockey team, scoring 24 goals with 45 assists for 69 career points. Her recorded career-high totals of nine goals, 13 assists, 22 points as a junior. McLeod was the recipient of Atlantic Hockey's Top Scholar-Athlete Award and was a member of the AHA Academic All-Star Team as a sophomore, and has been named to the Atlantic Hockey all-Academic Team each of the past three years.
The following team awards were also presented at the athletic awards banquet.
FOOTBALL
RUSS PETERSON AWARD - Nathaniel Ricks
To the most valuable player in the Alumni Homecoming football game.
RAYMOND F. LUKAS AWARD - Terrence Holley
Awarded to the most outstanding player for the season.
LEONARD J. BAILEY MEMORIAL AWARD - Allen Bush
Awarded to the most outstanding defensive player for the season.
R. FRANK E. HURLEY AWARD - Nicolas Abraham
Awarded to the most dedicated football player throughout the season.
WILLIAM R. JENKINS AWARD - Robert Parent
Awarded to the most outstanding offensive player for four seasons
MILTON J. PIRPUL Alumni FOOTBALL AWARD - Jashawn Williams
WOMEN'S SOCCER
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD - Jennifer Kirby
MEN'S SOCCER
RALPH EARLE HINES MEMORIAL AWARD - Sean Stevenson
Awarded to the player who best displays outstanding soccer and leadership ability.
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
PETER S. MELTZER AWARD - Ellisha Terry
To the women's varsity player of the year.
Alumna e Achi evement Kambryn Williams
FIELD HOCKEY
MOST OUTSTANDING WOMEN'S FIELD HOCKEY PLAYER AWARD - Kimberly Steiner
ICE HOCKEY
HENRY A. BUTOVA MEMORIAL LEADE RSHIP AWARD - Michael Little
Presented to the varsity hockey player who best displays outstanding leadership ability in the spirit of Henry Butova, late AIC Athletic Director.
WILLIAM E. CONNIFF HOCKEY AWARD - Thomas Mele
Awarded to the player who best displays ability and loyalty.
WRESTLING
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER - Ronnie Tetreault
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD - Adriana Johnson
HILTON WHITE MEMORIAL HUSTLE AWARD - Josephine McLane
Presented to a member of the varsity basketball team who hustles on the court and in the classroom, and distinguishes herself in campus activities.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
CHRISTOPHER ELLIS HUSTLE AWARD - Denzel Jackson
Awarded to a member of the varsity basketball team for keeping the squad on its toes during the season, by his hustle and outstanding play.
BOB COUSY AWARD - Adrian Hynes-Guery
Awarded to member of the team who has shown outstanding leadership and has made an outstanding contribution to the sport at AIC.
CHEERLEADING
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD - Laura Casella
M&W TRACK (T) & CROSS COUNTRY (CC)
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER AWARD -
Glarius Rop (CC), Jeptui Cherutich (CC),
Dominic Smith (T), Bidemi Balogun (T)
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER AWARD - Lisa Duckles
MEN'S LACROSSE
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER AWARD - Daniel MacIsaac
WOMEN'S TENNIS
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER AWARD - Angie Rassias
MEN'S TENNIS
JERRY RADDING MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER AWARD - Mike Little
GOLF
WOODY JAY JEFFERSON MEMORIAL AWARD - Kevin Daniels
Presented to the golfer for his outstanding contribution to the AIC golf team.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD - Garrett Beyor
SOFTBALL
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD - Stephanie Belanger
ALUMNAE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Rebecca Dion
Presented to a member of a women's athletic team for having exhibited outstanding qualities of leadership, scholarship and athletic ability as well as a superior attitude concerning cooperation and overall contribution to her team
BASEBALL
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD - Kyle McNiff
HENRY A. BUTOVA MEMORIAL AWARD - Paul Maza
Presented to a baseball player who has shown outstanding contributions to AIC baseball both on and off the field, and whose commitment, loyalty and leadership represents the highest principles of intercollegiate athletics.
