STANDISH, Maine - The 2017 Saint Joseph's College Athletics Senior Awards Banquet was held at the Stone Barn on the SJC campus on the evening of Monday, May 8th.
At the conclusion of each academic year, the SJC Department of Athletics hosts this event to honor the numerous accomplishments achieved by the graduating class and, following an internal nomination and voting process, bestow awards upon deserving individuals for five distinguished honors: Female Athlete of the Year, Male Athlete of the Year, Father John Tokaz Award, Neile Nelson Award, and Chris Kiernan Award.
The academic honors were given at the Saint Joseph's College Academic Awards Ceremony on Friday, April 28th. On that evening, the baseball and volleyball teams were honored with the Team Grade Point Average Awards after posting 3.25 and 3.59 GPA's, respectively, during the 2016 calendar year.
The Student-Athlete of the Year honorees are chosen by a selection committee within the department and the selections are based on both academic and athletic achievement.
Also, two senior student-athletes – Emily Kehoe (Basketball) and Desiree Parent (Soccer) - were selected to present senior speeches at the banquet and both delivered memorable and heartfelt presentations.
On the night of the banquet, all senior student-athletes in attendance received a commemorative timepiece and senior yearbook as well as several gifts from the SJC Institutional Advancement Department.
The event was capped with a screening of the year-end slideshow video created by David Bates of fotographixstudio.com.
| PHOTO GALLERY | SLIDESHOW/VIDEO |
AWARD RECIPIENTS |
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Female Student-Athlete & Athlete of the Year: Kelsey Dumond, Field Hockey Dumond claims both Female and Female Student-Athlete of the Year honors after excelling on the field and in the classroom during her four years at Saint Joseph's College. As an Exercise Science major, Dumond carried a 3.94 cumulative GPA into the 2017 spring semester. She has earned a pair of GNAC All-Academic honors and four National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Academic awards and earned Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division III Scholars of Distinction accolades after recording a cumulative GPA of 3.90 or higher through the first semester of the 2016-17 academic year. A four-year starter for the Monks' field hockey team and three-year member of the SJC women's lacrosse program, Dumond is one of two players to play in the NCAA Tournament for both teams (Elyse Caiazzo being the other). In field hockey, she capped her career with 37 goals and 20 assists for 94 points in 77 games over four seasons. As a two-year starter for the lacrosse team, Dumond tallied 88 goals and 30 assists for 118 total points with 64 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers in 50 career games. In field hockey, Dumond earned Second Team All-GNAC honors in 2014 and 2015 and was listed on the First Team for both sports in 2016. |
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Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Taylor Black, Baseball Black has been chosen as the 2017 Saint Joseph's College Male Student-Athlete of the Year after posting a 3.92 GPA as an Exercise Science major and four –year starter for the Monks' baseball team. In the classroom, Black is on his way to earning his third GNAC All-Academic Team honor and recently claimed CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades as a member of the 12-player District 1 Team, which features student-athletes from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. A standout infielder for the Monks, Black was selected as the 2017 GNAC Player of the Year and collected First Team All-Conference honors for the third-consecutive season after hitting .417 (53-127) with 37 runs, 12 doubles, four triples, four homers, 44 RBI, and four stolen bases during his senior season. He led the conference in batting average and sacrifice hits (11) and tied for the GNAC lead in RBI while ranking second in slugging percentage (.669), hit by pitch (12), and triples, and third in hits and doubles. The senior captain closed out his collegiate career with a .339 (167-492) batting average with 127 runs, 28 doubles, five triples, eight home runs, 91 RBI, and 24 stolen bases in 155 contests over four seasons. |
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Male Athlete of the Year: Michael Caron, Golf A three-year team captain, Caron has played a major role in elevating the Saint Joseph's golf program to new heights as the Monks have won 15 tournaments over the last two seasons, including a pair of Maine State Championships and the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) title, which earned the Monks the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. In four seasons, Caron has played in 52 events with 12 Medalist honors and 32 top-10 finishes while averaging 155.4 strokes in 36-hole events and 75.5 strokes in 18-hole tournaments. The three-time NEIGA All-New England honoree ranks as the Monks' all-time leader in total events and medalist honors. Caron has garnered 23 accolades during his collegiate career, including the prestigious NEIGA Guy Tedesco Award, and has earned GNAC weekly honors on 11 occasions. He was chosen as the ECAC DIII Co-Golfer of the Month in October of 2014. |
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Father John Tokaz Award: Lincoln Sanborn, Athletics Named for a great man who was the College Chaplain for nine years and was an ardent supporter of athletics during his time at Saint Joseph's, this honor is presented annually to the individual within the college community who has displayed extraordinary support of and assistance to the athletic department mission and to our student-athletes. Assistant Athletic Director Corey McCarthy: "Lincoln has been a huge help in the office and at games when we are shorthanded. He also works the shot clock at the basketball table and served as a practice player for the women's basketball team on their GNAC Championship run. Always willing to help wherever needed, he has become a consistent friendly face at the front desk and often times is the person answering questions asked by visitors in our office. He has helped with many daily tasks such as greeting teams, putting up locker room signs, and various sports information related tasks on a regular basis." |
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Chris Kiernan Award: Sean Baker, Soccer The Chris Kiernan Award is named after the college's first Director of Athletics and men's basketball coach who later also served as the Dean of Students and the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. This award is presented to the student-athlete who has shown a consistent work ethic to develop as both a student and an athlete; who has displayed a strong commitment toward service of team and community and has proven a never quit attitude and the willingness to work through and overcome adversity. Men's Soccer Head Coach Adrian Dubois: "Sean has been the men's soccer team captain for two years. He has helped improve the men's soccer team into their first every NCAA Tournament win in program history. He played an important part of the defensive success of the men's soccer team with an end of year ranking of 2nd in the country in Goals Against Average. Sean is a tremendous young man who demonstrates the qualities it takes to be a well-balanced student-athlete." |
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Co-Neile Nelson Award: Desiree Parent, Soccer Presented annually to the student-athlete who has set an example by displaying a high level of commitment to his/her team while performing a leadership role within the Saint Joseph's College campus community. Neile was a standout two-sport athlete (soccer, basketball) at Saint Joseph's and garnered 1994 NCAA Maine Woman of the Year and Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, All-America Scholar-Athlete accolades in 1993 and 1994, All-Northeast acclaim in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and All-Conference mention in each of her four years on the soccer field. Soccer Head Coach Jenelle Harris: Des has displayed commitment and leadership from the first time she stepped onto campus. As a freshman, she started making an impact in our program and ends her collegiate career with various conference and team awards. Her natural leadership is shown in being named as captain for two years. When she first became a captain, I needed to rely on her a little more than past captains, since I was on maternity leave most of the second semester. She did a fantastic job leading the team in some of our off-season activities and I knew I didn't need to worry and her leadership continued throughout her senior year. Des was not just successful on the field, but also in the classroom. As an Exercise Science major, she made the Dean's List every semester. Her leadership also expands to being an RA for two years and her involvement in campus ministry. She also served as a peer tutor, a member of the exercise science club, and an intern in the Athletic Training Room. She was just recently hired as an Academy Coach for the New England Revolution. Des is passionate, motivating, a positive role model, and her work ethic is contagious. |
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Co-Neile Nelson Award: Jameson Collins, Baseball Baseball Head Coach Will Sanborn '86: "Jamie Collins fits the Neile Nelson Award perfectly. Jamie is a leader on our campus. He is a Residence Hall Adviser and is also on the Student Activities Staff. Last summer he was a Campus Life Intern and also worked in Institutional Advancement. Jamie is also a captain of our baseball team. Jamie is loved and respected on our campus by his peers and our faculty/staff." Collins earned First Team All-GNAC honors after hitting .326 (44-135) with nine doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 44 RBI for the Monks' nationally-ranked baseball team this spring. |
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2017 SJC ATHLETICS SENIOR CLASS RECAP:
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
