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Fitchburg State Hosts Athletic Awards Banquet
Fitchburg State Hosts Athletic Awards Banquet
Payette and Vorse headline Falcon award winners being tabbed Athletes of the Year
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FITCHBURG, Mass. (May 14, 2009) - The Fitchburg State athletics department recently held its annual Athletic Awards Banquet, concluding a successful 2008-2009 season. Fitchburg State honored 53 senior student-athletes who left their mark on the Falcon program, while recognizing 11 members of the organization for their significant contributions.
The prestigious Paul K. Waring '38 Athlete of the Year Award topped all honors as it is given annually to the Male and Female Athlete of the Year. Other awards included, the Senior Scholar Athlete Award (3.2+ GPA), the Kruzcek Award, the Leadership Award, Rookies of the Year and the Contributor to the Program honor.
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Headlining the Falcon award winners were sophomore Robert Vorse (Leominster, Mass./Leominster) and senior Stephanie Payette (Townsend, Mass./North Middlesex), recipients of the Paul K. Waring '38 Male and Female Athlete of the Year Award. As a member of the men's ice hockey team, Vorse played a key role in the Falcons successful 2008-09 season. In the ECAC Championship tournament, he helped lead Fitchburg State to a first round victory over conference rival UMass Dartmouth and propelled the Falcons into the semi-finals. For his efforts, he was tabbed the ECAC Northeast Goalie of the Year while earning All-Conference first team honors. Vorse was also named to the 2008-09 New England Hockey Writers ECAC Northeast All-Region team after collecting 484 saves in 995 minutes played.
Payette, a four-time MASCAC All-Conference player, earned her deserving honor after having a standout season in which she carved her name into the Fitchburg State record books. Payette led the Falcons on the hardwood this season, averaging a team-best 13.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. She also reached two exclusive milestones during her time as a Falcon, becoming the eighth female to reach the 1000 point plateau and becoming the program's all-time leading rebounder. She currently ranks fourth on Fitchburg State's all-time scoring list with 1,220 career points.
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Junior Alex Ivanov (Carlisle, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) received this year's Male Rookie of the Year honor, which is given to a first-year student who has excelled in his/her sport. Ivanov has been a two-sport standout at the College, posting record breaking numbers in both indoor and outdoor track. In addition to his program records, he has collected three MASCAC Athlete of the Week nominations, while posting qualifying marks for the New England Division III Championships, the ECAC Championships, the All-New England Championships and the NCAA Championships.
On the women's side, two individuals were nominated for the Female Rookie of the Year Award and both deserved recognition. Freshman Amanda Burns (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) shared the honor after ranking second on the women's lacrosse team in scoring with a team-high 58 goals and 12 assists. She put Fitchburg State on the map nationally, ranking 12th in the country with 4.40 groundballs per contest, while earning NEWLA Rookie of the Week honors, All-Conference first team honors and NEWLA Rookie of the Year honors.
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Freshman Carissa Kennedy (Somerset, Mass./Bishop Stang) also shared the Female Rookie of the Year honor after posting All-Conference honors in both soccer and lacrosse. Kennedy enjoyed a standout out soccer season, leading the Falcons to an ECAC Playoff berth with ten goals and four assists. For her efforts, she was named the MASCAC Women's Soccer Rookie of the Year honor. In addition to her accomplishments on the soccer field, Kennedy also made her mark on the women's lacrosse program after being named to the All-NEWLA Conference first team.
Seniors Wayne Bonkowski (Onsted, Mich./Boston Jr. Blackhawks) and Emily Sullivan (Billerica, Mass./Billerica) earned the Senior Scholar Athlete Award for holding a 3.2 GPA or higher throughout their time at the College. Bonkowski, a four-year letter-winner of the hockey team, earned three ECAC Northeast All-Academic team nominations throughout his career, while Sullivan, a three-sport athlete at the College (XC, Indoor & Outdoor Track), was recently named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
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Seniors Eryne Cotter (North Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) and Keon Valcourt (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) were recognized as the 2009 Leadership Award winners for their motivation and determination on and off the field, while sophomore Carlos De La Rosa (Holyoke, Mass./Holyoke) earned the Kruzcek Award for overcoming life challenges and having success at Fitchburg State. Rounding out the Falcon award winners was senior Mark Geller (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) who was honored as this year's Contributor to the Program for his hard work within the athletic office.
For more information regarding the 2009 Athletic Awards Banquet, please contact Sports Information Director, Keith Brouillard at 978-665-3343 or via email at kbrouil3@fsc.edu.
VISIT OUR AWARDS PAGE FOR MORE DETAILS
