ALFRED, NY – Several Alfred University student-athletes were recognized for their achievements during a year-end luncheon ceremony Friday afternoon.
 
Among those honored were seniors Richard Lander (Narrowsburg, NY/Sullivan West) and Liz Thompson (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads), who were named 2017 recipients of the University's Ideal Saxon awards.
 
The Ideal Saxon award, established in 2013, is an annual honor that recognizes the achievements of a male senior and a female senior student-athlete at Alfred University who "displays excellence in both academics and athletics while providing service and leadership of distinction to the AU Community."
 
Lander and Thompson were honored as the fifth annual Ideal Saxon award winners during the Senior Student-Athlete Recognition Luncheon on Friday. The luncheon, sponsored by Saxon Nation, is held each year on the Friday before Commencement.
 
"I am incredibly proud of all of our finalists for the Ideal Saxon award this year and recognize the amazing impact each of them made not only on their teams, but also in our classrooms and on our entire campus and community," AU Director of Athletics Paul Vecchio commented. "In Richard and Liz we have two seniors who changed the trajectory of their programs all the while never losing sight of their commitment as students and their part in our larger Alfred community. Their accolades and contributions to our department will transcend their time here."
 
Lander was a four-year starting midfielder for the AU men's soccer team, earning Empire 8 All-Conference recognition each of his four seasons in Purple & Gold. Twice (2015, 2016) he was a First Team selection, and twice (2013, 2014) he was a Second Team pick. As a junior in 2015, he was an NSCAA Third Team East Region All-Star and a First Team ECAC Upstate All-Star.
 
A two-year captain, Lander helped lead the Saxons to three straight postseason appearances (2014-16), including a berth in the Empire 8 championship tournament in 2014 and ECAC tournament bids in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He leaves AU with 63 points on 23 goals and 21 assists, with his 21 career assists ranking third all-time at AU.
 
Lander was accomplished in the classroom as well. As a junior and senior (2015, 2016), he was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) All-District III Academic Team, moving on each time to earn CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American honors. Named  to the Empire 8 Conference President's List (3.75 cumulative GPA or higher) each of his eight semesters at AU, Lander is a 2015 inductee into Chi Alpha Sigma, the national honor society for collegiate student-athletes.
 
A pre-med and mechanical engineering major, Lander has a 3.94 cumulative GPA. In addition to being inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, he is also an inductee into Tau Beta Phi, the engineering honor society, and Omicron Kappa Delta, the leadership honor society.
 
On being considered for the Ideal Saxon award, Lander commented: "Alfred University not only believed in me but they showed me the way. They molded me into the best version of myself. It is sheer destiny that I have spent the last four years at Alfred University being a member of a community that I will forever call home. I am forever honored to be a member of the Alfred community and forever proud to call myself a Saxon."
 
Thompson was the starting third baseman for the Saxon softball team four seasons and after a record-breaking career will leave AU as the most decorated player in program history. She was a four-time Empire 8 Conference All-Star, earning honorable mention as a freshman, First Team honors as a sophomore, Second Team recognition as a junior, and First Team accolades in this, her senior season.
 
In 2015, when the Saxons won the Empire 8 regular season and championship tournament titles before advancing to the NCAA Division III College World Series in Salem, VA, Thompson was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Super Regional in Tiffin, OH. She earned Player of the Year honors from the Empire 8 and ECAC (Upstate), was a First Team NFCA Northeast Region All-Star, and was named an NFCA Division III Second Team All-American. She was instrumental in leading the Saxons to the NCAA tournament as a freshman in 2014.
 
A captain for the Saxons her senior season, Thompson will leave AU with a lion's share of the school's career and single-season hitting records. She holds career marks for hits, RBIs, runs scored, stolen bases, triple and homeruns, as well as single-season records for runs, hits, triples and stolen bases. She also holds the single-game record for steals and shares the single-game mark for homeruns.
 
A marketing major, Thompson has a cumulative GPA of 3.18. A Dean's List honoree, she is also this year's female winner of the ECAC Merit Medal.
 
On what it means to be considered an Ideal Saxon, Thompson said: "Being recognized as an Ideal Saxon would mean more to me than just a title. It would mean that I gave the best that I could give in the four years I attended Alfred. It would mean that I did everything in my power to help my teammates, my classmates, the community and myself be better people…it means that I left a long-lasting effect on a school that I only attended for a small portion of my life and that, I think, means the most."
  Other female finalists for the Ideal Saxon awards were: Amanda Off (New Berlin, NY /Unadilla Valley), women's basketball; Mary Lou Patnaude (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake), volleyball; and Samantha Brown (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport), swimming and diving.
 
Other male finalists for the Ideal Saxon awards were: Brendan Buisch (Hornell, NY/Hornell), football; Tyler Seelman (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary), basketball; Graeme Corrigan (Troy, NY/Troy), soccer; and Zach Brinkley (Brockway, PA/Brockway), football.
 
"Each year it seems more difficult to choose a winner and that is because we are so fortunate to be surrounded by student-athletes who continue to embrace our goals of creating well-rounded Saxons who are prepared to excel upon graduation," Vecchio said. "This senior class can be extremely proud of their contributions to our wonderful University – they have worn the Purple and Gold with great passion and pride."
 
Also recognized at the luncheon were the following student-athlete award winners: 
 
ECAC Merit Medal: Thompson and Buisch. The award, given each year to a male and female senior, recognizes academic and athletic excellence. Buisch was a four-year member of the AU football team who this year earned First Team Empire 8 All-Star honors, First Team ECAC North recognition, and Third Team D3football.com East Region accolades.
 
Muriel Strong Morley Award, Outstanding Female Athlete: Thompson.
 
Franklin Morley Award, Outstanding Male Athlete: Tyler Johnson (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa), senior football player. Johnson helped lead the football team to the final eight of the NCAA Division III championship tournament. He was named Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, Second Team ECAC North All-Star, D3football.com East Region Offensive Player of the Year, and a D3football.com Second Team All-American.
 
Chi Alpha Sigma inductees, senior and junior student-athletes with cumulative GPA of 3.40 or higher:
 
Senior inductees are: Eric Adams (Lebanon, NJ/Hunterdon Central) and Tyler Seelman (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary), men's basketball; Maddi Flint (Caledonia, NY/Caledonia-Mumford) and Amanda Off (New Berlin, NY/Unadilla Valley), women's basketball; Joshua Taylor (Poughkeepsie, NY/Poughkeepsie) and Shyheim Wingate (Jamaica, NY/Holy Cross), football; Rob Ensmenger (Old Bethpage, NY/Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK), men's lacrosse; Dana Ganley (Syracuse, NY/Westhill), women's lacrosse; Graeme Corrigan (Troy, NY/Troy), Kyle Craver (Great Falls, VA/Field School) and Richard Lander (Narrowsburg, NY/Sullivan West), men's soccer; Hannah Lawrence (Spencer, NY/Spencer-Van Etten), softball; Samantha Brown (Spencerport, NY/Dylan StaniszewskiStaniszewski (Oakton, VA/Oakton) and Leah Zimmerman (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua), women's swimming and diving; Kyle Merrifield (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home), men's tennis; Courtney Ferrara (Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Mendon), women's tennis; Mary Lou Patnaude (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake), volleyball.
 
Junior inductees are: A.J. LiCata (Lake View, NY/Frontier), Trevor Monk (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) and Vinny Williams (East Northport, NY/Northport), football; Samuel DiRisio (Prattsburgh, NY/Penn Yan) and Matt Zandri (Baldwinsville, NY/Baldwinsville), men's lacrosse; Shannon Gray (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili), women's lacrosse; Sam Craver (Great Falls, VA/Field School) and Jesse Lichtman (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac), men's soccer; Kerri Keeler (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt), softball; Zach Goodwin (Holden, MA/Wachusett) and Ethan Zyglocke (Livonia, NY/Livonia), men's swimming and diving; Elizabeth Finney (Dryden, NY/Dryden), women's swimming and diving; Seth Spicer(Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post), men's track and field; Sarah Grace (Rochester, NY/Penfield) and Beryl Torthe (Pretoria, South Africa/St. Mary's Diocesan), women's tennis; Sophia Weiss (New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park), women's track and field; Aubrey Totsline (Fairport, NY/Fairport), volleyball; Heather D'Andrea (Erie, PA/Mercyhurst Prep), volleyball, equestrian; Taylor Miller (Medina, NY/Medina), women's soccer, lacrosse; Lindsay Piraino (Nunda, NY/Keshequa), women's cross country, track and field; Megan Steen (Portsmouth, RI/Portsmouth), women's swimming and diving, track and field; Alexander Tostanoski (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post), men's soccer, track and field.
 
Other student-athletes honors included: LiCata, Wingate and senior Brinkley, CoSIDA District 3 All-Academic (football); LiCata, AFCA All-American, D3football.com All-American and Associated Press All-American, D3football.com East Region First Team, and ECAC North First Team and Defensive Player of the Year, Gagliardi Trophy Semifinalist, and Metropolitan New York Football Writers Association Jay Berwanger Division III Player of the Year (football); seniors David Sylvester (Perry, NY/Perry) and Sean Murphy (Buffalo, NY/Bishop Timon), D3football.com All-Americans, D3football.com All-East First Team, ECAC North First Team (football); senior Kevin LaMarque (Holliston, MA/Holliston), Hero Sports All-American, D3footballcom All-East First Team, ECAC North First Team All-Star (football); senior Charles Branwell (Brooklyn, NY/Abraham Lincoln), D3football.com All-East Second Team, ECAC North Second Team All-Star (football); senior Brendan Tierney (Liberty, NY/Tri-Valley) and junior Maleke Fuentes (Olean, NY/Olean), ECAC North Second Team All-Star (football); first-year Amber Smith (Penfield, NY/Webster Schroeder), ECAC North First Team (volleyball); Spicer, NCAA Division III Track and Field All-American, New York State indoor track and field champion (heptathlon) and New York State Field Athlete of the Meet, and New York State outdoor champion (decathlon) and New York State Field Athlete of the Meet.
 
Vecchio presented the first annual Exceptional Saxon Award to Della Carl, a custodian who works at the McLane Center. The winner of the award is chosen from nominations made by AU faculty, staff and student athletes offered throughout the school year and recognizes an AU employee "who has provided exceptional support and service to the Alfred University Athletic Department."