ALFRED, N.Y. – Several Alfred University student-athletes were recognized for their achievements during a year-end luncheon ceremony this week.
 
Among the many honorees in Monday's event were senior student-athletes Holly Passetti (Tioga, N.Y./Tioga Central) and Danielle Perry '20, (Leicester, N.Y./York Central) and, as well as Nick Milgate '20 (Hilton, N.Y./Hilton), who were the eighth honorees of the Nicholas F. Clark '11 Ideal Saxon Award.
 
The Nicholas F. Clark '11 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."


 
Passetti is a three-sport athlete, plying her trade on the Saxon cross country, track and field, and women's soccer teams. On the field, Passetti earned All-Empire 8 Honors in both track and field and cross country and earned four letters on the women's soccer team. In the classroom, Passetti boasts a perfect 4.0 grade point average in the classroom, and she is a member of three national honor societies. In the community, she has been part of five clubs, including a treasurer role for Colleges Against Cancer and President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) this past season. For her collegiate efforts, she earned the University's highest honor this semester as one of two Marlin Miller Outstanding Senior honorees. 
 
"The Ideal Saxon is someone who can be counted on by coaches, professors, and peers," Passetti noted in her personal statement. "I know it sounds cliché, but this University truly creates good people, not just good athletes. My first year, I was quiet and unsure of what college was, what it would bring me, and who I was. As I am graduating, I realized I have transformed into a confident, successful woman who is sure of myself. One word sums up my Alfred experience: growth. Isn't that's what it's all about?"


 
Perry was a two-sport athlete, plying her trade on the women's soccer and track and field teams and was a three-time team captain. After graduating this past fall with degrees in both biology and biomaterials engineering and a minor in chemistry, Perry has begun her graduate work and is serving as a graduate assistant and valued member of the women's soccer team. On the track, Perry is a school record holder in both the indoor and outdoor triple jump events and earned two All-Empire 8 honors, earning qualifications in both the regional and East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships. On the pitch, she was a three-year starter, playing in 41 career games as a defender, leading the women's soccer team to its first-ever conference tournament berth and 2017 as a player and the program's first Empire 8 Tournament victory as an assistant coach.
 
Perry is also stellar in the classroom, being inducted into four national honor societies, including the ODK Leadership and Chi Alpha Sigma. She was also a finalist for the Marlin Miller Outstanding Senior award. In the community she has been a part of the Main Street cleanup volunteer group, the AU Athletics Community Day events, as well as the Hornell Community Garden Spring into Action Day this past spring.
 
"My time spent as an Alfred University student-athlete has been unforgettable and monumental, shaping me into the person I am today," Perry noted in her personal statement. "Among the amazing things, it has shown me how to lead and inspire others, two attributes I strive to portray… Alfred University Athletics pushed me to open up and make connections with other students and faculty, with some of them being my colleagues now. This last year has taught me to appreciate everything, and I appreciate being nominated for an award that represents one of Alfred University's finest student-athletes, Nicholas F. Clark."
 
Other female finalists for the award were swimming and diving's Lauren Serotta '21 (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna), women soccer's Emily Wright '20 (Dallas, Texas/Plano West), and softball's Jessica Wilcox '21 (Forestville, N.Y./Pine Valley).




Milgate is linked to the late Nick Clark in more ways than one. Like Clark, Milgate plied his trade as a linebacker on the football team. He became the second player to don the number 32 jersey in honor of Clark and was a team captain for the 2019 season. He had a sensational senior year, finishing 13^th in the nation in total tackles per game and leading the Empire 8 in forced fumbles, en route to All-America honors from D3Football.com. He finished his career ninth all-time with 298 tackles, adding 8.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and an impressive nine interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown as a rookie in the 2016 NCAA Quarterfinal against Mount Union.
 
In the classroom he was thrice honored on the Empire 8 President's List, which honors those who earn a 3.75 grade point average or above in a given semester and was a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma Student-Athlete Honor Society. He graduated in 2020 with a degree in health and fitness management with a minor in coaching. Milgate also made a difference in the community, working with Read Across America, Be the Match program, and the Hornell Concern for Youth. This year, Milgate has the rare opportunity to compete professionally as he is currently a member of the AFC Rangers of the Austrian American Football League.
 
"I came to Alfred as an unknown and unwanted player and left as an All-American and a candidate for an award that is the highest honor a student-athlete at Alfred University can obtain," Milgate said in his personal statement. "Being able to experience Alfred University and its culture as a student-athlete for four years, then be recognized for an award that embodies that experience, is surreal. Being thought of as someone who personifies what being a Saxon is make me only appreciate my time at Alfred University that much more."
 
Other male finalists for the award were football's Wes Senn '20 (Randolph, N.Y./Randolph), swimming and diving's Andy Edmister '20 (Belmont, N.Y./Genesee Valley Central), and men lacrosse's Garrette Briggs '21 (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads).
 
Also recognized at the luncheon were the following student-athlete award winners:
 
Muriel Strong Morley Award (Outstanding Female Athlete): Lauren Serotta '21 (Niskayuna, N.Y./Niskayuna), Swimming and Diving


Serotta is a four-year member of the AU swimming and diving team where she finished her career as a four-time Empire 8 Championship winner, winning twice in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke, breaking both school records multiple times in the process. In all, she earned six Empire 8 All-Conference awards in her career and has been named the Empire 8 Women's Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week an impressive five times.
 
Franklin Morley Award (Outstanding Male Athlete): Shane Weber '20 G'21 (Hull, Mass./Hull), Men's Lacrosse



Weber is a five-year member and is four-year captain of the men's lacrosse team, a rarity in collegiate athletics. Playing in 59 career games as a defender, Weber is a four-time All-Empire 8 selection, earning first team honors in both 2018 and 2021. He sports a pair of program records, having tied the season caused turnover mark in the 2019 season and breaking the career caused turnover mark this past year. He finished a stellar career with 154 caused turnovers and 244 ground balls, which ranks third all-time in AU program history. On the offensive end, Weber added 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points.
 
ECAC Merit Medal Winners: Garrette Briggs '21 (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads), Men's Lacrosse & Danielle Perry '20, (Leicester, N.Y./York Central), Women's Track and Field/Women's Soccer



Briggs is a five-year member of the men's lacrosse program and is one of the best face-off talents in program history. The three-year team captain wrapped up a phenomenal career in 2021, finishing fourth nationally with a .775 (124-for-160) faceoff percentage. Briggs tallied 73 ground balls and also added three points on two goals and one assist. The four-time All-Empire 8 selection graduates as the program's all-time leader in ground balls with 463 ground balls in 55 contests played, winning 74.3 percent (762-of-1,025) of his faceoffs while adding 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points.

Unsung Hero Award: Kelley Andrews (Randolph, N.Y./Pine Valley), Women's Basketball



The purpose of the Unsung Hero award is to recognize a senior student-athlete who doesn't break school records but each and every day makes a difference in our athletic department and most importantly, to our University. They are the people their teammates can rely on, and our staff comes to call on repeatedly because of their selfless nature and unending quest to make AU a better place. 
 
The second honoree of the Unsung Hero award is Andrews, who has done a little bit of everything surrounding Alfred University Athletics. Off the court, Andrews, an athletic training major, worked with our student-athletes to keep them healthy. She has served as a multi-year member of SAAC, working as its Social Media Chair this past year. She also served in the AU Athletic Communications office, working as a statistician and public address voice for the softball program. On the court, Andrews is a four-year member of the women's basketball team, capping her career off in style with a buzzer-beating layup in her Senior Night game.
 
Exceptional Saxon Award: Tony Aquilina, Associate Director of Athletics/Compliance Director

The Exceptional Saxon Award is given out yearly to a member of our AU community who goes "above and beyond" in their support of our athletic department. The winner of the award is chosen from nominations made by AU faculty, staff and student-athletes offered throughout the school year.
 
With the complexity of the current pandemic this season, Aquilina has been central to helping the department thrive and persevere. Whether it was working on a plan for all students, faculty, and staff to use the weight rooms safely, managing facilities and workers on game days, or stepping up to assist in food delivery for students in quarantine, Aquilina has held a major role in making sure the AU community was safe on a day-to-day basis.
 
"This year he took on extra responsibilities to make sure not only student-athletes were cared for, but also the greater campus population in stepping up to help with food delivery while athletics was still on pause," said Kjersten McKinniss, Co-Interim Head Athletic Trainer in her nomination. "Tony has been a proven advocate for all students and staff across all populations."
 
Other finalists for this award included Christopher Boswell, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications, Dakota Pruiss, Head Volleyball Coach and Senior Woman Administrator, and Mike Moskowitz, Head Women's Basketball Coach.
 
Chi Alpha Sigma inductees, senior and junior student-athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.40 or higher:
 
Senior inductees are: Ryan McDonald (Grand Island, N.Y./Grand Island), Adam Shearer (Horseheads, N.Y./Horseheads), men's cross country and tennis, Ben Cafolla (Seneca Falls, N.Y./Mynderse Academy), men's lacrosse, Gage Ponsetti (Penn Yan, N.Y./Penn Yan), men's lacrosse, Kyle McGlynn (Lewiston, N.Y./Lewiston-Porter), men's swimming and diving, Billy Mirenda (Middletown, N.Y./Minisink), men's swimming and diving, Kala Farley (Gowanda, N.Y./Gowanda), women's cross country and track and field, Krissy Roberts (Chittenango, N.Y./Chittenango), women's track and field, cross country, and soccer, Morgan Brothers (Rochester, N.Y./Greece-Arcadia), women's track and field, Holly Passetti (Nichols, N.Y./Tioga Central), women's soccer and track and field, Danielle Perry (Leicester, N.Y./York Central), women's soccer and track and field, Elena Ceja (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Beach Union), softball, Moreta Dyke (Milesburg, Pa./Milesburg), softball,
Amanda Guariglia (Valley Stream, N.Y./Valley Stream South), women's soccer and swimming and diving, Lyndsey McCoy (Middletown, N.Y./Middleburgh Central), women's basketball, Amanda Figueroa (Cypress, Texas/Rosehill Christian), women's basketball, Sarah Raeman (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua), volleyball, and Alex Taylor (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos), volleyball.
 
McDonald and McGlynn will graduate with the highest male cumulative grade point average in the class (3.82), while Passetti will graduate with the highest female cumulative grade point average (4.0).
 
The AU Athletics Senior Luncheon is sponsored and funded by Saxon Nation.