ALFRED, NY – After not having a "normal" academic year since the 2018-19 term, Alfred University Department of Athletics celebrated the accomplishments of its senior student-athletes on Friday afternoon after the closest year to "normal" since the start of the COVID-19 global pandemic.
"This is not only a very talented group of senior student-athletes, but one of the most perseverant group of individuals I have ever seen," Athletic Director,
Paul Vecchio said. "The trials and tribulations that were presented through the COVID-19 pandemic has tested this group of seniors unlike any others in generations. This group of Saxons not only continued to push forward through those trials and tribulations, but they rose to greater heights to complete their studies and compete for championships. This group of award winners definitively stand out as they are true representations of how grit, focus and determination can push one through unseen challenges and has prepared them tremendously for life beyond Alfred University."
Out of all the senior Saxons celebrated, there were two standouts as the ninth and tenth recipients of the
Nicholas F. Clark '11 Ideal Saxon Award. The Ideal Saxon Award was established in 2013 and 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." After five years of annual presentation, the Ideal Saxon Award was properly renamed the Nicholas F. Clark '11 Ideal Saxon Award, following the tragic passing of
Nick Clark, a 2011 graduate of Alfred University and Saxon football program, who lost his life while serving in the line of duty as a New York State Police Trooper in the summer of 2018. Clark was 29 years old.
This year's recipients of the highly-prestigious Nicholas F. Clark '11 Ideal Saxon Award are
David Jensen (Hobart, NY/South Kortright) of the western equestrian team and
Victoria Cramp (Hornell, NY/Hornell) of the women's swimming & diving team.
Jensen is a three-year member of the western equestrian team, having found his passion after taking a western riding class offered by Alfred University at the Bromeley-Daggett Equestrian Center at Maris Cuneo Equine Park, up top on Jericho Hill. After two years of competition for the Saxons, Jensen found himself in a position only few across the country have dreamed about…a chance to compete for a national championship.
Jensen, along with a handful of his fellow riders, competed in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Semi-Finals in Lubbock, TX at the tail end of March. Jensen, along with teammate
Jill Frazo (Bloomfield, NY/Bloomfield Central) both placed high enough in Texas to qualify for the IHSA National Championships in Harrisburg, PA in May. Although Frazo finished as an Honorable Mention rider at the national level, Jensen highlighted the weekend with his eighth place finish in beginner's horsemanship.
Away from the show ring, he has made his mark all over Alfred University. A multiple Dean's List award honoree he presented a thesis poster at the recent undergraduate research forum related to his degree in Ceramic Engineering. Jensen has been inducted into Keramos National Honor society and has been a member of the E8 Presidential List for a GPA over 3.75 in a semester. He has served as the Comedy Chair of the Student Activities Board and the Vice President of the Material Advantage Club. Perhaps most notably he was the student Executive Chair of this year's Hot Dog Day celebration which raised over $5,000 for local charities and brought back an AU tradition that had been sorely missed.
Cramp has been one of the longest-tenured student-athletes recently at Alfred University as she has been a member as either a student-athlete or a coach for the Saxon swimming & diving programs. Her first appearance on the diving boards for AU was back in the 2016-17 season where she began her journey as one of AU's top female divers in school history as well as a volunteer coach during her medical hardship year.
A school record-holder in four categories, Cramp also advanced to the NCAA Division III Regional Diving Championships during her career. She has been a member of Chi Alpha Sigma and honored on the E8 President's List multiple times and was also a College Swimming Coaches Association of America All-American in 2018-19. She has four times been named our Saxon of the Week and has been an All-Empire 8 Second Team selection on three different occasions.
In the classroom, she will have a research paper published next year and has been a part of seven different honor societies. Cramp has also been the Club President of the American Marketing Association AU Chapter. She was awarded the 2020 Outstanding Marketing Senior and the 2022 Travelers Award for Outstanding Student Performance while pursuing her MBA. However, she might be remembered best for her work in our campus community.
Cramp was the driving force behind our Toy Drive during the fall semester which collected 675 toys for over 200 families in our local community. She founded the Hornell Community Outreach Group which has impacted people ranging from pre-K children to nursing home residents with her unwavering commitment to creating more caring and stronger communities.
Other nominees for the Nicholas F. Clark '11 Ideal Saxon Award were:
The Saxon Senior Luncheon also recognized the following students and student-athletes for their commitment to athletics, academics and community.
Muriel Strong Morley Award (Outstanding Female Athlete): Ashley Lugo (Hesperia, CA/Oak Hills), Softball
One of the greatest base-runners in not only Alfred University's history, but also in the history of the Empire 8 and NCAA Division III, Lugo has been a member of the AU softball program since 2018-19 and has helped the Saxons to Empire 8 Championship games in each of the three years the tournament was held (no tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic). Out of those three appearances in which all the championship games came down to Alfred University and St. John Fisher College, Lugo and the Saxons have won the title in back-to-back years, 2021 and 2022.
Lugo holds multiple school records and Empire 8 records as the single-season stolen base leader with 52 in 2021 and broke the career records with 69 and counting starting in the 2021 season. She now has 137 career stolen bases as she closes in on the NCAA Division III record of 195. Lugo has 155 hits with seven home runs, 12 triples and 25 doubles as well as 68 RBI and 120 runs herself.
A highly-decorated student-athlete, Lugo earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division III All-American Second Team in 2021. She was an NFCA All-Northeast Region First Team selection in 2021 as well as earning a spot on the 2021 NCAA Division III Softball Eau Claire Regional All-Tournament Team. Lugo is a two-time All-Empire 8 First Team winner and a one-time Honorable Mention (now called Third Team) selection. She was chosen as a member of the 2019 Empire 8 Softball Championship All-Tournament Team. Lugo has been named an Empire 8 Softball Player of the Week twice and has three Saxon of the Week honors. Academically, Lugo was a 2021 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete, Empire 8 President's List recipient, two-time Dean's List member and four-time Saxon Scholar Athlete, prior to the Spring 2022 semester.
Franklin Morley Award (Outstanding Male Athlete): Brewster Marshall (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads), Men's Basketball
A four-year member of the Saxon men's basketball program, Marshall is one of the most decorated ballers in recent history, earning All-Empire 8 in each of the three previous years including during the "2020-21" season that featured only in-conference games during the spring of 2021. All three years, Marshall has been named to the All-Empire 8 Second Team. In his first year, he was an Empire 8 Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week three times before picking up a Player of the Week in November, 2019 and a Co-Player of the Week in February, 2022, joining just a handful of Saxon athletes with five or more E8 weekly honors.
Marshall averaged 15.6 points per game in the 2021-22 season with a team-leading 344 points scored on the season. He also led in defensive rebounds (147) as well as total rebounds (209) while being the top blocker for the Saxons with 38 stuffs. As a 6'8" forward, Marshall also knocked down 19 3-pointers in the season, shooting 34.5% from beyond the arc.
Marshall stepped into the Saxons' all-time leading spotlight as he is now No. 24 in scoring with 982 points and No. 19 in rebounds with 550.
During the 2021-22 year, Marshall has served his fellow student-athletes as the Saxon-for-Saxon Chair on the AU chapter of the national organization, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He has earned Dean's List once and has been a Saxon Scholar Athlete four times prior to the Spring 2022 semester.
ECAC Merit Medal, Senior Academic/Athletic Excellence (Female): Abigail Austin (Hornell, NY/Hornell), Women's Soccer
A four-year member of the Saxon women's soccer program, Austin graduates AU with a degree in chemistry and is one of the top players in program history. In her senior season, she was named to the 2021 United Soccer Coaches Division III Women's All-Region III Third Team as well as her first listing as an All-Empire 8 First Team selection. Prior to her senior season, Austin had two All-Empire 8 Second Team accolades. She was a one-time Empire 8 Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week and a three-time Saxon of the Week. She also helped the women's soccer team to its best finish in Empire 8 membership history as the Saxons were regular season runners-up in 2021.
Academically, Austin is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma Honors Society and a six-time Empire 8 President's List award recipient. She is also a six-time earner of Dean's List and Saxon Scholar Athlete, prior to the Spring 2022 semester. Austin is also a two-time captain for the Saxons.
She scored her first collegiate hat-trick at the end of September of the this year while totaling 15 points on the season from seven goals and one assist. In total, she has 36 points from 14 goals and eight assists and has two game-winning goals on her resume.
ECAC Merit Medal, Senior Academic/Athletic Excellence (Male): Justin Jarmer (Flagstaff, AZ/Northland Preparatory Academy), Men's Swimming & Diving
A four-year member of the Saxon men's swimming & diving program, Jarmer has consistently had top marks in the classroom while presenting a huge push, athletically throughout his career. A member of Chi Alpha Sigma Honors Society, he has also earned Empire 8 President's List, Dean's List and Saxon Scholar Athlete six times prior to the Spring 2022 semester.
His largest push towards his athletic accomplishments happened in the 2021-22 season as he became one of the Saxons' top breaststroke swimmers and individual medley competitors. He established seven new personal bests in the academic year, including hitting three during the Allegheny-Empire Championships at Webster Aquatic Center in February and four at the Ithaca College Bomber Invitational in December.
Exceptional Saxon Award: Jonathan Thousand, Men's Lacrosse Student Manager
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 recipient of the 2022 Exceptional Saxon Award was Thousand as he was nominated by Director of Athletic Communications,
Chris Boswell. Boswell had this to say about Thousand, "Anyone who has crossed his path in the press box at Yunevich Stadium or anywhere on campus, knows that he cares for literally anyone and everyone around him. His knowledge and passion for sports radiates to those around him. He is truly a Saxon, he is truly a leader and he is truly exceptional. I personally will miss his presence here at Alfred University but am completely confident that he is moving on to enrich the lives of those around him."
"He is one of the nicest most dedicated individuals I've ever met," men's lacrosse Head Coach
Jason Lockner said. "He filmed all our practices and games through all kinds of weather. Never once did he or has he complained, but he always shows up with a smile and a quick hello. Truly a team player that every single individual on our team has appreciated. Simply stated, he made us better."
Unsung Hero Award: Eddie Walser (Marcellus, NY/Bishop Ludden), Men's Basketball
The Unsung Hero award recognizes a senior student-athlete who doesn't break school records but each and every day makes a difference in our athletic department, their particular program 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. They are difference makers in the same way that first-team all-conference players are for our programs.
This year's award went to an individual whose playing time never matched what he gave back to his team. During his career his team compiled an overall record of 57-31 and advanced to the Empire 8 tournament twice, winning the championship and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his first season. One of his teammates noted of him; "he was a huge boost and energy person even though he very rarely got to play. He brought toughness and energy every single day." His head coach
Erich Kaempffe noted that "when he wasn't at a practice it was very noticeable in a negative way because we didn't have him, and it brought our practices down. I'm very confident that we don't get to where we got without him."
-- Swords Forward Saxons --
