General | 5/1/2024 6:45:00 PM

ALFRED, NY – Saxon Nation and Alfred University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) hosted their second Alfy's Awards Night on Monday evening from Miller Theatre.
 
"It certainly was a great day to be a Saxon! What a wonderful night gathering our student-athletes to celebrate their accomplishments on and off the field," Associate Director of Athletics, Erin Schurr said. "The energy they brought to Miller Theatre was unmatched. Thank you, Saxons, for a great 2023-24!"
 
The event offered an opportunity for all Saxon student-athletes to attend. 89 Saxon seniors were recognized for their careers spent here at Alfred University, each of them receiving an AU Saxon Nation medallion and holder. "Our AU student-athletes are amazing in the classroom, our community and in competition, and it is wonderful to celebrate their collective accomplishments in the Miller Theatre," Associate Vice President for Student Experience, Athletics & Recreation, Deb Steward said. "The evening is also a celebration of our graduating class as we send them off with the message, Once a Saxon always a Saxon. A huge thank you to our planning committee who executed this awesome annual event."
 
The event began with the doors opening at 6:00pm for a purple carpet event as student-athletes crowded the Saxons media backdrop for professional photos. Everyone was then ushered into Miller Theatre as action photos from 2023-24 looped on the display above the decorated stage.
 
Award presentations began at 7:00pm with the most prestigious Alfred University athletics award presented last, the Nicholas F. Clark '11 Ideal Saxon Award.
 
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.
 
The 12th and 13th recipients of the award were Joe Copp (Minoa, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) of the Saxon football team and Olivia Gilbert (Ontario, NY/Wayne Central) of the Alfred University women's soccer and women's track & field teams. The award was presented by Theresa Gunn, Faculty Athletic Representative and Clark's mother, as well as Brewster Marshall '22, '23 MBA and Amber O'Toole '22, '23 MBA, last year's recipients of the award.
 
Both Copp and Gilbert also earned the Franklin Morley and Muriel Strong Morley Awards for being the top men's and women's athlete in the department.
 
Nicholas F. Clark '11 Ideal Saxon Award
 
Copp has continuously shown that he is a key element to our Saxon's football team, earning the title of captain for two seasons. In 2021 and 2023, he received the Alex Yunevich Defensive Most Valuable Player and in 2022 he earned the Most Valuable Player Award. In addition, he was recognized by D3football.com as a three-time National Team of the Week member.
 
Copp has earned All-Empire 8 three times and has been on the Empire 8 Athletes of the Week listings three times. He also has earned All-ECAC twice.
 
In addition to his impact on the field and in the classroom, Copp is also very active in the community. He's a key member in every community service project for the program including work with The Red Cross, working with young men and women from the Hornell Concern for Youth Group and community clean-up efforts. Copp also was an APEX intern within the Saxon Athletic Communication office.
 
Gilbert is a two-time Empire 8 indoor 800-meter run champion and an Empire 8 outdoor 800-meter run champion last year. She also holds the facility record at Utica University for the outdoor 800-meter run and holds the meet record at SUNY Brockport for the indoor 600-meter dash. This season she was named the 2023-24 Empire 8 Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and finished fifth regionally for indoor 800-meter run, earning All-Region honors to go along with her All-Region honors from 2021 in the 4x800-meter relay, earning fourth place at regional's. She holds the Alfred University school records in the indoor 400-meter dash, the indoor 1,00-meter run and outdoor 800-meter run.
 
Gilbert has worked as a Student Ambassador at AU and currently works with the Alfred-Almond girls track and field team in a mentorship program with her fellow teammates. Additionally, she served as captain for both the women's soccer and track & field teams.
 
Currently, she ranks 17th regionally and 88th nationally for the outdoor 800-meter run as she closes in on the end of the season. She has earned multiple Saxon of the Week honors along with three Empire 8 Athlete of the Week honors. Academically, she is a member of numerous academic fraternities, is the recipient of the McMahon Achievement Award, the Advancement of Women in Engineering Award, 2024 State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence, multiple College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors and has consistently been on the Empire 8 President's List, Dean's List and Saxon Scholar Athlete.
 
The Franklin Morley and Muriel Strong Morley Awards as well as the ECAC Merit Medal Awards were already celebrated at the Alfred University Honors Convocation, earlier in the semester. Gilbert and Copp were honored for their Morley Awards earlier in the evening as well. Gilbert was also one of the recipients of the ECAC Merit Medal, alongside men's swimming & diving's Emiliano Terrazas (La Paz, Bolivia/Saint Andrew's).
 
Terrazas is a four-year member of the Saxon men's swimming & diving team who holds the 100-yard individual medley school record as well as the program and school record for most single season Empire 8 Athlete of the Week honors with four in the 2021-22 season. He also has five Saxon of the Week honors to go along with. Terrazas has a multitude of All-Empire 8 honors through not only relays but individual performance at the Allegheny-Empire Swimming & Diving Championships.
 
He has earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District while being consistently on the Empire 8 President's, Dean's and Saxon Scholar Athlete Lists. In 2022, Terrazas was the team MVP. He has gathered his academic and athletic accolades while also working for AU dining services, AU Fresh and is currently a resident assistant in AU Residence Life.
 
The Unsung Hero Award
 
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.
 
The first recipient on Monday evening of the Unsung Hero Award was John Wendt (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) of the men's track & field team and the second was Alexa Woluewich (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream Central) of the softball team.
 
Wendt played an integral role in his team's success and the track & field program's success. His teammates recognize he is a leader within the program and among the community at Alfred University. In his time here, Wendt has been named to the All-Empire 8 list three times for relays. Outside of athletics, he is heavily involved within SAAC, AU Fresh, Athletic Communications and the psychology department. He also excels in the classroom having earned Empire 8 President's List honors every semester.
 
Woluewich has been a leader and the heart and soul of the softball team for four years. Her hard work and dedication to the program was recognized this year, as her teammates voted her a team captain. Even when she is not physically on the field, her spirit, desire and loyalty to the softball program are unmatched. Woluewich can always be heard, is always the first person to congratulate a teammate and has the personality and qualities that will create wonderful opportunities throughout her life.
 
Exceptional Saxon Award
 
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 2024 Exceptional Saxon Award was Erin Martinovich, Vice President for University Advancement.
 
Martinovich is a fantastic teammate and supporter of AU Athletics. She leads her team in support of all campus fundraising initiatives for scholarships, projects and other initiatives, as well as donor and alumni engagement activities. She was critical in co-chairing our Go Saxons Day of Giving Planning Committee. Our Day of Giving raised $142,000 from 1,217 gifts, including 92 gifts from our student-athletes.
 
Martinovich has helped Saxon Nation break donor and dollar records this year while the year still continues. She and her team play a critical role in the fundraising efforts for Saxon Hill which has raised over $10m to date, the replacement of the turf at Yunevich Stadium, the re-surfacing of the Galanis Arena floor and much more. She is crucial for AU Athletics in building a successful culture and a teammate that can be counted on.
 
SAAC Alfy Awards
 
Each of the varsity Saxon programs honored a member with a SAAC Alfy. The Alfy Award is meant to signify a student-athlete who best represents the team. The recipients of each SAAC Alfy were:

• Yuliia Koreiba – Alpine Skiing
• Anthony Cortez – Baseball
• Jackson White – Men's Basketball
• Alyssa DiMillo – Women's Basketball
• Chloe Fox – Cheerleading
• Yuner Sesmas – Men's Cross Country
• Mari Jablonski – Women's Cross Country
• Samantha Smit – Equestrian
• Danny Quiñones – Football
• Brady McGowan – Men's Lacrosse
• Amelia Booth – Women's Lacrosse
• EQ alQtam – Men's Rugby
• Riley Watson – Women's Rugby
• Connor Scriven – Men's Soccer
• Kiani Barnard-Pratt – Women's Soccer
• Isabella Orozco – Softball
• Fernando Lagos – Men's Swimming & Diving
• Kamila Roman – Women's Swimming & Diving
• Matthew Bittel – Men's Tennis
• Macy Youngberg – Women's Tennis
• Ahmad Yasir Majidy – Men's Track & Field
• Natalya Ryckman – Women's Track & Field
• Jade K. Wolfer – Women's Volleyball

 48 Saxons were also inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma Honors Society on Monday evening. Chi Alpha Sigma is the first national scholar-athlete society to honor collegiate student-athletes who have excelled in both the classroom and in athletic competition. Chi Alpha Sigma recognizes college students who receive a varsity letter in their sport while earning a 3.40 or higher cumulative grade point average.