The OXSPY Awards Review
Alfred, NY- The Alfred State Athletic Department hosted their rebranded Athletic Banquet "The OXSPY Awards" (OXcellence Sports Performance Yearly) last night. The event was a success here are all the award winners from last night!
Pioneer Honor Award:
The Pioneer Honors distinction is given to an individual that has gone above and beyond to aid the mission of the athletic department during the past year.
William Havens Award:
The Williams S. Havens Award is given to the person within the athletic department who has gone beyond the call of duty in making the greatest contribution in aiding the mission of the athletic department during the past year.
Alexe handled all of the athletic training responsibilities for a couple of months this year. She never missed a beat or complained about the workload.
Iron Athlete Award:
The Iron Athlete Award. Iron Athlete is given to a student athlete that has endured hardship and has persevered above and beyond their circumstances. They epitomize hard work, effort, tenacity, and grit.
Adriana experienced a family hardship earlier this year and continued to dedicate her time and energy to the sports that she loves – swimming and running. She shows great sportsmanship in both sports and performed well at the swim conference championships and will look to do the same at the track and field conference championship meet.
Academic Awards:
The Alfred State Academic Awards honors a male and female athlete who have competed in athletics for at least two years, while achieving the highest overall grade-point average during that time.
Ben Reding is a 4th year member of the men's basketball team. He currently has a 4.0 cumulative GPA in Sport Management, with a 129 total credits completed.
Isabelle Popoff was a member of the women's soccer team and track & field teamShe currently has a 4.0 GPA in Architecture. This is Izzy's third year in a row winning this award.
Newcomer Athlete of the Year:
The Newcomer of the Year Awards are given to the male and female athletes who have made the largest impact upon ASC athletics and exhibited good character in competing in their first year as a Pioneer.
Noah Currier gave a boost to the Pioneers rushing attack this past season. Noah only played in eight games but still totaled 383 rushing yards and five touchdowns including an 88-yard touchdown run. Noah also made a huge impact on kick returns totaling 573 kick return yards and two touchdowns. Noah was an All-Region returner and made the Freshman All-American team.
Brent Perry made a big impact this year in the Pioneer lineup. He was AMCC Newcomer of the Year, after winning his first career AMCC title at 174 for first-team all-conference honors, after suffering an injury in the quarter-final of the tournament. He finished the year tallying 18 wins with seven of them coming by falls.
Oli has made an impact on the cross-country and track and field teams from the first meet of the year. She was the first Pioneer and freshman to finish at the AMCC cross-country championship, as she garnered AMCC newcomer of the year along with earning all-conference honors. Then in indoor, Oli broke a 17-year-old record in the pole vault after jumping 3.00 meters. She has put her name in the Pioneer history books many times so far and will have a chance to add more as the outdoor season during the conference championships.
The AD Award:
The AD Awards are presented to student-athletes who have exhibited success during competition, in the classroom, been involved with SAAC, community service, and supporting the Athletic Department throughout their career.
Nick Barrett has been a 5-year team member of the wrestling team, and a team captain. He has 63 career wins which puts his 7th all time, 25 career pins which is also 7th all time, an individual amcc champion, a 2 time team amcc champion, scholar all-american, and has been a constant supporter and student contributor to athletic departments mission. Nick has helped with events such as baseball hosting amcc last year, Special Olympics, pioneer pride day, wind screen setup/cleanup, volleyballs pink pride, and weight room equipment moving. Nick received an Alfred State civic engagement award as well.
Audrey Farell has been a force in the Pioneer lineup the last few seasons. In her career she has a .369 batting average totaling 111 hits, 65 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. She also pitched of the Pioneers, totaling 24 complete games, 167.1 innings pitched, and 100 career strikeouts. Audrey was also an AMCC First Team All-Conference member in 2023. Her .485 batting average in 2023 is the 9th highest batting average in AMCC history.
Izzy Popoff has been a Pioneer for five years and competed for three of our programs, womens soccer, cross-country, and track and field. This year she was named female athlete of the year at the indoor conference championship. Izzy is also a SAAC member and has been at the forefront of different projects for the student athlete advisory committee.
Athlete of the Year Award:
The Athlete of the Year Awards are given to the male and female athletes that have made the largest impact upon ASC athletics and exhibited good character throughout the past year.
Sean Malenfant became the first All-American in the NCAA era after taking 5th in the NCAA National Tournament. This year Sean became a NCAA Regional Champion, AMCC Champion and was named AMCC Wrestler of the year. He was also named the AMCC tournament most outstanding wrestler. Sean is ranked top 10 nationally in pins, and became programs all-time pin leader this year.
Connor Compton became a two time All-American this year as he finished top five on both boards. Compton broke almost every record that he had previously set. He took 5th place in the 3-meter diving competition and 3rd in 1-meter diving at the NCAA national championship. He once again set the mark as the highest place finisher in Pioneer history. Conor is now a 4-time All-American.
Madison is a two-sport athlete and a member of both the swim and dive team and the track and field team. She was named Allegheny Empire women's swimmer of the meet as well as AMCC women's swimmer of the meet this past season. She won all of her events at the conference meet including the 200 free, 50 free, and the 100 free for first-team All-Conference honors. Madison has already notched multiple top-10 finishes in the long jump and triple jump while moving her name into the record books for third all-time in the triple jump.
Pioneer Legacy Award:
The Pioneer Legacy Awards are given to the male and female athletes who have achieved success on and off the field throughout their careers at Alfred State. The nominees have demonstrated Sportsmanship and Leadership, been involved in Civic Engagement activities, along with earning athletic honors during their career.
Rylie Van Fleet has been a member of the Pioneer football team for 5 seasons. He has led the defense and started every single game during his career – 42 in total. Over his four years Rylie has totaled 211 total tackles, 14 interceptions, including a career high six this past season, along with one force fumble and fumble recovery. He has served as the team's punt returner the last four seasons totaling 484 punt return yards and a touchdown. Rylie also has been the team's punter for the last 3 seasons totaling 5101 yards. Rylie has made multiple All-Conference teams and in his first year led all of the NCAA Division III with 22 pass break-ups. Rylie graduated with a 3.91 GPA in Health Sciences.
Mikaela has been a four-year member of the swimming and diving team. She has helped the women's team to two AMCC conference championships. Mikaela has her name all over the swim and dive record books including the 100 breast stroke, 200 breast stroke, 200 IM, and is a member of the 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay, and 200 free relay records. She also holds conference records in the 200-medley relay, 400 medley relay, and the 200 free relay. Mikaela has had a tremendous career and is planning to return next season as an assistant coach. She is graduating in May with a Health Science Management Degree.
