Athletic Department Celebrates Student-Athletes

Recently the Alfred State athletic department honored the accomplishment of Pioneer student-athletes on and off the court at the annual end of year awards ceremony. The event was held in the Orvis Gymnaisium and featured recaps of each of the team's seasons, recognition of 4-Year student-athletes, and the presentation of the end of the year awards.

View the Photo Gallery of the Event

The Pioneer Legacy Award is given to the male and female athletes who have achieved success on and off the field throughout their career at Alfred State.  The nominees have demonstrated Sportsmanship and Leadership, been involved in Civic Engagement activities, along with earning athletic honors during their career. Allison Danielak (Brockport), Bryanna Godfrey (Tioga), and Ian Van Valen (Ithaca) were the recipients of the honor.

• Danielak has been a four-year member of the soccer and basketball teams.
• She was 11-4 and was part of seven shutouts this season. She made 65 saves and had a .878 save percentage and a 0.61 goals against average.
• This year she was named 1^st team All-ACAA and the ACAA Goalkeeper of the Year.
• For her soccer career she was in net for 63 games, recorded 31 victories, made 337 saves, and had a 1.55 goals against average. She was named a USCAA All-American after her junior year and was named the All-Independent Goalkeeper of the Year.
• She helped the Pioneers to three straight trips to the USCAA National Championships the previous three years and helped the team to the ACAA Conference title this season.
• On the basketball court she appeared in 92 games during her four years and scored 108 points and 184 rebounds.
• Her hard work, dedication, and leadership were evident on both teams and those attributes helped lead to team success. Her presence will be hard to replace next year.
• Always willing to help the coaching staff and the athletic department.

• Godfrey has been part of the volleyball team the past four years.
• Was a key part of the program as they won 90 matches during her four year career. Also helped team qualify for three USCAA National Championships and two ECAC Championships.
• Recorded 290 kills, 188 digs, and 52 service aces this season en route to being named ACAA Co-Player of the Year and 1^st team All-ACAA.
• For her career she finished with 1,041 kills and 1,022 digs. She was a USCAA All-American and named All-Independent earlier in her career and was named to numerous All-Tournament teams.
• Was part of the President's Aspiring Leaders Program and served as the Vice President for the Student Athletes Advisory Committee.
• Integral part of the success on and off the court for the volleyball team.
• Her hard work and dedication to the volleyball team will be hard to replace in future years.

• Van Valen has been part of the wrestling team the past four years. During his career he has become one of the most prolific wrestlers.
• He finished this season with a 42-1 record on his way to winning the college's first ever NCWA National Championship. He was also named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the National Championships. During the National Championships he outscored his opponents 74 to 2.
• For his four-year career he was 117-24. He advanced to the NCWA National Championships all four years and was a three-time All-American. He finished 4^th in 2016, 2^nd in 2017, and 1^st in 2018.
• A true leader on and off the mat. He was asked to take on more of a leadership role this season with a change in the coaching staff.
• Worked hard with his teammates and coaching staff to better the program.

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 in this school year. Catherine Bialecki (Alfred Almond) and Ian Van Valen (Ithaca) took home the honors.

• Bialecki is a three year member of the basketball team.
• She started in all 22 games and led the Pioneers in points (436), rebounds (260), and blocks (100) this season.
• She scored in double figures 21 times and scored a season best 32 points at SUNY Poly.
• During the season she eclipsed the 1,000 point plateau for her career becoming only the 3^rd person in program history to do so.
• Her 1,141 points is 2^nd most all-time in women's basketball history.
• She was named 1^st team All-ACAA for her success on the court and to the ACAA All-Academic team for her work in the classroom.

• Van Valen completed his four year career with a story book senior season.
• He won the individual titles at the Brockport Open, the Niagara Open, the USCAA Championship, and the NCWA Northeast Championships before winning the NCWA National championship in dominating fashion.
• He finished the year with a 42-1 overall record and recorded 12 pins.
• He was the #1 ranked and the highest point wrestler in all weight classes of the NCWA.
• Helped his team to a 2^nd place finish at the Northeast Championship and a 11^th pace finish at the National Championships.

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 their first year as a Pioneer. Kathryn Lewis (Sanborn/Niagara Wheatfield) and Paul Kemsley (Lancaster) were the honorees.

• Lewis was a key contributor on the women's swimming team that finished 5-2 in dual meets and 3^rd at the AMCC Championships.
• She set new NCAA era records in the 200 free (2:03.26), the 500 free (5:28.22), the 1000 free (11:49.53), and the 1650 free (19:26.82). Was also part of the record breaking 400 free and 800 free relays.
• She earned 2^nd team All-AMCC honors with 2^nd place finishes in the 500 free, the 1650 free, and as a member of the 400 free relay.
• Was named AMCC Swimmer of the Week and CollegeSwimming.com Conference Swimmer of the Week for her performances the week of November 7^th.
• She was also named the Women's Team Most Valuable Swimmer after scoring 306 points for her team this season.

• Kemsley has rewritten the throwing record book during his freshmen season.
• He is the school record holder in the hammer throw (48.93 m) and the weight throw (16.12 m). He is 2^nd all-time in the shot put (15.56 m) and the Discus (49.79 m). He is currently ranked 10^th in the NCAA DIII rankings in the discus.
• He won the shot put competition at the ECAC Championships during the indoor season and is a favorite at the ECAC Championships in the hammer throw and the discus.
• When competing vs. Division I and Team USA Caliber athletes at the Boston University Indoor meet he finished 14^th in the weight throw.
• Has been named Alfred State Athlete of the Week numerous times.

The Academic Awards honor the male and female athletes who have competed in athletics for at least two years, while achieving the highest overall grade-point average during that time. The 2017-18 recipients were Danielle O'Buckley (Jamaica/Ansbach) and Adam Wilkins (Rochester/Odyssey)

• O'Buckley is a two year member of the soccer team and holds a 4.0 GPA in Surveying and Geomatic Engineering.
• Wilkins is a three-year student athlete who played on the soccer team this year. He has a 3.98 GPA in Financial Planning.

The Pioneer Excellence Cup honors the team that has combined success in athletic achievements, academic excellence, and in civic engagement. For the second year in a row the volleyball team earned the honors.

33 student-athletes that have participated in Alfred State athletics were honored with their 4-Year awards.

Josey Brewer: Swimming, Allison Danielak: Basketball/Women's Soccer, Shannon Dwyer: Volleyball, Holly Fiore: Track & Field, Bryanna Godfrey: Volleyball, Valerie Intini: Volleyball, Cassandra Ryan: Cross Country/Track & Field, and Lindsey Thiel: Cross Country.

Robbie Adams: Basketball, Chris Alfaro: Football, Teddy Alvarado: Lacrosse, Dominic Arresta: Lacrosse, Tim Berry: Track & Field, Alex Brown: Cross Country, Todd Capen: Football, Bryce Cutler: Swimming, Tyler Elliott: Basketball, Michael Girard: Cross Country/& Track & Field, Zack Goodwin: Football, Jacob Hanss: Cross Country, Brandon Holley: Soccer, Eric Hulbert: Cross Country/& Track & Field, John Mormino: Soccer, Rafael Perozo: Baseball, Carlisle Philip: Football, Joe Richardson: Track & Field, Spencer Stokes: Track & Field, George "Ian" Van Valen: Wrestling, Jake Vattimo: Soccer, Andrew Weigman: Baseball, Joe Wittmeyer: Lacrosse, Kory Zimmer: Soccer, and David Zuber: Baseball

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. Paul Welker (Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Information Director) was the recipient of the award for the 2017-18 school year.

This Pioneer Honors distinction is given to an individual that have gone above and beyond to aid the mission of the athletic department during the past year. Gary Porter (Maintenance Supervisor in the facilities department) was the winner of the award.

• Porter has been key in numerous projects around the athletic department including the remodel of the Pioneer Fitness Center, the opening of the cardio center in McKenzie, and press boxes at the baseball and softball fields.
• He has gone the extra mile to get things done that benefit our department and our student-athletes.
• He has been a strong advocate and a continuous supporter of the athletic department.

The Alfred State athletic department is completing their final year of the transition to NCAA Division III. This year, the women's cross country and women's soccer team claimed ACAA Championships, four coaches were named conference coach of the year, and over 60 student-athletes earned athletic or academic conference awards.