Lyndonville, VT - After going virtual the past two years, Northern Vermont University-Lyndon returned to its traditional banquet format for its annual Athletic Awards Celebration. The event took place Monday evening at the Burke Mountain Hotel and Conference Center in Burke, VT. The NVU-Lyndon Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the NVU-Lyndon Department of Athletics co-sponsored the event.
Athletic Banquet Photo Album
NVU-Lyndon SAAC President Luc Parrett (Eden Mills, VT) welcomed student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and guests. He also served as master of ceremonies for the event.
NVU Interim President Dr. John Mills also extended his congratulations, and presented the NVU President's Cup to Parrett. The Cup is awarded annually to the NVU campus that demonstrated athletic superiority over the academic year. This year, NVU-Lyndon won the Cup with a 7.25-5.75 advantage over NVU-Johnson.
NVU-Lyndon Director of Athletics Chris Gilmore, SAAC Advisor, Megan Barnes, and Hornet head coaches also spoke and presented awards.
Several major department awards were presented:
Dudley Bell Most Outstanding Male and Female Athletes: senior men's basketball, men's tennis, and men's lacrosse player Zach Falkenburg (Bridgeport, NY) and freshman women's soccer, women's basketball, and softball player Riann Fortin (Derby, VT)
Champions of Character Award: senior men's tennis player Patrick Wickstrom (Lafayette, LA)
Green and Gold Awards (female and male athletes with the highest GPA): senior women's basketball player Lea Crompton (Dunbarton, NH) and senior men's cross country runner Christopher Chichester (Orleans, VT)
SAAC Coach of the Year: softball coach Kevin Valentine
SAAC Fan of the Year: James Salvas
SAAC UFC Award: Chris Gilmore
Coaches for each of Lyndon's varsity athletic teams selected team awards. The list of athletes receiving team awards is as follows:
Women's Soccer
Guts & Grit Award - Raquel Madeja
Most Improved Player - Johannah Parker
Autumn Fahey Award - Riann Fortin
Men's Soccer
Most Valuable Player - Brett Roy
Best Teammate - Matthew Condon
Frank Spears Award - Garrick Webster
Men's Cross Country
Most Valuable Player - Christopher Chichester
Coaches Award - Andrew Grautski
Women's Tennis
Most Valuable Player - Saleena Porter
Coaches Award - Devon Kibbey
Men's Tennis
Coaches Award - Patrick Wickstrom
Most Valuable Player - Zach Falkenburg
Volleyball
Team Player Award - Charlotte Morris
Offensive Player Award - Kiana Jones
Men's Basketball
Most Outstanding Teammate - Luke Bergmans
Hornet Core Values Award - Antonio Carlisle
Michael Tessier Award - Zach Falkenburg
Women's Basketball
The Hornet Way Award - Riann Fortin
Defensive Player of the Year - Kerigan Disorda
Women's Lacrosse
Heart of a Hornet Award - Rachel Palladino
Bus Driver Award - Paige Daley
Men's Lacrosse
Warrior Award - Anthony Townsend
Most Improved Player - Isaac McCann
Baseball
Most Valuable Player - Skyler Bushey
Claude Piche Award - Steven Friscia
Softball
Queen Bee Award - Saleena Porter
Queen Bee Award - Victoria Valentine
In recognition of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, Director of athletics Chrid Gilmore presented several Title IX 50th Anniversary Athletic Directors Awards to the following female student-athletes: Saleena Porter, Charlotte Morris, Nyah Garner, Raquel Madeja, Victoria Valentine, Lea Crompton, Faith Poirier.
Finally, several superlative awards were voted on by the student athletes:
Most Swagger: Jeremy Peralta
Most Sideline Energy: Samantha Valentine
Most Likely to Make Teammates Laugh: Isaac McCann
Most Likely to Miss the Bus: Victoria Valentine
Best Play or Performance in a Single Contest: John Mahoney, walk off home run to beat Husson
