FOOTBALL BANQUET GALLERY

ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College football program hosted its annual end of the year awards banquet on Saturday, February 4 at Emerson Suites on campus. Over the course of the evening, individual awards were distributed, special recognitions were handed out, and hall of fame head coach Mike Welch '73 was presented with a commemorative game ball in what was his final awards banquet as coach of the Bombers' program.

The Jim Butterfield Memorial Award, which recognizes a player's outstanding contributions on the field and for his desire to help the team achieve success, was given to senior lineman Joe Vandenbos. Vandenbos started all 10 games this season at left tackle and was named Empire 8 Honorable Mention All-Conference.

Senior co-captain and defensive lineman Rob Barbieri received the Richard "Dick" Lyon Memorial Award. The award, named after the former IC coach, honors a player who excels on the field, demonstrates class, and earns respect through his demeanor. Barbieri recorded 33 tackles with 8.5 for a loss and three sacks in 10 games played.

The Michael S. Bond Memorial Award is presented to a player who shows total commitment and is committed to the team's success. Senior safety Skyler Kauf received this award at the banquet. Kauf ranked sixth on the team with 35 tackles and four pass breakups in eight games.

Senior co-captain and quarterback Wolfgang Shafer was recognized as the John Fasolino Award winner. This award goes to the player who embodies and demonstrates unselfish contributions to the community and to his teammates. Shafer passed for 1,833 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2016 and completed 59.1-percent of his passes. He would be named Ithaca's Sportsman of the Year for the Empire 8 at season's end.

The Bradshaw Family Award honors commitment and emotional investment in the team's success while serving as a team leader, and it was presented to senior linebacker Devan Shambo, who notched 27 tackles in nine games.

Junior running back Tristan Brown earned Honorary Offensive Captain. Brown, a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, led the team in rushing yards with 630 on 153 carries and four touchdowns. Brown posted three 100-yard rushing games on the season, including a season-high 131 yards against Hartwick.

The Honorary Defensive Captain went to junior linebacker Kenny Bradley, who was a second-team all-conference performer. Bradley was second on the team with 90 total tackles to go along with two interceptions, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

Bradley was selected as the Joe Agnello Award winner, which honors the team's hardest worker in offseason weight training, along with passion and intensity.

Junior cornerback and return specialist Jordan Schemm received Honorary Special Teams Captain, Outstanding Back Award and Outstanding Specialist Award. Schemm cleaned up postseason awards in 2016, as he was named D3football.com Honorable Mention All-American, Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Year, D3football.com First-Team All-East Region as a returner and second-team at corner, ECAC North First-Team All-Star and Empire 8 First-Team All-Conference at both positions.

Junior linebacker Dan Loizos earned the Outstanding Lineman Award. Loizos was a first-team honoree for the Empire 8, an ECAC all-star, D3football.com all-region performer and garnered D3football.com Team of the Week honors on October 4. He led the Ithaca defense with 104 tackles, including eight for a loss.

The Bomber Attitude Award was presented to senior running back Shawal Abdur-Rahman, which is given to a player who embodies Bomber Spirit and is a team player.

Sophomore linebacker Pat Minogue was honored with the Whistleman Award, which goes to the player who shows continued effort and never stops playing. After the first game of the season, Minogue landed on the D3football.com Team of the Week after a show-stopping fourth quarter performance against Union. In that period, Minogue forced a fumble, notched back-to-back sacks and intercepted a pass to end the game.

The Most Improved Back Award went to junior defensive back Mike Miller. Miller played in all 10 games and ranked fourth on the team with 56 tackles to go along with three pass breakups and two interceptions.

Senior defensive lineman Peter Trathen was honored with the Most Improved Lineman Award after totaling 25 tackles, five for a loss and two-and-a-half sacks.

The Courage Award was given to senior wide receiver Brian Balsamo, who overcame injuries throughout his career and continued to contribute to the team.

The Marty Higgins Memorial Award is presented to a player who shows a positive attitude and perseverance and makes excellent contributions to the junior varsity team. Freshman Zach Raymond was the recipient of this award on Saturday.

Nick Bruner and Alexis Forde were honored with the Appreciation Award for their contributions to the football program this season.