ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College Department of Intercollegiate Athletics hosted its 2019-20 Senior Student-Athlete Awards Banquet virtual last night, June 25, in a pre-recorded ceremony. Traditionally, the banquet is held on campus inside Emerson Suites during Senior Week, but due to the current pandemic, the department was unable to honor its graduating senior class in person.
 
In the pre-recorded awards ceremony, which ran for 33 minutes on the Bomber Sports YouTube channel and can be viewed below, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports Susan Bassett '79, opened with welcoming remarks. President Shirley M. Collado then congratulated this year's senior class before Brandy Smith '17, a three-time national champion in track & field, served as the guest speaker before the awards were handed out.


 
Ithaca's NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative and Clinical Professor in Physical Therapy Barb Belyea '82 welcomed the newest class into Chi Alpha Sigma, as well as presented scholar-athlete awards, while Athletic Training Department Chair Dr. Paul Geisler revealed the program's athletic training awards. Head coaches Keith Batson (women's golf), Erin Dinan (cross country) and Jim Mullins (men's basketball) delivered speeches for the major award winners.
 

Ben Light Athlete of the Year Award

Iris Carnell Athlete of the Year Award

Robert C. Deming Leadership Award

James K. Harris Memorial Award

Chi Alpha Sigma

Headlining the evening's events were the announcements of the Iris Carnell Female and Ben Light Male Athletes of the Year. This year, the prestigious awards were handed to Parley Hannan of women's cross country and track & field and Sebastian Alderete from men's basketball.
 
The Iris Carnell Female Athlete of the Year is presented annually to the senior female student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding athletic ability, leadership and contributions to her team. Hannan could not have embodied those traits any more perfectly, as the senior put together one of the most successful seniors in Ithaca College history.
 
Hannan became the College's first-ever cross country national champion this past fall as she won the title race by more than 18 seconds in November. Hannan was named Liberty League and USTFCCCA National Runner of the Year during the cross country season, and that dominance transitioned into indoor track & field. Over the winter months, Hannan set multiple school and facility records, including a NCAA Division III record in the 5,000-meter run. She would go on to hold the No. 1 time nationally individually in the mile, 3,000 and 5,000, and was the anchor leg on the nation's top distance medley relay team. Hannan's remarkable season would be cut short at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships due to COVID-19.
 
The Ben Light Male Athlete of the Year is the honor presented to the senior male student-athlete who has demonstrated excellence in sport leadership in competition, as well as ability in the classroom. Alderete was the epitome of this award during his final season on South Hill.
 
The Miami Springs, Fla. served as a captain on this year's team, which won the program's first Liberty League title, and the first conference title since 2012-13. Ithaca advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships, where it went toe-to-toe with the nation's No. 1 team in Swartmore College. The Bombers matched a program record with 24 victories on the season and Alderete was a major factor in the team's success.
 
He would be named MVP of the Liberty League Tournament, as well as First-Team All-Liberty League and was an all-region recipient by D3hoops.com and the NABC. Alderete eclipsed 1,000 points for his career during his senior campaign, and concluded the season averaging 16.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
 
Other major awards that were presented during this morning's ceremony were the Robert C. Deming Award and the James K. Harris Memorial Award.
 
The Robert C. Deming Award is named for the former Ithaca College Athletic Director and is presented to the student-athlete who has been recognized for athletic ability, maintaining high standards in the classroom and demonstrated outstanding leadership on campus and in the community. This year's award winner was Peyton Greco from women's golf.
 
Greco produced one of the best careers in women's golf history at IC. She was named Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Year in 2017 and Liberty League Golfer of the Year in 2019. Greco was also a three-time Liberty League All-Academic selection and a two-time all-conference honoree. This season, she set a new 18-hole career-low score of 72 (E) and a career-best 36-hole score at the St. Lawrence Invitational before the campaign was cut short. Her season 18-hole average of 77.83 was on track to be the fourth-best mark in program history and best since 2015-graduate Sharon Li during her senior campaign. She also served as Co-President on SAAC and was the keynote speaker during IC's annual Scholar-Athlete Luncheon held during the winter.
 
The James K. Harris Memorial Award recognizes the most outstanding and versatile student-athlete who excelled in two-or-more varsity sports, while representing the qualities of leadership, loyalty, and team spirit. Earning the award for the 2019-20 season was Sarah Rudge from women's cross country and track & field.
 
A three-sport athlete for four seasons, Rudge excelled in all three sports. In cross country, Rudge was a two-time All-Liberty League performer and an USTFCCCA Atlantic Region runner. She also qualified for the NCAA Championships this past fall. During her track & field career, Rudge was a five-time NCAA qualifier. She made her first appearance at the national meet as part of the DMR team in 2016-17 and then was an individual qualifier in the indoor 800 and outdoor 800 and 1500 in 2018-19. She would qualify for the 800 once again this winter and was named an All-American. Over her career, Rudge earned six all-conference honors.
 
The academic awards were highlighted by Alex Estanislau of women's swimming & diving and Max Barish of men's soccer and Evan Jones from men's indoor track & field. Each senior was presented with the Bernard Senior Scholar Athlete Award honoring the top-GPA achiever for both the men's and women's programs. Additionally, each sport season bestowed the highest GPA earner. For women's sports, the top GPAs were Maggie Nickerson (cross country), Estanislau and Liza Caldicott (crew). On the men's side, it was Barish, Jones and Andrew McCabe (crew).
 
The Chi Alpha Sigma award was bestowed to all senior student-athletes who maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.40-or-higher during their collegiate careers. The award winners are listed in the graphics below.




 
Rounding out the honors on the evening were the athletic training awards, presented to the graduating members of IC's renowned athletic training certification program. In total, four honorees were given recognitions.
 
The 2020 recipient of the Mark H. Alderman Athletic Training Service Award was Justinian Michaels. The Alderman Award is presented to the senior athletic training student who demonstrates the qualities of service, kindness, and compassion for others exemplified by Mark Alderman, ATC.
 
The 2020 recipient of the Rodney H. Dusinberre Athletic Training Excellence Award was Cody Wamsley. The Dusinberre honor is presented to the senior athletic training student who best exemplifies the qualities of hard work, commitment, and loyalty to the Ithaca College athletic training program.
 
The final award bestowed was the 2020 Department of Exercise & Sport Sciences Excellence in Athletic Training Award. Earning this year's honors were Emily Condello and Derek Hessing. This award is presented to students in each major within the Department of Exercise & Sport Sciences who, through their studies, curricular and extracurricular activities, embody the professional and educational aspirations implicit in the major.