Fitchburg State Hosts Annual Athletics Awards Banquet
Seventy-two senior athletes recognized at Senior Athletics Awards Banquet
FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Fitchburg State Athletics Department hosted its annual Senior Athletic Awards Banquet Monday evening as guests gathered at the Mount Wachusett Ski Resort for a night that showcased the best of Falcons' Athletics.
Sixty-eight senior athletes were honored in the festivities, while ten Fitchburg State athletes were recognized with special awards, including the Paul K. Waring '38 Athlete of the Year Award, the Senior Scholar Athlete Award, the Sue Lauder Leadership Award, the Rookie of the Year Award, the Kruczek Award as well as the inaugural Fitchburg State Academic Team of the Year Award
Paul K. Waring '38 Male Athlete of the Year – Nick Cordeau, Baseball
Sophomore Nicholas Cordeau (Melrose, Mass.) helped lead the Fitchburg State baseball team to the second seed in the 2019 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Post-Season Tournament
His achievements on the field were shown throughout the season as he led the team in several categories, including batting average (.366), hits (45), runs scored (38), RBI (30), triples (3), home runs (7) and stolen bases (16). In addition, he was also named to the D3 Baseball Team of the Week as an outfielder for the week of April 6th as well a two-time MASCAC Baseball Player Of The Week honoree.
Paul K. Waring '38 Female Athlete of the Year – McKenzie Lambert, Softball
Junior McKenzie Lambert (Wilbraham, Mass.) helped guide the Fitchburg State softball team into the MASCAC Post-Season tournament for the seventh straight season.
She has etched her name into the Falcons record books, tying the single season record for most hits in a season with 51 as well as setting a new Falcons single season record in total bases with 90, while recently collecting her 100th career hit with a two-run home run in a 10-1, game two win over Salem State in late April.
This season, the junior outfielder led the team in nearly every offensive category, including at bats (126), hits (51), doubles (15), triples (4), home runs (5), RBI (36) and runs scored (40).
Male Senior Scholar Athlete – Connor McPherson, Ice Hockey
Senior Connor McPherson (Clovis, Calif.) was the captain of the men's ice hockey team this year. A Professional Writing major, this young man has been named to both the Dean's List and President's and currently has a 3.69 GPA.
This season he registered 16 points on two goals and 14 assists as well as one power play marker, while anchoring a Falcons defensive that limited opponents to a minimal 2.66 goals per contest. For his efforts he was named to the MASCAC Ice Hockey All-Conference Second Team.
Female Senior Scholar Athlete – Maddie Medina, Softball
Senior Maddie Medina (Pelham, N.H.) is a Criminal Justice major who has excelled academically and athletically. With a 4.00 GPA, she has been named to both the Dean's List and the President's List, and is a member of the National College Athlete Honor Society as well being named the 2019 class valedictorian.
She has taken on the challenge of an incredibly difficult duel sport athlete and excelled both on field and in the classroom. On the soccer field, she netted one marker this season, while anchoring a Falcon defense that limited opponents to 2.65 goals per contest. In addition, on the softball field, she bolstered a .354 batting average on 28 hits, eight doubles, one triple, 22 runs scored and 19 RBI in 34 games for the Green and Gold.
Male Sue Lauder Leadership Award – Tommy Parsons, Baseball
Senior Tommy Parsons (Peabody, Mass.) A four-year member the Fitchburg State University baseball team, this young man demonstrates leadership with his actions on and off the field. This year he had a stellar senior season and tied the single game strikeout record with 13 strikeouts against Mass. Maritime earlier this season.
He persevered through a pair of injuries, showing up for 7:00 am lifts to push his teammates during their workouts. His leadership and selflessness has radiated throughout the team. This season, he has posted a team-leading ERA of 2.60 with 47 strikeouts in 34 and two-thirds innings of work, while also currently leading the team in wins with five.
A proven leader both on the baseball diamond and in the classroom
Female Sue Lauder Leadership Award – Molly Richard, Field Hockey
Senior Molly Richard (Leominster, Mass.) is a four-year member of the Fitchburg State University field hockey team.
Through her hard work and outstanding leadership, this young woman has led by example both on and off the field. She is a four time member of the LEC All-Conference Team as well as an excellent student who is a member of the National College Athlete Honor Society, while currently holding a 3.9 GPA.
She is one of a select few in the history of the Fitchburg State field hockey program to garner National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) DIII New England West All-Regional Honors, while also a four time member of both the NFHCA National Academic and MASCAC All-Academic Squads.
This season she ranked first on the team in goals (13), points (30) and game winning markers (4), while ranking second all-time in goals scored with 54 and points with 128. Simply put, she is a hard worker, student athlete and leader both on and off the field.
Male Rookie of the Year – Samuel Kenny
Freshman Samuel Kenny (South Yarmouth, Mass As a member of the Fitchburg State football team, this young man made an immediate impact on the Falcons defensive line.
The freshman defensive lineman ranked third on the team with 44 tackles on 27 solo stops and 17 assisted tackles as well ranking first on the squad with seven and half sacks to go along with eight and half tackles for loss, one fumble recovered and one kick blocked.
For his efforts, he was selected the 2019 MASCAC Football Defensive Rookie of the Year as well as being selected the Worcester All-Area Freshman of the Year to go along with being named to the Worcester All-Area Second Team.
Female Rookie of the Year – Olivia Pietersen, Softball
Freshman Olivia Pietersen (Norton, Mass.) Nursing major from Norton, Massachusetts who helped lead the Fitchburg State Softball team to a new single regular season wins records of 24 during the 2019 season.
This freshman infielder posted a .351 batting average with 40 hits, seven doubles, two triples, 22 runs scored and 24 RBI in 36 contests for the Green and Gold, while being named the MASCAC Softball Rookie of the Week three times over the course of the year.
Kruczek Award – Colin McShane, Men's Cross Country/Track & Field
Senior Colin McShane (Malden, Mass.) received this award that honors a student-athlete who demonstrates courage and spirit while participating as a student-athlete. This year's winner is a perfect example of the great things that can happen when you have that courage and spirit.
This young man has persevered through numerous challenges. At the age of 16 he had to pick up a job, while in high school to help support his family. Though his mom passed away during his junior year, he continued high school and picked up cross country, track and swimming to help him coup with this life altering tragedy.
His freshman year of college, he had no family support, so he relied on the people around him for support and through his cross country and track teammates was able to get through this transition from high school to college.
Now working a full-time job to help pay for various expenses, he still runs five days a week and finds time to be able to complete his school work load, while also volunteering at various non-profit organizations. He matured at much younger age than most and truly represents what this award is presented for.
Fitchburg State Academic Team of the Year –Fitchburg State Women's Lacrosse
This is the inaugural year that this award will be presented and is awarded to the team at Fitchburg State University that has the highest team Grade Point Average.
Throughout the 2018-19 season, this team has excelled both on and off the field and it has shown as the team bolstered a team GPA of 3.3. This squad had achieved a 3.0 or higher team GPA in three of the last four seasons to earn Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association (IWLCA) honors, while also playing at a competitive collegiate level throughout the year. Recently six members of the 2019 squad were inducted into the National Collegiate Athlete Honor Society, while nine of the members of this year's team were represented on the 2018 MASCAC Spring All-Academic Team last season.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW HIGHLIGHT VIDEO – Produced By FSU Sophomore Sophia Laperle
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS FROM EVENT– Courtesy of FSU Junior Olivia Grant
For more information regarding the Fitchburg State Athletic Awards Banquet, please contact Assistant Sports Information Director Jamie Rogers via email at jrogers@fitchburgstate.edu.