Seniors Mark Alexander (Providence, R.I.), Lauren Blake (Oakland, Maine), Joanna Clark (Windham, Maine) and graduate student Mike Smith (Milford, Conn.) headlined several Clark University student-athletes honored at the Department of Athletics’ annual awards ceremony held on Tuesday evening at Tilton Hall in the University’s Higgins Center.
Alexander and Blake received the prestigious Fred Hebert and Hazel Hughes trophies given annually to the male and female who have made a significant contribution to the intercollegiate athletic program and whose dedication and performance have enriched the tradition of Clark Athletics.
Clark and Smith meanwhile were presented the Alice Higgins and Russ Granger Awards, bestowed annually to the male and female student-athletes who have combined academic excellence with athletic achievement.
Alexander, only the second player in the history of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men’s basketball to be named all-conference four times, capped a standout career with a 2010 NEWMAC Tournament Championship and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He appeared in 104 of a possible 106 games and finished his career with 1,643 points, good for fifth on the school’s on the all-time list. He led the Cougars in scoring in all four seasons, saving his best for last, leading the Cougars to their first winning season since 2003-04. He appeared in 29 games in 2009-10 and led the team in scoring (17.0), steals (45), free throw percentage (79.4), free throws made (135), free throws attempted (170) and was second in assists (80).
Blake a two-sport athlete in field hockey and softball had an amazing career in both. In field hockey, despite playing just three seasons, she ranks ninth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 95 points and was named NEWMAC all-conference twice and all-region on three other occasions. On the softball diamond, Blake was as equally impressive, recording 209 career hits, good for second on the all-time list. She was named all-conference three times and all-region twice more in addition being a first-team All-ECAC performer.
Another two-sport athlete, Clark excelled on the soccer pitch, earning all-conference honors three times and All-New England as a senior. She has started all 54 games in her first three years and has 19 shutouts, including a league-best seven this season. In softball, she has played all four years and has started 138 out of 139 career games, recording nearly 90 hits and driving in 50 runs. In addition to her athletic prowess, Clark served as the President of the department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a member of the University’s Athletic Board. With another year of eligibility left in soccer, Clark will return to the field in the fall as she enters the University’s fifth-year program to pursue her master’s degree.
One of the most courageous stories in recent memory involves the recipient of the Russ Granger Award in Smith. Another two-sport athlete, Smith was a member of the men’s swimming team for three seasons before he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma prior to the start of his senior season. He went through treatment and returned to the pool, becoming a captain and joining the rowing team. 14 months after completing chemotherapy, he set personal bests in multiple events. He ranks No. 2 all-time in the 200-yard breaststroke, No. 3 in the 50-yard breaststroke, No. 4 in the 100-yard breaststroke and holds school records in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard medley relay. Having already completed his undergraduate coursework, Smith will graduate this spring from the fifth-year program with a master’s degree in public administration.
In addition to the four major award winners, seven others received individual honors. In addition, 48 seniors received a four-year participant award for competing on a varsity team for four years.
Andrew Ninnemann (Menlo Park, Calif.) was honored as the newly-named John Bassett Senior Scholar Award recipient, given to a student-athlete of the graduating class who has the highest grade point average. Ninnemann, a midfielder on the men’s soccer team, was also named Phi Beta Kappa as well as a Gryphon & Pleiades honoree, which is Composed of a small group of outstanding seniors who have distinguished themselves in leadership, academics community service, character, extracurricular involvement and/or athletics.
Jillian Camilleri (Lancaster, Mass.) and Dana Akerfelds (Bronxville, N.Y.) were named the recipients of the Merit Award, given annually to the senior student-athletes who have had a significant impact on their sports. Camilleri, a second-team all-conference performer in women’s basketball, became the 17th 1,000-point scorer in program history, while Akerfelds, who holds eight school records, capped her career with a pair of second-team all-conference showings at the 2010 NEWMAC Swimming and Diving Championships.
Women’s soccer student-athlete Lauren King (Piscataway, N.J.) and two-sport athlete Taylor Morono (New London, N.H.) both received the Senior Class Award, presented to the senior athletes who best exemplifies class, spirit and integrity in his or her athletic endeavors. A three-time NEWMAC All-Academic selection, King appeared in 68 games, making 63 starts while helping anchor one of the stingiest defenses in the conference.
Morono, meanwhile, played a key role on both the men’s swimming and lacrosse teams. In the pool, he is a member of the 800-yard relay team that ranks in the top five in school history and on the field, he helped with the resurrection of the lacrosse program, as the Cougars won the second most games in a season in school history.
The Richie Fairbanks Service Award, given out annually to the individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the athletic program were awarded to women’s tennis student-athlete, Phoebe Livingston (Jamestown, R.I.) and women’s basketball player Blaize Denfeld (South Windsor, Conn.). Both were members of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Executive Board, as well as prominent figures not only in athletics, but campus endeavors as well, playing vital roles in campus cleanup, winter coat drive, canned food drive and the Haiti Relief Fundraising initiative.
Prior to the Athletic Awards program, over 120 student-athletes were honored at the Scholar Athlete Reception.
