Worcester, Mass. – Graduate student Joanna Clark (Windham, Maine), along with seniors Emily Corbett (Rose Valley, Pa.), Scott Hollingsworth (Tilton, N.H.), and Elizabeth Rosen (North Attleboro, Mass.), and junior Brian Vayda (Sturbridge, Mass.) headlined several Clark University student-athletes honored at the Department of Athletics’ annual awards ceremony held on Wednesday evening at the Richard C. Daniels Theater in Atwood Hall.
Clark and Hollingsworth received the prestigious Hazel Hughes and Fred Hebert 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.
Rosen and Vayda 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.
In addition to the Higgins Award, Rosen was also the recipient of the John and Kay Bassett Scholar-Athlete Award, given to the graduating senior student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average.
A three-time NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honoree as well as a four-time Clark Scholar-Athlete, Rosen is quite possibly the finest distance freestyle swimmer in the 34-year history of the Clark swimming program. A neuroscience major, Rosen sports a 4.0 grade-point average and currently holds three school records – two of which stood for more than 25 years. She was a four-time Worcester City Champion in the 1,650 freestyle and holds the meet record in that event.
From 2008-2010 only two women in the conference recorded faster times than her in the 1650 and over her career she was only beaten three times in dual meet competition in the 1000 Freestyle – all by All-American.
Vayda, meanwhile, collects the Granger Award after excelling in the classroom and on the hardwood. He eclipsed the 1,000 point barrier, was named NEWMAC first-team all-conference and ranked in the top ten in nine of the 13 statistical categories tracked by the conference. In 25 games, he finished second in the NEWMAC in scoring (17.6), fourth in rebounding (8.0), seventh in field goal percentage (.468), third in free throw percentage (.814), fourth in steals (2.04), third in three-point percentage (.409), first in offensive rebounds (2.92), fourth in defensive rebounds (5.08) and fourth in minutes played (32.36).
In addition to his performance on the court, Vayda was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Second Team for the second straight season.
During a key four game stretch in the middle of the season, he averaged 22.3 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the field (24-for-52), 46 percent from behind the three-point line (6-for-13) and 97 percent from the free throw line (35-for-36).
Corbett was honored with a newly created award, named in honor of Pat Hassett, who served as the Director of Athletics for women’s sports for 18 years. The award, which will be given annually, is an award based on contributions to the Clark and Worcester communities through service. Corbett, a four-year member of the volleyball program, was an instrumental figure in bringing several initiatives to the forefront. She is one of the key organizers for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life and personally raised $1,000 to help fight breast cancer. She is also a member of the department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Executive Board, and helped coordinate several programs, including Midnight Madness and the Fit To Go Forward Symposium.
Her biggest achievement, however, might have been the implementation of the Bystander Program. Designed as a training program about dating violence prevention, Corbett’s efforts eventually led to the entire athletic department and every team participating in the program.
Clark becomes just the seventh student-athlete in school history to win both the Alice Higgins Award (2010) and the Hazel Hughes Trophy (2011) in their careers. This season in collecting the Hughes Trophy as the top female student-athlete, Clark earned her second straight first-team All-New England selection, becoming the first Clark women’s soccer player to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons since Katie Brothers was selected in four straight seasons from 1998-2001. Earlier this year she became one of two four-time all-conference honorees in women’s soccer school history with her selection this season. Since joining the team in 2007, she started all 71 games in goal for the Cougars, helping Clark advance to the NEWMAC Tournament on three separate occasions. In 2009, she posted eight shutouts en route to a first-team all-conference nod and All-New England honors. During her final season, Clark registered a 1.22 goals against average and totaled five shutouts, giving her 24 blankings during her illustrious career.
Hollingsworth captures the Hebert trophy after a standout career that saw him finish second on the school’s all-time hits list for a career (155). A two-time all-conference performer, he twice tied the school’s single season hits record (47). A scholar-athlete in 2011, was the last player to hit .400 in a Clark uniform, batting .402 in 2009.
The Richie Fairbanks Service Award, given out annually to the individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the athletic program were awarded to three students who served as unpaid team managers for four years – Joshua Cantor (men’s basketball), Kelley Crawford (men’s and women’s swimming and diving) and Maggie Small (softball).
Clark Athletics also honored 138 student-athletes (or 43 percent of its student-athlete body) as scholar-athletes, meaning that they have achieved a 3.5 grade-point average either in the Spring 2010 or Fall 2010 semesters.
Release provided by Kevin Anderson (Sports Information Director)
