General | 5/3/2021 7:30:00 PM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The RIT Department of Intercollegiate Athletics host the 2020-21 Athletics Awards Celebration on Monday, May 3, at Ingle Auditorium.

The department announced its annual major award winners during the virtual event - WATCH HERE

ELLINGSON AWARD – Brook Stanley (Women's Basketball)
Women's basketball and track & field standout Brooke Stanley has been named the 2020-21 Ellingson Award winner as the department's top scholar-athlete.
 
Named after Dr. Mark Ellingson, this award is given to a senior student-athlete who excels both in the classroom and on the playing field. Nominees will have a high cumulative GPA as well as a strong athletic body of work.
 
"I have always had a very strong determination towards growth and improvement and I attribute that largely to athletics," stated Stanley. "Athletics has taught me how to overcome failure and adversity, how to self-reflect, how to define goals, and how to be coachable."

Stanley played four years on the women's basketball team, and was a co-captain her senior season. A 2020 All-Liberty League Second Team selection, Stanley led the team in scoring that season, averaging 15.8 points per game. Stanley helped lead the Tigers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2018 and 2019, and three straight appearances in the Liberty League Championship game.

Stanley is on the women's track and field team in 2021, focusing on hurdle and jumps. She recently cleared 1.57 meters, placing second at a home meet on April 23.

Stanley, a fifth-year mechanical engineering major, was a three-time Liberty League All-Academic selection which honors student-athletes who maintain at least a 3.3 cumulative grade-point average. In 2019, Stanley was a Third Team Google Cloud Academic All-America selection.

"Brooke's academic records stands for itself, and I can attest to her hard work and dedication to learning the material in class," said Dr. Marca J. Lam, Principal Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at RIT. "I have had many athletes in my classes over the years, and I never fail to be impressed by their organizational skills. That said, Brooke stands out above most all of them, since her desire to learn is so strong."
 
A. STEPHEN WALLS LEADERSHIP AWARD – Alyssa Loukola (Women's Crew)
Loukola is a three-year member of the women's crew team, and was named a team captain at the beginning of her sophomore season. That year, she organized and ran the off-season captain's practices and workouts mainly by herself after other captains left the team.

"I spent hours and hours over my winter break researching and planning out the winter season of practices," said Loukola. "I was determined to push this team forward while balancing fun, safety, and mental health."

After the NCAA announced that it would not hold a women's rowing championship, Loukola and fellow captain Melissa Rockhill helped convince the NCAA that the women's rowing championship needed to be held.

"Melissa and I felt that it was unfair the NCAA was not holding a women's crew championship while the other spring sports were," said Loukola. "We did some research and contacted other women from other programs in Division III to get more information. We created a video on how not holding a championship was a disservice to the rowing community and posted it on Instagram."

The video circulated, receiving nearly 20k views. Soon after, the NCAA reviewed their decision, and decided to now hold a Division III women's rowing championship.
 
DR. BILL DESTLER COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD – Lauren Zeglen (Women's Soccer)
Junior Lauren Zeglen of the RIT women's soccer team was selected the 2020-21 Dr. Bill Destler Community Service Award winner.
 
The award is designed to recognize the outstanding efforts of RIT student-athletes and teams in the community and beyond. Community service is central to being a good citizen as well as an engaged member of the campus community. It also adds to the student experience and helps reinforces the department's role as a contributing member of the community.

Zeglen has served as a member of RIT's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee since her first year, serving on the executive board as Vice President and Community Service Coordinator for the past two years.

Zeglen and her teammates have volunteered at School No. 5 in Rochester, helping elementary students learn to read and write. With COVID, Zeglen had to get creative to perform community service. During Thanksgiving, she helped organize all the athletic teams to Adopt A Family. She worked with CP Rochester to pair each of the teams with a family in need in the community. The student-athletes helped provide the families with non-perishable items and gift card donations to support them during the holiday season.
 
"I am very proud of our athletic teams and the effort they put into this event," said Zeglen. "We were able to support and provide Thanksgiving meals for 23 families in need in the Rochester area."
 
Zeglen also played a major role in organizing the first-ever Special Olympics College Championship week in the beginning of April. She worked with the Special Olympic coordinators of the Rochester area to plan virtual events to advocate for inclusion and provide a platform for RIT student-athletes to meet and build relationships with Special Olympic athletes.
 
"I am thankful for the RIT Athletic community which has provided me the opportunity to play a role in the community service initiative of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee," said Zeglen. "Serving the community has allowed me to meet some incredible people and
Inspires me to continue giving back."
 
TIGER POWER DEN AWARDS – Sabrina Wolfe (WBB), Tyler Schwarz (MS&D)
Women's basketball senior Sabrina Wolfe and men's swimming and diving senor Tyler Schwarz were named the 2020-21 Tiger Power Den Award winners, as voted on by the RIT strength and conditioning staff.
 
One male and one female student-athlete are annually recognized for demonstrating a high level of competency in the weight room, including strength and power as well as movement competency.  Recipients have an enthusiasm for training and go above and beyond program requirements in their preparation. Honorees do extra, are highly engaged in the process and are looked to by their teammates as leaders during training sessions.
 
"Both Sabrina and Tyler have been highly dedicated to their training throughout their collegiate careers," said RIT Strength and Conditioning Coach Ryan Kelly. "Even during the summer and winter breaks you will find these two working out in the Tiger Power Den.  Their success in the weight room can be attributed to their consistency and work ethic." 
 
COACHES APPRECIATION AWARD – Athletic Training Staff
The RIT Sports Medicine staff of Ben Emke, Missy Wilson, Amanda Paige and Rob Baumann were tabbed the 2020-21 Coaches Appreciation Award recipients.
 
The award recognizes a group of an individual that has made significant contributions to intercollegiate athletics from outside the department, giving their time and energy to the betterment of the program.
 
"In a typical year, the Athletic Training Staff has a massive workload, overseeing over 600 athletes and 24 teams," said RIT women's soccer coach Liz Masterson. "This year was not typical, and the effort required to get each and every team to train and compete was nothing short of herculean."
 
The RIT Sports Medicine team dedicates several hours to prevention, supervision, evaluation, management, and treatment of student-athletes. Above that they have administrative responsibilities that allow the athletic training facility to run properly.
 
Throughout the COVID pandemic the Sports Medicine team has been involved in daily health screens, COVID protocol, COVID testing, contacting people in quarantine and isolation, making sure positive cases get the proper post COVID care, and COVID return to play.

"The effort to make that happen behind the scenes, shouldered by our Athletic Training Staff, in addition to the attention they give to all of our athletes on a regular basis, was beyond measure," said Masterson. "They showed us all what it means to have RIT Grit and Resilience."

JAN STRINE AWARD – Fern Wilson/Zoe Prince (Women's Crew)
Women's rowers Fern Wilson and Zoe Prince were voted the 2020-21 Jan Strine Award winners.
 
The department annually recognizes a group or an individual for being an outstanding friend to both the RIT Athletics and National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) communities that has helped strengthen the relationship and mutual support between the two.

Prince, a coxswain on the rowing team since 2018, and Wilson who is deaf/hard of hearing, devised a way to communicate with each other while in the boat rowing. A coxswain's role is to be the rowers eyes, ears, motivator and coach in the boat during a race. Many of those cues come verbally.

Through much research, trial and error and consultation, they figured out a way to communicate with one another while remaining fast and not hindering the speed of the boat.

"I developed my novel communication system because so many important people helped and supported me: Fern, interpreters, coaches and those before me who recorded their research," said Prince. "I am so proud that Fern and I communicate efficiently and effectively. We are on the same wavelength and can now communicated seamlessly."

ATHLETICS CULTURAL COMPETENCY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE AWARD – Stella Haberman (Women's Hockey)
Senior Stella Haberman of the RIT women's hockey team is the first recipient of the 2020-21 Athletics Cultural Competency and Social Justice Award winner.
 
The award is in honor of long-time RIT administrators Dr. Howard Ward and Dr. Barry Culhane who worked passionately to support the very best examples of commitment to the wellbeing of the human spirit. With over 70 years of combined administrative, leadership and teaching service in advancing diversity at RIT, Dr. Ward and Dr. Culhane have set the highest standards for others to emulate.
The purpose of the award is to assure the continuance of a legacy dedicated to social justice, inclusion and respect for of all humanity by honoring athletes who carry out these noble qualities.
Nominated student-athletes have clearly and unequivocally demonstrated superior commitment to the enhancement and development of pluralism and diversity on the RIT campus and in the Greater Rochester community in ways that have made a quantifiable impact that can be substantiated based on the following:

• Significantly promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and cultural competency within RIT Athletics and the campus community.
• Leads initiatives with the desired outcome of increased awareness, understanding or promoting diversity in RIT Athletics.
• Creates opportunities for athletes of different backgrounds and identities to navigate difficult conversations or circumstances and/or provides support.
• Promotes diversity, equity and inclusion in athletics through education and the communication of ideas.
• Consistently demonstrates high accountability to self and holds others accountable for unacceptable behaviors.

Haberman served as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion representative for RIT's Student Athlete Advisory Committee's (SAAC) Executive Board.

"Continuous education is the key to being an advocate and ally within the realm of DEI, as education is the most critical component of moving towards complete inclusivity," said Haberman. "I am very grateful for all of the learning I have done for this year, and much of this learning has stemmed from those around me and the experiences of others."

Some of the initiatives Haberman has begun as the first DEI representative is leading the facilitation of the monthly DEI related discussions for all student-athletes, the creation of a monthly DEI newsletter for RIT Athletics to stay informed about critical issues and topics occurring throughout the country, and the world. She is in the process of planning for a LGBTQ+ Support Slack which will provide a starting point for the next DEI Representative as support is critical.
 
"Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is the most important aspect of the legacy I wish to leave
with RIT Athletics," said Haberman. "I am grateful to have been the first Student-Athlete to have had the opportunity to learn and grow this position and provide a resource for others."
 
SAAC APPRECIATION AWARD – Lou Spiotti Jr. (Exectutive Director of Athletics)
Executive Director for RIT Athletics Lou Spiotti was named the recipient of the 2020-21 SAAC Appreciation Award.

Voted on by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the award recognizes an individual, group or department that continuously strives to enhance the overall student athlete experience. 
 
"Mr. Spiotti has put 47 years into building the student-athlete experience that we have today," said Brooke Stanley, RIT SAAC President for 2020-21. "He has built a culture of pride, respect, determination, and leadership that allows us to excel in academics and athletics."

Spiotti, who will be retiring this summer, is the nation's longest tenured intercollegiate athletic director, Spiotti will depart following nearly 47-years of service at RIT, including the last 41 managing the athletics department. 
 
RIT teams have achieved national prominence under Spiotti's watch. The men's hockey team won a Division II national championship in 1983 and added a Division III crown two years later. The women's hockey team also won a Division III national championship in 2012. 
 
Spiotti oversaw the transition of both hockey programs to the Division I level. The men made the jump in 2005, playing their way to the NCAA "Frozen Four" only five years later. The women made their move in 2013 and promptly won back-to-back College Hockey America (CHA) conference championships in their first two seasons of Division I play.
 
Spiotti also watched the Tigers achieve unprecedented Division III success. RIT teams totaled 41 conference championships during the last 20 years, transitioning to the Liberty League in 2011 after 10 seasons in the Empire 8.
 
"We are so grateful for his commitment to us and we will miss him in his blazer and "ball cap" at sporting events," said Stanley. "We are thankful for everything he has given us and his legacy will certainly live on through the continued growth and success of our program thanks to the strong foundation he laid."

TIGER INSPIRATION AWARD - Hassan Eissa (MXC/T&F)
Read Hassan's story HERE