The 2017 SUNY Cortland C-Club Athletic Awards Ceremony, held May 1 at the College's Alumni Arena, honored the top student-athletes from among the 600-plus who competed on Cortland's 25 men's and women's intercollegiate teams during the past academic year.
 

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CEREMONY PHOTO GALLERY

LINK TO VIDEO - TOP 10 MOMENTS OF THE YEAR  (since last year's ceremony)

LINKS TO OTHER VIDEOS PLAYED AT CEREMONY (Red Letter Winners, Senior Athlete Finalists, and more)

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The SUNY Cortland C-Club Male Senior Athlete of the Year Award was presented to wrestler Bobby Dierna (Webster/Wayne) and the C-Club Female Senior Athlete of the Year Award was presented to women's lacrosse attacker Kristen Ohberg (Brewster). The awards are sponsored by the C-Club and were voted upon by Cortland athletic administrators.

Dierna is the first Cortland wrestler to win two national titles. He repeated as NCAA Division III champion at 157 pounds and finished the season 21-0 with nine pins, six technical falls and five major decisions. A four-time All-American, Dierna was also national runner-up at 149 pounds in 2014 and third nationally at that weight in 2013. He finished with a career record of 106-9 with 35 pins and 12 technical falls.
 
Ohberg currently leads Cortland's women's lacrosse team this spring with 37 goals and 34 assists for 71 points. A first-team All-America, All-Empire Region and All-SUNYAC attacker last spring, Ohberg is one of only five players in school history to score 200 career goals. She presently ranks fifth at Cortland with 210 goals and second in both assists (159) and total points (369).
 
Other finalists for Male Senior Athlete of the Year were: track and field multi-event competitors Connor Christopherson (Morrisvonville/Saranac) and Jack Flood (Blue Point/Bayport-Blue Point); lacrosse defender Dave Foster (Farmingville/Sachem East); football wide receiver Jon Mannix (East Northport/John H. Glenn); and men's soccer forward Nick Tata (Rochester/Aquinas Institute).
 
Other Female Senior Athlete of the Year finalists were: cross country and track distance runner Mary Baughman (Rush/Rush-Henrietta); lacrosse goalie Jaclyn Beshlian (Wantagh); basketball guard Cassidy Chapko (Valley Falls/Hoosic Valley); softball third baseman Kaleigh Churchill (Camillus/West Genesee); and field hockey forward Gabby Stein (Endwell/Maine-Endwell).
 
For the second year, the College recognized the C-Club Male and Female Freshman Athletes of the Year. The men's winner was baseball outfielder Colin BeVard (Syracuse/West Genesee), who is batting .347 in 31 games, 22 as a starter, so far this spring. The women's winner was women's lacrosse midfielder Lexie Meager (Syracuse/West Genesee), who presently ranks second on the team with 31 goals and 40 total points in 16 starts.
 
The Freshman of the Year awards were limited to "true" freshmen in their first year in college. The other men's finalists were football offensive lineman/special teams player Travis Alvarez (Keyport, NJ) and soccer defender Nevin Nambiar (New Hyde Park/Herricks). The other women's finalists were golfer Danielle Bambola (Miller Place), softball catcher Victoria Brown (Fresh Meadows/Archbishop Molloy), gymnast Sidney McConnell (Winchester, CA/Vista Murrieta), and softball outfielder Kelly O'Gorman (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa).
 
Christopherson received the Carl "Chugger" Davis Award, which is given to a senior male athlete for strong leadership skills and athletic achievement. Christopherson finished third nationally in the heptathlon at the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships and has qualified for three other national championship indoor and outdoor meets Davis was Cortland's head football coach from 1932 to 1962 and also coached baseball, basketball and golf.
 
Softball first baseman Mikayla Shade (Glenmont/Bethlehem) received the M. Louise Moseley Award, which goes to a senior female athlete who has demonstrated both strong leadership skills and athletic achievement. Shade is batting .306 with 24 RBI through 36 games and was an all-region selection as a sophomore. Moseley was Cortland's Director of Women's Athletics from 1966-78. A pioneer for women's athletics, she played an integral role in the start of women's intercollegiate athletics at Cortland in the late 1960s.
 
Gymnast Tara Sweeney (Staten Island/Notre Dame Academy) earned the Whitney T. Corey '43 Award, which is presented to the senior female student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average. Sweeney is a biomedical sciences major with a 4.04 overall GPA entering the spring semester. Corey coached men's basketball at Cortland in the 1950s and early 1960s and also served as the school's vice president for academic affairs. The main gymnasium in Cortland's Park Center bears his name.
 
Foster won the Robert J. Weber Award as the senior male student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average. He is a business economics major with a 3.77 overall GPA prior to the spring semester. Weber was Cortland's director of athletics for 12 years and the Chairman of the Men's Physical Education department for 15 years. He worked at Cortland from 1952-85.
 
Darren McCormick (Buffalo/West Seneca East) won the Peter J. Cahill '66 Award. The award, named for Cortland's former swimming and diving and women's tennis head coach, is presented to either a current student-athlete or non-athlete student for involvement in activities outside of sports and/or contributions to the Athletics Department. McCormick, a member of the men's ice hockey team, assisted the Athletics Department with various video and graphic projects during his tenure as a student-athlete.
 
The 21st annual C-Club Coach of the Year Award was presented to men's soccer head coach Steve Axtell, who led the Red Dragons to a SUNYAC title and their second NCAA Division III "Sweet 16" appearance in the last three years. Cortland set a school record for wins during its 19-3 campaign, which included a 14-game winning streak from Sept. 24 through Nov. 13. Axtell was named the SUNYAC and ECAC North Coach of the Year, and was joined by his assistants as the East Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Dan Surdam and Sila Argyle were chosen as the Fraser Stokes Award winners for their dedication and service to Cortland Athletics. Surdam is completing his 17th year as Cortland's associate sports information director. Argyle is the supervising janitor at the Park Center, which houses many of Cortland's athletic facilities, and has worked more than 20 years at the College.
 
The Judson and Elise Taylor Team GPA Awards, named after the former SUNY Cortland president and his wife, were presented to the men's and women's athletic teams with the highest cumulative grade point averages. The baseball team, with a cumulative GPA of 3.03, won the men's award for second straight year. The women's award was won by the women's lacrosse team with a cumulative GPA of 3.28.
 
A new "Record Setting Performance" award was presented to Chapko, who set Cortland women's basketball single-game records with 43 points and nine made 3-pointers in a win at Buffalo State. Also for the first time, a "Top 10 Moments" video was shown displaying the best highlights in Cortland Athletics since last year's ceremony ended. The countdown included:
 
10) Justin Cooper (men's basketball) makes 10-for-10 field goals and 5-for-5 free throws for perfect night in win vs. New Paltz
9) Softball rallies from 12-8 down in the last inning to defeat Rowan in a 2016 NCAA regional game
8) Cassidy Chapko's 43 points and nine 3-pointers at Buffalo State
7) Football defeats Ithaca for seventh straight win in Cortaca Jug rivalry
6) Men's Lacrosse rallies to score final eight goals to defeat Ithaca in overtime
5) Men's Soccer wins SUNYAC title with 1-0 win vs. Oneonta
4) Baseball advances to 2016 World Series with 10-9 win vs. Susquehanna in NCAA Division III regional final
3) Women's Lacrosse defeats Catholic to advance to 2016 NCAA Division III Final Four
2) Nick Vachon wins a national title in the high jump at the 2016 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships
1) Bobby Dierna (wrestling) and Jack Flood (men's indoor track and field) win national titles on the same day - Dierna at 157 pounds and Flood in the heptathlon



Each year, the Cortland head coaches select a Red Letter Award winner in their respective sports.  The Red Letter may be given for outstanding athletic skills, team leadership, personal development as a player, or for any combination of reasons.  The 2016-17 Red Letter Award winners, by sport, are as follows:
 
Baseball: Steven Figueroa, Sr. (Bronx/St. Raymond's)
Men's Basketball: Justin Cooper, So. (Pine Plains/Stissing Mountain)
Women's Basketball: Danielle Levine, Sr. (Holbrook/Sachem North)
Men's Cross Country: Cabel McCandless, Fr. (Lindenhurst)
Women's Cross Country: Allison Schumann, Sr. (North Salem)
Field Hockey: Gabby Stein, Sr. (Endwell/Maine-Endwell)
Football: Jon Mannix, Sr. (East Northport/John H. Glenn)
Women's Golf: Bri Sovring, Jr. (Liverpool/Cicero-North Syracuse)
Women's Gymnastics: Rachel Filipski, So. (Lancaster)
Men's Ice Hockey: Darren McCormick, Jr. (Buffalo/West Seneca East)
Women's Ice Hockey: Richelle Skarbowski, Sr. (Orchard Park/Ontario Hockey Acad.)
Men's Lacrosse: Mike Hart, Sr. (Cornelius, NC/Hough)
Women's Lacrosse: Nicolette Tortorici, Sr. (Deer Park)
Men's Soccer: Nick Tata, Sr. (Rochester/Aquinas Institute)
Women's Soccer: Mersadiz Hayes, Sr. (Syracuse/Bishop Ludden)
Softball: Rosie Phillips, Sr. (Geneva/Our Lady of Mercy)
Men's Swimming and Diving: Tim Rokos, Fr. (Duanesburg)
Women's Swimming and Diving:  % Angelica Ford, Sr. (Elk Grove Village, IL/Elk Grove)
Women's Tennis: Nikaylah Williams, So. (Wheatley Heights/Half Hollow Hills West)
Men's Indoor Track and Field:  # Connor Christopherson, Sr. (Morrisonville/Saranac)
Women's Indoor Track and Field: Dana Kupiec, Sr. (Salem)
Men's Outdoor Track and Field: Jack Flood, Sr. (Blue Point/Bayport-Blue Point)
Women's Outdoor Track and Field: Midge Moore, Sr. (Massapequa)
Women's Volleyball: Sarah Piacentini, Jr. (Webster/Webster Schroeder)
Wrestling: Colin Barber, Sr. (Westfield, NJ)
 
# also won award in 2015-16
% also won award in 2014-15
 
 
Also recognized at the ceremony were Cortland's student-athletes who were selected to the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. The organization recognizes college student-athletes who are juniors or seniors with at least a 3.7 cumulative GPA on a 4.3 scale. Cortland's 2016-17 honorees were:
 
Mary Baughman (Rush/Rush-Henrietta) - Women's Cross Country and Track and Field
Samantha Czeczotka (Elwood/John H. Glenn) - Women's Volleyball
Dave Foster (Farmingville/Sachem East) - Men's Lacrosse
Casie Garrison (Cortland/Homer) - Men's Ice Hockey
Megan Gonzalez (Miller Place) - Women's Lacrosse
Biz LaTuso (Poughquag/Arlington) - Women's Soccer
Jack Massa (Shoreham/Shoreham-Wading River) - Baseball
Amanda May (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) - Women's Volleyball
Darren McCormick (Buffalo/West Seneca East) - Men's Ice Hockey
Emily McGurk (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) - Women's Swimming and Diving
Matt Norris (Homer) - Wrestling
Taylor O'Halloran (Staten Island/Notre Dame Academy) - Women's Golf
Sydney Oshinsky (Oceanside) - Women's Lacrosse
Allison Schumann (North Salem) - Women's Cross Country and Track and Field
Kailey Smith (Endicott/Union-Endicott) - Women's Swimming and Diving
Tara Sweeney (Staten Island/Notre Dame Academy) - Women's Gymnastics


(For information about individual award winners, please contact Cortland Sports Information Director Fran Elia at (607) 753-5673 or by e-mail at eliaf@cortland.edu)

Banquet Award Winners (since 1988)