Past Award Winners
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- For the 49th consecutive year, the Elmira College Department of Athletics came together to recognize several student-athletes, teams, and staff members for their successes on and off of the field during the 2018-19 academic year. At the annual Athletics Awards Reception on Monday, May 20, members from each of the College's 19 varsity teams, as well as the Sports Medicine Department, were honored for their outstanding achievement with end-of-year accolades, culminating in the designation of the 2018-19 EC Athlete of the Year Awards to
Connor Powell '20 and
Katie Granato '19.
Two new awards debuted at this year's reception. First-year student-athletes
Stephanie Martin '22 and
Sam Shaw '22 were named Soaring Eagle Rookies of the Year, while seniors
Justin Porrett '19 and
Meg Lahey '19 each received Career Achievement Awards in recognition of their exceptional performances over their four years as Soaring Eagles.
On the ice, Powell and Granato both garnered All-America accolades from the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) in 2018-19, while ranking among the leading scorers in all of Division III. A CCM/AHCA Second-Team All-American and United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Co-Player of the Year, Powell netted a team- and career-high 23 goals for the Purple and Gold as a junior. The third-year center from Merrimack, New Hampshire, finished in a tie for third nationally in goals per game (0.85), sixth in game-winning goals (5), and 10th in power-play goals (7). He led all skaters in the UCHC in goals scored and tied for sixth in overall points with 36. Of his 10 multi-point games, Powell logged his first two collegiate hat tricks in wins over King's College (Pa.) and Stevenson University, and he reached 100 career points with a season-high four points (2g-2a) in a victory over Nazareth College on February 2.
Granato shined as the top scoring threat for the nationally-ranked EC women's ice hockey program as a senior. A CCM/AHCA All-America First-Team honoree and the UCHC Player of the Year, Granato posted career highs in points (45) and goals (26). She topped the UCHC in both categories as one of only two players in the conference to eclipse 40 points in 2018-19, while ranking fourth in the country in both points (1.61) and goals (0.93) per game. The Naperville, Illinois, native was stellar against the nation's best, as she tallied hat tricks in a season-opening upset over No. 1/1 Norwich University and a 4-1 victory over No. 1/2 Plattsburgh State in the East-West Hockey Classic title game. Granato compiled a career-high seven points (4g-3a) in a win against Lebanon Valley College in early November, the same night she joined the exclusive 100-point club. The fourth-year forward, who helped guide Elmira to back-to-back UCHC Championships, four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and a national runner-up finish in 2017-18, will graduate fourth in program history in goals (73) and eighth in points (133).
On the ice and the turf, Martin proved to be one of the top athletes from the Transformational Class of 2022 as a high-caliber goalie for the EC women's ice hockey team and midfielder for the women's lacrosse team. After winning the battle for the starting job in the cage, she was immediately thrown into the spotlight, as the Soaring Eagles hosted the defending national champions from Norwich in their season-opening contest. Unfazed by the pressure, Martin showcased her shot-stopping ability by making 22 saves and limiting the Cadets to one goal in her first collegiate win. The Yorktown, Virginia, native would go on to win 19 games with the fifth-best goals-against average (1.16) and third-most shutouts (8) in the nation en route to All-UCHC Second Team and All-Rookie Team honors. In the spring, Martin started 14 games for the women's lacrosse team. She paced the team in assists (6) and draw controls (30), while ranking second in points (21) and goals (15).
The Elmira men's lacrosse team found a talisman in Shaw, a first-year attackman from Portland, Maine. Shaw started 14 contests and put up team highs in points (25) and goals (24), making him the first EC freshman to score over 20 goals in a season since 2014. He buried four goals in his debut in EC's season-opener against Keuka College. Shaw produced a season-high came in a 9-8 triumph at Wells College on March 13, when he potted six goals, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter. The rookie secured his second hat trick along with a season-best eight ground balls in a 6-5 victory against Keystone on March 20. He ended his debut campaign riding a five-game scoring streak, with two goals and seven ground balls in an Empire 8 Conference win against Houghton College in the regular-season finale.
One of the most dynamic players in over four decades of men's basketball at Elmira, Porrett can now add a Career Achievement Award to the laundry list of accomplishments he's earned as a Soaring Eagle. A two-time Empire 8 All-Conference selection, two-time EC Booster Club Player of the Year, and a 2017-18 Academic All-District First Teamer, Porrett shattered program records for assists (212) and assists per game (8.8) as a junior. He led the nation in assists per game in 2017-18, and was the runner-up in that category as a senior with a per-game average of 7.2. A product of Dumont, New Jersey, Porrett also led the Soaring Eagles with 15.6 points per game as a senior, while becoming just the 17th player in team history to surpass 1,000 career points. The fourth-year point guard handed out a record 598 assists in 98 career games, making him the first Soaring Eagle to log more than 1,200 points, 400 rebounds, and 400 assists.
A three-time all-conference honoree, Lahey has played a prominent role in the success of the nationally-ranked women's ice hockey team during her four seasons donning the Purple and Gold. As one of the country's premier two-way defenders, the Latham, New York, native was tabbed as the UCHC Defensive Player of the Year and a CCM/AHCA First-Team All-American in 2018-19, after amassing a career-high 30 points (3g-27a). Among defenders, she ranked second in Division III with 1.07 points per game, while sitting fifth among all skaters with 0.96 assists per game. Lahey's 27 assists are the most by an Elmira player since fellow All-Americans
Ashley Ryan '15 (42) and
Brooke Wilgosh '15 (33) in 2014-15. On the backend, the blueliner helped the EC defense limit opponents to a mere 1.14 goals per game, the third-lowest per-game average in the country. In four years, Lahey's teams won a combined 90 games, two UCHC titles, and qualified for four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, finishing as national runners-up in 2017-18 and in third place at the NCAA Championships as a sophomore.
2018-19 AWARD WINNERS
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
BOOSTER CLUB PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
For full bios of each 2018-19 Booster Club Player of the Year, please
click here.
