HAMILTON, N.Y. -- The Colgate University athletic department held its first annual all-sports banquet on April 28 night at Cotterell Court.  The evening honored all 25 varsity sports teams and over 500 student-athletes.  

The highlight of the dinner was the announcement of six major athletic awards along with the presentation of the John LeFevre '41 Appreciation Award to a member of the Colgate community who has demonstrated exemplary support and contributed significantly to the Athletics Department.  

The Male Athlete of the Year Award was presented to men's hockey goalie Mark Dekanich (North Vancouver, B.C.).  Dekanich broke five of the school's seven career goaltending records, in addition to five single-season records. He finished the 2007-08 season with a 2.16 goals-against average and .924 save percentage, both of which ranked second in the ECAC and 13th in the nation. In early February, Dekanich put together a shutout streak of 217:16, which ranks seventh in NCAA history and broke the Colgate and ECAC Hockey records. The three-time all-ECAC Hockey selection was one of 10 finalists for the 2008 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, and was named to the organization's all-senior All-America first team.  

Franny Iacuzzi (Evanston, IL) was the recipient of the Female Athlete of the Year Award.  She left a prolific mark on the Colgate women's soccer program. This past season she earned her fourth scoring crown, becoming the only Raider in program history to have led the team in scoring all four years. Iacuzzi finished her career as the top goal scorer in program history with 46 goals, and second all-time in scoring with 109 points. A three-time all-Patriot League first-team selection, Iacuzzi earned all-region honors by the NSCAA or Soccer Buzz on six occasions. As the 2004 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Iacuzzi set single season records in most goals and points by a freshman.  

The Male Rookie of the Year honor was shared by men's basketball player Mike Venezia (Westfield, NJ) and men's soccer player Steven Miller (Ivyland, PA).  Venezia played in 23 games and was the highest scoring first-year player in Patriot League games with 9.1 points per game. He was named to the Patriot League All-Rookie team and was Patriot League Rookie of the Week twice.  Miller earned a starting position as a freshman forward. He finished second on the team in scoring and led the rookies in scoring with four goals and one assist for nine points. He led not only the team in shots but also the league. He was awarded the team's Freshman Athlete of the Year.  

Cross country runner Stacey Marion (West Simsbury, CT) was named the Female Rookie of the Year.  She left her mark in both the Colgate and Patriot League records books in her rookie season. Marion was the first rookie in Patriot League history to win the conference title as she took home both the Runner and Rookie of the Year awards. On the track, she was equally impressive as she earned all-Patriot League second team honors with a runner-up finish in the 3,000-meter run at the Patriot League Indoor Championship.  

Dan Kerley (Leawood, KA) received the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.  Kerley was a starter on Colgate's back line for the past two soccer seasons. As a member of the Raiders' stingy defense, Kerley helped to hold league teams to just eight goals in two seasons and opponents to just 29 goals in 34 games. He was named ESPN The Magazine first-team academic all-district by the College Sports Information Directors of America, and moved on to the national ballot where he was named third-team Academic All-America.  

The Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award was given to softball player Whitney Scott (Beaverton, OR).  A mathematics major Scott is a four-year letterwinner for the Raiders.  She will finish her career ranked in the Top 10 all-time in hits, RBI, home runs and total bases.  Scott is currently second on the team in batting average (.368) and leads the club in home runs (5) and RBI (17).   

The John LeFevre Award was presented to Doug Logan, General Manager of Time Warner Sports and Robert Dwyer, Project Manager for Colgate University.