Student-Athlete-of-the-Year Nominees Revealed
ALBANY, N.Y. -- ECAC Hockey announced today the nominations for the 2009-10 Women's Student-Athlete-of-the-Year Award. Ten student-athletes comprise the list of scholars in the classroom and leaders on and off the ice.
League institutions were asked to nominate a top scholar athlete who met the following requirements: a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 on a 4.00 scale through the fall term; participation in a minimum of 50 percent of the team's contests (33 percent of team's minutes for goaltenders); and demonstrated leadership on and off the ice (e.g., character, contributions to the community, participation/involvement in institutional groups/committees, etc.).
A committee made up of athletics department and university administrators will select three finalists and an eventual winner. The winner will be announced at the conclusion of the regular-season.
Listed below are this season's nominees:
Brittony Chartier - St. Lawrence -
Senior, Goaltender - Government
* Senior assistant captain, member of Dean's List in each of
two years at St. Lawrence, and member of 2008-09 ECAC Hockey
All-Academic Team selection.
* In 108 college games she has logged 6024:23 minutes, posted
a .915 save percentage, and a 2.12 goals-against average, as
well as mounting a 61-33-11 record (.633).
* Serves as a Teaching Assistant in American Government.
Stephanie Denino - Princeton -
Senior, Defenseman - Psychology
* The two-time team captain has played in over 100
games on the ice for the Tigers, while maintaining a 3.56 GPA
in the classroom. She is on course to earn her fourth
honor on ECAC Hockey All-Academic team.
* Working on senior thesis entitled "Investigating College
Seniors' Attitudes, Behaviors, and Emotions in their Transition
From School to Work."
* Participated in Princeton's Student-Wellness Leader program
and worked last Summer for Bell Canada in a Corporate Sales
Group.
Laura Gersten Rensselaer Senior
Forward Lally School of Management Rank
* Named Captain of RPI Women's Hockey Team by
teammates and coaching staff for 2009-10 season, named to the
ECAC Hockey All-Star that faced Team USA in preparation
for the 2010 Olympic Games, and member of All-Academic
Team.
* Holds a current GPA of 3.82 in management, while minoring in
psychology; recently accepted into RPI's Master Program of
Science and Management specializing in new product development.
* President of International Management Honor Society
* Works with local girls youth hockey teams to improve their
skills on the ice, assisted in Bottle and Can Drive
spear- headed by SAAC, and helped raise money for both
the American Cancer Society through its Making Strides
Against Breast Cancer Walk and Relay For Life Programs.
Randi Griffin - Harvard -
Senior, Forward - Human Evolutionary Biology
* Holds a 3.6 GPA, three-time ECAC Hockey
All-Academic Team selection, and a 2008-09 American Women's Hockey
Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete.
* On the ice has helped Harvard win two Hockey
regular-season titles, two ECAC Hockey tournament championships,
and reach the NCAA Frozen Four in 2008.
* Worked as a volunteer tutor for 4th-graders at the Cambridge
After-School Program.
* Was the recipient of a Harvard Initiative for Global Health
Summer undergraduate Research Fellowship in 2009.
* Recently accepted to the Child Family Health International
(CFHI) service-learning program "HIV/AIDS & Healthcare in
Durban, South Africa" beginning in the summer of 2010.
Calle Heywood -Union -
Junior, Forward - BioChemistry
* Hard working student-athlete on and off the ice has
amassed career-highs in goals, assists, and points in the 2009-10
season.
* Demonstrated skills as a scientific writer in laboratory
reports and other projects.
* A solid two-way player, Heywood has successfully managed lab
requirements, classroom time, practice, and travel.
* Planned and implemented after-school activities for
disadvantaged children for the local Boys & Girls Club, as
well as devoted time to take part in clinic for the
Schenectady and Clifton Park Youth Hockey programs.
Berit Johnson - Yale -
Senior, Forward/Defenseman - Economics and History
* Has earned a 3.67 cumulative GPA while at Yale,
balancing the demand of a double major - Economics and History.
* Found numerous ways to contribute to the community of New
Haven, participating in Yale's Freshman Day of Service, helped
coach youth hockey, tutored a local elementary school, provided
counseling to disadvantaged youths at a local high school,
helped construct a home with Habitat for Humanity, and spent time
working with the MicroGrants group, which provides for "people
of potential."
* Showed flexibility and reliability on the ice as well,
switching back and forth between the forward position
and defense wherever her coaches and teammates needed her.
* Recently spent time at Compellent Technologies outlining and
edited customer case studies and providing input on marketing
materials and Web site features.
Kelly McGinty -
Cornell - Senior, Defenseman -School of Industrial
and Labor Relations
* The senior captain has brought a stong motivation
and a calm determination to both her academics and
athletic goals while at Cornell.
* Dean's List student maintains a 3.59 GPA with plans on
attending law school next Fall.
* Helped organize Ithaca's local FoodNet chapter yearly picnic
and walk-a-thon which provides the elderly with nutritious
meals, aided in the Salvation Army's Adopt-a-Family program by
donating time, money and gifts to needy families, and was
honored with the Tompkin's Girls' Hockey Association Mentor of the
Year Awards as the best big sister in its Cub Club program.
Sarah Parsons - Dartmouth - Senior, Forward
-Economics
* In both arenas, on the ice and in the classroom, she is a
true student-athlete in every way possible, as the Big Green
Captain maintains a 3.74 GPA and currently led the League in
scoring.
* Member of Link-Up, a student-run group that matches incoming
freshman women with female mentors from the senior class on
campus.
* Volunteer with Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Brigham
and Women's Hospital in Boston.
* Will put her economic eduction to good use having already
accepted a position with a major Financial Group in New York
City.
Katelyn Ptolemy - Clarkson -
Sophomore, Defenseman - Biology
* Has earned a cumulative GPA of 3.6 while in Potsdam majoring
in Biology with a minor in Psychology with an emphasis in
physical therapys.
* Not only defies herself as a student-athlete, but
participates in various community programs such as; Meals
On Wheels, Youth Campion Volunteer, Relay For Life, and Big
Brothers and Big Sisters to name a few.
* Continues to build her extensive hockey resume with her
infectious energy, commitment, and compassion for her teammates.
Kath Surbey - Brown - Senior, Forward
- Neuroscience
* The senior forward is one of four active Bears' forwards to
appear in at least 100 games in her career.
* Served as the coordinator and team liaison with the Vartain
Gregorian School in Fox Point, working with a group of
elementary school children.
* Volunteers time as a tutor for other student-athletes and is
a student-advisor in the Neuroscience Department.
* Was a leader in developing a host of creative ideas in the
classroom including, the "Eco-Olympics."
About ECAC Hockey
ECAC Hockey boasts elite student-athletes and teams from
12 of the nation's most prestigious institutions - Brown
University, Clarkson University, Colgate University, Cornell
University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton
University, Quinnipiac University, Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, St. Lawrence University, Union College, and Yale
University.
