May 10, 2005
UVM Celebrates Its Student-Athletes at 2005 Rally Awards
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Vermont Athletic Department hosted the First
Annual Rally Awards on Tuesday night at the Flynn Theatre in downtown
Burlington. The all-sports year-end event celebrated the accomplishments of
the UVM student-athletes. The department handed out six awards, honored each
team’s MVP and senior student-athletes, and presented a video highlighting the
great moments of the 2004-05 season.
Dr. Robert Lawson, a psychology professor and the longtime NCAA Faculty
Representative for the department was the recipient of the Athletic Department
Award. The award is presented annual to a member of the faculty, staff or
community in appreciation of loyal support and continuing devotion to the
University of Vermont athletic program.
Senior Taylor Coppenrath (West Barnet, Vt.), a member of the men’s basketball
team, and junior Christen Faltermeier (Bainbridge Island, Wash.), a member of
the women’s lacrosse team, were named the winners of the Jeff Stone Memorial
Award, presented for the first time in 2005. The award recognizes exceptional
contributions by a male and female student-athlete, in any class, in the area
of community service and leadership and is presented in memory of Jeff Stone,
an outstanding tennis player at UVM who died tragically in 1984.
In addition to being one of the top men’s basketball players in the nation,
Coppenrath never lost sight of being a well-rounded member of the university
community. He has been a regular at many other athletic events rooting on
fellow student-athlete and is a member of the Cat Pride club. A two-time
member of the America East Academic Honor Roll as a secondary education major,
he was a student mathematics teacher in the fall of 2004 at Colchester High
School and spent the previous spring as a tutor in the math lab at the school.
Coppenrath has also volunteered his time with several organizations around the
state including the Vermont Special Olympics and the Reach-Out/Teach-Out
alcohol awareness group.
Faltermeier was the first offensive player off the bench for the women’s
lacrosse team this season and made a contribution in every game. A talented
student as a secondary education major with a minor in English, she has been
named to the America East Academic Honor Roll twice. During the 2004-05
academic year, Faltermeier, a member of the UVM Honors College, was awarded a
URECA grant for her project “Comparative Education: A Case Study Between France
and the United State in Secondary Education”. In 2004, she earned the IWLCA
Division I Community Service Award, which recognized her devotion and untiring
contribution to community life at UVM. Faltermeier is heavily involved in the
UVM community; serving as an orientation leader, RA and a member of the campus
activities committee. She has also been a presenter at UVM’s outreach program
“Upward Bound”, the purpose of which is to give students at an inner-city high
school an idea of the responsibilities of being a Division I student-athlete.
Faltermeier also shares her time with the greater Burlington community. She
participates in a food salvage program in Burlington that provides healthy
meals to hungry people in the community every Sunday evening and usually serves
between 70 and 100 people.
The 2005 Rally Awards also marked the first presentation of the Underclass
Athletic Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding athletic
accomplishments by a male and female student-athlete in the freshman, sophomore
and junior classes. Freshman Joe Fallon (Bemidji, Minn.), a member of the
men’s ice hockey team, and sophomore Amy Cochran (Keene, N.H.), a member of the
women’s soccer and women’s skiing teams, are the inaugural winners of the
Underclass Athletic Achievement Award.
Fallon, a goaltender, was named the Rookie of the Year in the ECAC Hockey League
and in New England after a record-breaking season in 2004-05. Fallon, named to
the national All-Rookie teams by US College Hockey Online,
InsideCollegeHockey.com and finished the year with a 17-10-4 record and a 1.96
goals-against average along with a .921 save percentage and five shutouts. His
1.96 GAA is a new school record and Fallon’s .921 save percentage is the
second-highest all-time at Vermont for a single season. His five shutouts are
also a school record at UVM.
Cochran is a talented two-sport athlete at Vermont. She tied the UVM school
record for most goals in a game with four in a 5-1 victory over Marist, after
entering the game with just three goals on the season. She scored two goals,
including the game-winner, and handed out an assist in Vermont’s 4-0 shutout
over Boston University, the Catamounts first win over the Terriers since 1996.
Cochran netted the game-winning goal and handed out an assist in a 2-1 victory
over UMBC. Her three points in the contest allowed her to set new single
season records at Vermont for most points (31) and goals (13). She finished
the 2004 season leading America East in scoring (31 points) and goals (13).
Cochran, a physics major with a 3.98 GPA, was named to the America East
All-Conference Second Team and NSCAA/adidas All-Northeast Region Team. She
also earned a spot on the 2004 ESPN The Magazine Women’s Soccer All-Academic
District I First Team and the 2004 ESPN The Magazine Women’s Soccer Academic
All-America Third Team. She is the first women’s soccer player at Vermont to
earn Academic All-America honors. As a member of the UVM alpine ski team, she
led Vermont to national runner-up honors at the 2005 NCAA Ski Championship.
She earned All-East honors and picked up two All-America citations after
finishing sixth in the slalom and eighth in the giant slalom at the NCAA’s.
The 49th annual Semans Trophy was awarded to seniors Scott Mifsud (Burlington,
Ontario), a member of the men’s ice hockey team, and Stephanie Mead (Rochester,
N.Y.), a member of the women’s soccer team. The Semans Trophy is presented to
the senior male and female student-athletes who have demonstrated a high level
of athletic achievement and who earned the respect and regard of his/her fellow
students for leadership, loyalty, and service to the university.
Mifsud saved his best for last, producing his finest season as a senior in
2004-05, and helping Vermont to a fourth-place finish in the ECAC Hockey League
and a spot in the ECACHL Final Four. An assistant captain and three-time
ECACHL All-Academic Team selection, Mifsud finished the year with 21 goals and
27 assists for 48 points. In 132 career games, he recorded 112 points, ranking
31st all-time at Vermont. The leading scorer in the ECACHL this season, and
among the nation’s leading scorers, Mifsud earned a spot on the ECACHL Second
Team and the All-New England squad. Active in community service, Mifsud spoke
to eighth-graders about alcohol awareness, helped promote walking at C.P. Smith
Elementary School, distributed teddy bears to hospitals and nursing homes and
served as a celebrity waiter at the Ronald McDonald House Celebrity Waitathon
in late April.
Mead has anchored Vermont’s defensive unit since arriving on campus as a
freshman and started 69 of 72 possible games, while playing in all 72 contests
during her career. She was named to the 2004 America East All-Conference
Second Team as a senior. Mead earned a spot on the Brown and Gold
All-Tournament team in Laramie, Wyoming after helping the Catamounts win the
tournament championship. It was the first regular season tournament title away
from Burlington in the history of the women’s soccer program. Mead was named
the UVM Women’s Center Female Athlete of the Year for 2005, which honors a
female student-athlete who has made significant achievements in her sport as
well as in academics and service to the campus community. She has volunteered
with several organizations and worked as an intern with Women Helping Battered
Women. She has also been a member of the America East Academic Honor roll
three straight years and earned a spot on the UVM Athletic Council Academic
Honor Roll four times.
The Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy was presented for the 66th time at the
Rally Awards. The award is presented to the senior male and female
student-athlete who, throughout their college careers, have demonstrated a high
level of athletic achievement and who has exemplified the qualities of
character, leadership and persistence in overcoming obstacles. T.J. Sorrentine
(Pawtucket, R.I.), a member of the men’s basketball team, and Samantha Chase
(Windham, N.H.), a member of the softball team, were the 2005 winners of the
Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy.
A two-year captain and three-time first team all-conference point guard, T.J.
Sorrentine twice has overcome severe wrist injuries. His talent, work ethic and
leadership by example were instrumental in the Catamounts success. The
Catamounts had a 51-9 record against America East schools his last three
seasons as the starting point guard. The summer prior to attending UVM he broke
his left wrist while working out but recovered to earn America East Rookie of
the Year honors in 2001. After being named America East Player of the Year in
2002 and leading UVM to its first-ever 20-win season, he broke both wrists in a
preseason scrimmage prior to 2002-03. He bounced back to lead Vermont to two
straight America East titles and two trips to the NCAAs. He finished his career
as the school’s all-time leader with 354 three-pointers (11th in NCAA history)
and ranks third at UVM in scoring with 2,013 points. He was named to the
America East Academic Honor Roll two times and earned the team’s Thomas O’Shea
Award for dedication and leadership twice.
As the everyday catcher for the Catamounts for three straight seasons Chase is
used to handling everything thrown her way. The senior tri-captain started 42
games as a junior, despite nagging injuries throughout the year, and earned a
spot on the All-New England Honorable Mention team for the second straight
season. She also garnered a spot on the America East All-Conference Second
Team last season. A pre-med major, Samantha is a three-time America East
Commissioners Academic Honor Roll selection and two-time NFCA All-America
Scholar-Athlete. Chase has Crohn’s Disease and as a sophomore found out that
her mother had been diagnosed with a serious illness. She has been there to
support her mother every step of the way but at no point has she used it as an
excuse or let it impact on her contributions to the softball program in any
way.
Seniors Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid,N.Y.), a member of the Nordic ski team, and
swimmer Allison Buza (Huntington, Pa.), are the 2005 recipients of the Wasson
Athletic Prize. The award, handed out for the 76th consecutive year, is
presented to the senior male and female student-athletes who have demonstrated
a high level of athletic achievement and who maintained the highest standard of
academic scholarship.
A three-time All-American, Bailey finished his UVM career with a pair of top-10
finishes at the 2005 NCAA Ski Championship, giving him six top-10’s in six NCAA
races. Leading into the 2005 NCAA’s, Lowell was a consistent competitor as the
Catamounts won five of six EISA Carnivals. In 11 races, Bailey won five times
and finished second five times, with his worst finish being a third-place
effort at UVM’s Carnival in the 10-K classical. He finished second in both the
classical and freestyle races at the EISA Championship and ranked second
overall in the East, first in the classical and second in the freestyle. At the
2005 NCAA’s, he was 10th in the 10-K classic race and seventh in the 20-K
freestyle. In two previous NCAA Championships, he finished second twice and was
in the top 10 in every race. An environmental science major, he has a 3.67
cumulative grade-point average.
Buza, a senior captain of the swimming and diving team this past season, was a
key contributor in many events including most relays. She qualified for the
ECAC Championship in each of her four seasons. The lynchpin to the team’s
success, Buza maintains a GPA of 3.72 as she pursues a major in biology and
minor in chemistry. Some of her academic achievements include: making the
Dean’s list in six of her first seven semesters, named to the America East
Commissioner’s Honor Roll, a Presidential Scholar, a two-time Academic
Achievement Award winner, three-time National Society of Collegiate Scholars
Inductee and a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society. During her down
time, she has also participated as a Mortar Board member, a pre-medical
internship, volunteered for the Vermont Special Olympics and provided care for
the elderly.
For the 13th consecutive year, the J. Edward Donnelly Award was presented to the
senior male and female student-athlete who has displayed the greatest
accomplishments in individual athletic performance and who significantly
contributed to their team’s overall performance. The 2005 winners of the J.
Edward Donnelly Award were Taylor Coppenrath, of the men’s basketball team, and
Kami Cote (Copperton, Utah), a member of the women’s ice hockey team.
Coppenrath concluded his standout career not only as one of UVM’s most decorated
athletes, but perhaps the best men’s basketball player in the history of the
America East. He was a huge part of Vermont’s tremendous success in its four
championship seasons. In 2002, he was named conference rookie of the year. In
each of the next three seasons, he was named the Kevin Roberson America East
Player of the Year, to the all-conference first team, and the America East
All-Championship Team. Coppenrath also earned All-New England First Team,
USBWA All-District Team, and AP All-American honors. He led the conference in
scoring for three straight seasons, and was fourth in the nation in 2004 (24.1
ppg) and second in 2005 (25.3 ppg). The last two seasons he won the Reggie
Lewis Award as the Most Outstanding Player in the America East Championship.
In 2004-05 he was a finalist for the Wooden Award as national player of the
year and the Senior CLASS Award as the nation’s top senior. He finished second
at UVM with 2,454 points, second in scoring average at 21.5 ppg and fourth with
852 rebounds.
A student-athlete in the true essence of the phrase, Cote was just as special
off the ice as she was on it. A constant between the pipes for the women’s
hockey team, the senior was a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award this
past season. In 2004-05, Cote became the first Vermont women’s hockey player to
be named the ECACHL Goaltender of the Year and an ECACHL First-Team selection.
She was also named a New England Hockey Writers Division I All-Star and
National Strength and Conditioning All-American. Off the ice, Cote represented
UVM at the 2004 NCAA Leadership Conference, was a Special Olympics volunteer
and a student teacher in the Williston School District, among other
extracurricular activities. Cote finished her career ranked second all-time in
NCAA Division I women’s hockey history with 3,221 saves and holds the NCAA
single-season saves mark with 1,332 stops, which she accomplished as a junior.
A three-time ECACHL All-Academic Team selection, she is also a Dean’s list
student.
Each team’s MVP for the 2004-05 season were also announced at the 2005 Rally
Awards. They are as follows: Men’s Cross Country – Brad Allen (Morrisville,
Vt.); Women’s Cross Country – Diana Purtz (Powell, Ohio); Field Hockey –
Merrie-Beth Maynard (Waterbury Center, Vt.); Men’s Soccer – Tony Anderson
(Belfast, Northern Ireland); Women’s Soccer – Kate Moran (Malvern, Pa.); Men’s
Basketball – Taylor Coppenrath; Women’s Basketball – Lani Boardman (York,
Maine); Men’s Ice Hockey – Scott Mifsud (Burlington, Ontario); Women’s Ice
Hockey – Kami Cote (Copperton, Utah); Swimming – Nicole Underhill (South
Burlington, Vt.); Men’s Skiing – Ethan Foster (Weston, Vt.); Women’s Skiing –
Jamie Kingsbury (Waitsfield, Vt.); Men’s Track and Field – Sean Steinhagen
(Portland, Maine); Women’s Track and Field – Carmen Lagala (Montpelier, Vt.);
Softball – Aimee Kern (Wrentham, Mass.); Men’s Lacrosse – Mike Gabel (Falmouth,
Mass.); Women’s Lacrosse – Vanessa Cox (Newton, Mass.). The baseball team has
not selected the 2005 MVP as they have 10 games left in their season. However,
Miguel Magrass (Roxbury, Mass.), the 2004 team MVP was recognized at the Rally
Awards.
Earlier in the week, several members of the UVM coaching staff and
administration were honored at the Charles Zabriskie, Jr. Awards for Excellence
Ceremony. The 2005 recipients of the Charles Zabriskie, Jr. Awards were: Tom
Brennan, head men’s basketball coach head; Kevin Sneddon, head men’s ice hockey
coach; Bill Reichelt, director of skiing and head alpine coach; Jesse Bridges,
director of ticket operations; Krista Balogh, director of marketing; Jill
Moffitt, club sport coordinator; Charlie Mackey, director of equipment
operations; and Paul Goodman, head strength and conditioning coach.
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Vermont Athletic Communications
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