Troy Nwanna honored with Aggie Stillman Perseverance Award
Albany, NY—The Sage College's department of athletics gathered to recognize and honor the outstanding performances of the 2014-2015 year with the naming of the athletic award winners for the 15 varsity athletic teams. In addition to awarding the Gator Award, for the Most Outstanding Player, the department also named the 2014-2015 Female and Male Athletes of the Year, the Dean Sharon Robinson Senior Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year, which is given to the senior student-athlete with the highest overall grade point average, as well as the Aggie Stillman Perseverance Award.
In her nearly forty year career at Sage, Aggie was a friend, mentor, professor, class advisor, and the Gators' biggest fan. She radiated pride and enthusiasm in everything she did, while embodying the Sage spirit of patience and perseverance against any and all odds. In her honor, Sage bestows The Aggie Stillman Perseverance Award to the person affiliated with Sage Athletics that best exemplifies those traits which made Aggie so special. Aggie waged a personal battle with cancer for over 20 years finally succumbing to the disease on May 13, 2008.
Senior men's basketball tri-captain Troy Nwanna (Washington, DC/Mercersburg Academy) was named the recipient of the Stillman Perseverance Award for his contributions and accomplishments in overcoming injuries during his time with the team and the ability to become an impact player for the team.
Head men's basketball coach Brian Barnes said of Troy, "It was truly special to have Troy as a key contributor during this year's post-season run." Barnes added, "Injuries have prevented Troy from participating in each of the previous two post-season tournaments so we were extremely happy for him. Troy has always competed at a high-level and his enthusiasm has been contagious. I am very proud of the leader he has developed into and know that he will be successful in the next chapter of his life."
Nwanna closes his four-year career as a Gator with 504 points, which is No. 7 on the all-time scoring list. He also had 274 rebounds to finish tied for No. 6 all-time in rebounding at Sage, while adding 128 assists in 86 career games played. He finished No. 3 in career assists at Sage, while his 86 career games played stands No. 6 as well in the programs history.
For Sages' men's basketball team, the 2014-2015 season was a memorable and record-setting one, filled with numerous awards and acclaim for the Gators. For the Gators, the season saw the team earn the program's first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance after a record-setting campaign of 23-5, marking the most wins on the program's six-year history. The Gators compiled a 15-3 record in the Skyline and a perfect 13-0 mark at home this season, defeating teams by an average of 13.4 points per game. The Gators were unbeaten at home in Kahl Gym (13-0) over the course of the campaign. Sage was also unbeaten home or away in the month of February, going 9-0.
