Women's Tennis announces 2010 Award Winners
The Sage Colleges athletic department gathered last month at Carmela’s Banquet House to bestow the program’s top awards for the 2010-2011 academic year. Sage, which now boasts 12 varsity athletic teams that compete as an NCAA Division III member and a full-member of the Skyline Athletic Conference, handed out a Gator of the Year award as the team’s Most Valuable Player Award in each sport as well as other honors at the banquet as athletic department staff, the college’s dignitaries, families and friends gathered to salute the excellence that occurred in 2010-2011 at Sage.
2010-2011 Sage Athletic Honor Society:
(The Sage College’s Intercollegiate Athletic Honor Society recognizes junior, senior, or graduate level student-athletes, who have maintained a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.2 or better and have participated as a member of a varsity team for at least two seasons.)
Brianna Bixler (Jr., Highlands, NY/Highlands), Women’s Tennis
*Ashley Brennan (Sr., Loudonville, NY/Colonie Central), Women’s Tennis
Erica Fitzgerald (Jr., Queensbury, NY/Queensbury), Women’s Tennis
Lauren Schroder (Sr., Enfield, CT/Enrico Fermi), Women’s Tennis
*Indicates Previous Inductee
Gator of the Year: Mackenzie Riley (So., Albany, NY/Albany)
Sage’s women’s tennis team’s sophomore co-captain Mackenzie Riley earned the honor after also garnering a spot on the 2010 Skyline Conference Women’s Tennis All-Star First Team. The Gator newcomer earned a spot on the first team after leading the squad with her play in both singles and doubles. In her first year at Sage, Riley tallied an impressive 9-1 record in singles play, including a 5-1 mark in Skyline Conference matches. Her .900 singles win percentage at first singles was second in the Skyline Conference this past fall, while 4-2 record at No. 1 doubles was third highest amongst the conference players. Overall, she went 5-5 in doubles play as well to help the team to a 5-7 record on the season.
Coaches’ Award: Kathryn Saulsbery (Sr., Colonie, NY/South Colonie Central)
A four-year letterwinner and a three-time team captain for Sage’s women’s tennis team, Kathryn Saulsbery excelled for Sage on and off the court with her play and leadership. This past fall, she joined an exclusive club in her final outing as member of Sage’s women’s tennis team. She finishes her career on the women’s team with a 51-42 record as a Gator. She is just the second women's tennis player in the history of the program to join the 50 win club. She joins the ranks of Sage Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Elizabeth Lawrence Russillo (1998-2001). The two players belong to an exclusive club of women's tennis players at Sage as Lawrence Russillo combined for a record of 73-28 during her time at Sage and Saulsbery went 51-42.
Most Improved Player: Christina Kroder (So., Catskill, NY/Catskill)
A newcomer to the team this fall, Christina Kroder made dramatic improvements in her game this season. A competitor for Sage in doubles action, she won two of her last three doubles matches of the year and finished her first season with a 3-7 doubles record.
