Keene State Announces Senior Athletic Award Winners

KEENE, N.H., 5/1/11 - Katie Bradford (Lebanon, N.H.) was named female Athlete of the Year and Bryan Kolacz (Brentwood, N.H.) and Bobby Doyon (Keene, N.H.) were selected co-male Athletes of the Year at Keene State College’s 2010-11 Senior Athletic Awards Dinner held Sunday night at the Lloyd P. Young Student Center.

Sammy Datti (Durham, N.H.) was the recipient of the Senior Scholar-Athlete Award, and the Keene State women’s soccer team and men’s cross country squad were presented with the Don Carle Award for having the highest cumulative GPA among Owl teams. In addition, the 20-member KSC All-Academic team was also recognized.

When it came to putting the ball in the net, no one did it better than Bradford, who completed her four-year soccer career as the Owls all-time leader in goals (67) and points (164) and holder of the season assists (16) mark.

Recognized for her play as a three-time All-New England and All-Little East team member, Bradford capped her career by earning LEC and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year honors as a senior.

Bradford, a nutrition major, was also recognized for her work in the classroom, receiving District Academic All-America honors this past fall. A two-sport athlete who also plays on the KSC softball team, Bradford help lead the Owl soccer team to back-to-back ECAC titles the past two years.

“This honor caps my athletic career,” said Bradford. “It’s an amazing honor and I’m thrilled to be among the previous athletes who have won this award.”

Putting the finishing touches of his sensational Keene State track career, Kolacz is the most honored field athlete in the school’s history.

Joining a select group of Owl athletes who have won national championships with his first-place finish in the hammer throw as a sophomore, Kolacz went on to earn All-America honors in the event as a junior. During the indoor season, Kolacz has captured All-America honors the past two years in the weight-throw event.

A two-time U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association New England Field Athlete of the Year, Kolacz had been a dominating performer at the regional and conference level, earning All-Division New England, All-Division III, All-ECAC, and All-Little East honors in both events.

Named the LEC’s top indoor field athlete for the third-straight season this winter, Kolacz posted the second longest weight-throw toss (20.04 meters) in Division III history. Kolacz, a two-time LEC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year, recently qualified for an NCAA outdoor championship. A physical education major, Kolacz earned district and national Academic All-America honors last spring. It’s the second year in a row that Kolacz has received the honor.

“I’m happy to get this honor with Bobby Doyon,” said Kolacz. “I was expected that he was going to get the award over me. Both of us are accomplished athletes in our sports.”

He might wear no. 13 on his uniform, but there nothing unlucky about Doyon when it comes to hitting a baseball. Currently completing his four-year Keene State career, Doyon has rewritten the Owl record book, setting marks for home runs (37), RBIs (211), hits (275), doubles (61), and stolen bases (59).

The first two-time All-American and Little East Player of the Year in the programs’ history, Doyon has also been the recipient of numerous LEC, ECAC, and All-New England honors. As a junior, he was the only active player to be named to the D3Baseball.com All-Decade team. During Doyon’s tenure, Keene State has made two trips to the NCAA Tournament (2008 and 2010) and captured its first-ever LEC championship (2008).

“It’s a nice honor,” said Doyon. It shows all the hard work that I put in the past four years paid off and it’s nice to be acknowledged for it.”

Known as the “Little General” on the Owl women’s volleyball team, Datti has come up big on the court and in the classroom at Keene State. The environmental science major developed into one of the team’s top defensive players.

This past season, the dedicated defensive specialist/libero finished third on the team in digs (352), while also being a highly effective server. A four- time member of the Little East All-Academic team, Datti, a two-year captain, led the Owls to the program’s first ECAC Championship this fall.

“This honor means a great deal to me,” said Datti. I put my class work first and then I get to go out on the court and play.”

The following 22 senior athletes and student athletic trainers have been named to the 2010-11 KSC All-Academic team.

Women’s Lacrosse: Jamie Albert; Women’s Swimming and Diving: Bridget Kline, Rachel Battis

Field Hockey: Leigh Smith, Chelsea Blackmer; Women’s Soccer: Katie Bradford, Nora Mahoney

Men’s Swimming: D.J. Collis

Women’s Volleyball: Sammy Datti

Cheerleading: Katherine Henthorne

Men’s Soccer: Luke Sisco, Ryan Murphy, Matt Johnson

Men’s Cross Country/Track: Tim Pipp, Bryan Kolacz

Women’s Track and Field: Melissa Small

Student Athletic Trainers: Sossan Al-Darraji, Carrie Begey, Mollie-Jean Burgess, Jillian Descoteaux, Megan Krusinski, and Jean Troiano.