Madeline Buckley, John Coleman named 2014-15 Liberty League Scholar-Athletes of the Year

June 16, 2015

Liberty League commissioner Tracy King has announced that Madeline Buckley of William Smith College and John Coleman of Clarkson University have been selected as the recipients of the Liberty League’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards.

Established following the 2012-13 academic year, the recipients of the Liberty League Scholar-Athlete are selected in a vote of the Liberty League member institutions. The awards are presented to graduating student-athletes – one female and one male – who have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics and service/leadership throughout their time as student-athletes.

“I am pleased to announce that Madeline Buckley and John Coleman have been selected as the 2014-15 Liberty League Scholar-Athletes of the Year,” said King. “Madeline and John represent the very best of the Liberty League by excelling not only in their respective sports but in the classroom and as emerging leaders on their campuses. It is only fitting that we recognize the dedication and commitment that they have demonstrated to their academic and athletic pursuits during the past four years.”

By virtue of her selection as the Liberty League’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Buckley will also be the league’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Buckley, a senior forward and four-year starter on the Heron soccer team was named the 2015 collegiate recipient of the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup presented by Athletes for a Better World. The Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup is presented to two distinguished athletes from any sport-one intercollegiate and one professional-that best display character, teamwork, and citizenship.

Buckley helped the Herons to four straight Liberty League regular season and tournament titles, posting a 30-1-0 four-year conference record and a 73-7-6 overall record. The senior forward and her classmates compiled the highest winning percentage by a graduating class (.884) in program history. Buckley was part of a William Smith team that made four consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, including an appearance in the 2011 national semifinals and a national championship in 2013. She appeared in 86 matches for the Herons as she finishes her career ranked 10th on William Smith’s career points list with 83 points.  She is also tied for 10th in career goals (33) and tied for 17th in career assists (17).  

In addition to being named the 2015 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup recipient, Buckley earned Third-Team All-America honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as well as First Team All-East recognition. In addition, she garnered Liberty League Player of the Year and ECAC Upstate Offensive Player of the Year honors.

Buckley also made major contributions to the local community in her four years at William Smith by logging countless hours of community service. She was the William Smith soccer’s team ambassador with Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of life for children facing life-threatening illness. The Wilmington, Delaware native is also a strong supporter of the B+ Foundation, where she has raised over $4,000 dollars. In the summer, the critical studies major with an education minor, is a volunteer at Golisano Children’s Hospital and she has worked with the youth of Geneva in programs through William Smith—the Youth Leadership College and Geneva Heroes. She was also a member of the William Smith Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for three years and served as the Heron Society Board of Directors Student Representative.

A mathematics major, Coleman maintained a 3.97 cumulative grade point average as a dual-sport athlete. A member of Clarkson’s men’s basketball and baseball teams, Coleman was named Liberty League Co-Player of the Year in Men’s Basketball and Player of the Year in Baseball.

On the court, Coleman is the Golden Knights’ all-time leader in points (1,649), steals (219) and field goals made (752). A starter in 103 games, Coleman’s career 16.4 points per game average was the highest in program history in nearly four decades. He led Clarkson and the league this season in scoring (17.1 per game), field goals made (198), field goal percentage (.540) and steals (2.0 per game). Coleman also had 10 games where he recorded 20 or more points. Coleman and the Golden Knights reached the Liberty League tournament for two consecutive years including an appearance in this season’s league championship, where Clarkson finished the year at 20-7.

From the baseball diamond, Coleman led the Golden Knights to back-to-back Liberty League tournament appearances as Clarkson captured the second seed in the 2015 tournament, finishing the year with a 24-9 overall record and a 16-6 conference mark. From the plate, the Potsdam, N.Y. native finished among the top-five league leaders in hitting (.437, second), on-base percentage (.525, third) and slugging percentage (.605, fourth) this season. He recorded 14 extra-base hits overall, including six triples while failing to reach base in only two of 32 contests. Defensively, Coleman is one of the league’s top shortstops committing only six errors in 168 opportunities.

Coleman was recognized as the Capital One Academic All-America of the Year in 2014-15 Division III men’s basketball and baseball. He is now one of three Division III student-athletes to earn the distinction in two sports in the same academic year. Coleman has garnered a total of five Academic All-America honors across the two sports since he became eligible as a sophomore in 2012-13.

In basketball, he was also recognized as a second-team All-America by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and an honorable mention All-America selection by DIII News. Coleman was named to the NABC and D3Hoops.com All-East region First-Teams and earned a spot on the ECAC Upstate Men’s Basketball First-Team. In baseball, he garnered D3Baseball.com and American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-East region First-Team accolades and Coleman was selected to the ECAC Upstate Baseball First Team.

Liberty League Scholar-Athletes of the Year

2014-15
Madeline Buckley, William Smith College, Soccer
John Coleman, Clarkson University, Basketball / Baseball
 
2013-14
Olivia Zitoli, William Smith College, Soccer
Richie Bonney, Hobart College, Basketball

2012-13
Emily D'Addario, William Smith College, Cross Country
Adam Updegrove, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Soccer / Swimming & Diving