Tara Lamberti and Jamie Jackson selected as 2015-16 Liberty League Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Liberty League commissioner Tracy King has announced that
Tara Lamberti of the University of Rochester and
Jamie Jackson of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have been named the recipients of the 2015-16 Liberty League 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 by 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.
“Tara Lamberti and Jamie Jackson represent the very best of the Liberty League and intercollegiate athletics so I am pleased to announce their selection as this year’s Scholar-Athletes of the Year,” said King. “Tara and Jamie not only excelled in their respective sports but they were also successful in the classroom and both have emerged as 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 over the past four years.”
Lamberti, goalkeeper and two-year starter for the Yellowjackets, was selected as the 2015 National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s (NFHCA) Atlantic Region Player of the Year.
This season, Lamberti compiled an 18-6 record in goal for Rochester and guided the Yellowjackets to their second ever NCAA tournament appearance, advancing to the quarterfinals. She finished the year with a 1.00 goals against average and .856 save percentage, both of which ranked in the top-10 of NCAA Division III.
She finishes her career at Rochester with a 35-13 record, a 1.21 goals against average and an .849 save percentage. Those numbers put her among the top-five in Rochester field hockey program history. Lamberti also had a hand in a school record 22 shutouts (13 solo, 9 shared). She was named the Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year for two consecutive years and was a two-time All-America selection. She was also named the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic region. In addition, she was the only Division III field hockey player to be invited to the United States National Field Hockey Team Trials in January.
In the classroom, she was a psychology major with a dual minor in Brain & Cognitive Sciences and Classical Tradition, with a 3.43 grade point average. Lamberti was a two-time Liberty League All-Academic team selection and NFHCA Academic Honor Roll recipient. She was also the recipient of Rochester’s Sylvia Fabricant Award, which is presented annually to a female athlete for outstanding sportsmanship.
By virtue of her selection as the Liberty League’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Lamberti will also be the league’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
A biomedical engineering major,
Jackson maintained a 3.93 grade point average and he is a two-time Academic All-America At-Large selection for Men’s Golf. He was named to the third team in 2015 and the first team this year. He is the first golfer in RPI history to be named Academic All-American.
A team captain for the Engineers, Jackson was selected to the All-Liberty League first team and recognized as All-Region by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) following a season where he averaged a team-best score of 76.7 strokes over 18 rounds. He had four top-ten finishes, including a third place showing at the New York University Spring Invitational and eighth in the four-round Liberty League Championship.
In his career at RPI, Jackson recorded five first place and 14 top-ten finishes in 36 tournaments. He earned GCAA All-America recognition following his junior season (2014-15), where he competed in every match. He won four tournaments, including three straight in September.
A three-time Liberty League All-Academic selection, Jackson was awarded RPI’s Leopold L. Balleisen Prize, which honors a student-athlete who has won a varsity letter in at least one sport during two undergraduate years and who stands highest academically among those qualified. He was also named the recipient of the Rensselaer Leadership Award and RPI’s Founders Award of Excellence.
Liberty League Scholar-Athletes of the Year
2015-16
Tara Lamberti, University of Rochester, Field Hockey
Jamie Jackson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Men’s Golf
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