Liberty League announces 2017 Women's Outdoor Track & Field Awards
2017 Liberty League Women's Outdoor Track & Field Awards
Co-Track Performer of the Year: Lisa Grohn, Sr., St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University junior Lisa Grohn was selected as the Liberty League Co-Track Performer of the Year, receiving the award for the second consecutive year. Grohn earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division III Championship after finishing fourth in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 17:01.77. An All-American in the 10,000-meter run as a junior, Grohn won the 5,000-meter run at the Liberty League Championship before posting a season-best time of 16:56.67 in the same event in winning the Swarthmore Final Qualifier. She also posted a time of 36:44.85 in the 10,000-meter run at the Penn Relays.
Co-Track Performer of the Year: Noemie Bechu, Sr., Union College
Union College senior Noemie Bechu earned Liberty League Co-Track Performer of the Year honors after compiling one of the finest seasons for a Union women's track and field athlete. Selected as the Track Athlete of the Meet at both the Liberty League and New York State Collegiate Track Conference (NYSCTC) Championships, Bechu won the 200 - by more than a second - and 400-meter events at both championships. She set a Liberty League meet record in winning the 200 in 25.37. She also won the 400 while finishing third in the 200 at the ECAC Championship. Union's first-ever double-winner at the Liberty League outdoor championship, Bechu registered 10 wins, 16 top-three finishes and 19 top-five finishes in her senior season.
Field Performer of the Year: Jessica Calzolari, Sr., Rochester Institute of Technology
RIT senior Jess Calzolari was named the Liberty League Field Performer of the Year. Calzolari was named Liberty League Field Athlete of the Meet at the outdoor championship. Calzolari won both the long jump (5.18 meters) and triple jump (10.80 meters) while finishing fourth in the high jump (1.51 meters) and fifth in the javelin throw (29.51 meters). She also recorded a career-best showing of 4,150 points in the heptathlon at the NYSCTC championship. She also posted top times of 27.27 in the 200 and 15.72 in the 100-meter hurdles.
Rookie of the Year: Laura Gardner, Fr., St. Lawrence University
St. Lawrence University first-year sprinter Laura Gardner was selected as the Liberty League Rookie of the Year. Gardner, who was recognized as the Rookie of the Meet at the Liberty League Championship, won the 100-meter dash in 13.03 after recording the top time in the prelims of 12.96 seconds. She also placed fourth in the 200-meter dash in 27.22. Gardner finished the season as the league's leading rookie in both events, ranked second overall in the 100 and fifth in the 200. She also competed as a member of the Saints' 4x400 and 4x100 relay teams.
Coaching Staff of the Year: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Colin Tory, Head Coach (Assistant Coaches John Lynch, Patrick Weinert, Warren Lutes, Kailyn Balzano, Rick Choppa, Shane Colvin, Joey Correia, Bonnie Deyo, J.C. Kennedy, Bill Quinlisk)
RPI head coach Colin Tory and his coaching staff have been selected as the Liberty League coaching staff of the year for the outdoor season. The Engineers claimed their second consecutive outdoor league championship with a 10.5-point margin of victory after winning six events. RPI also captured the Upstate Classic while placing second at the Capital District Classic, third at both the Tufts Snowflake Classic and the New York State Collegiate Track Conference Championship and fourth at the Bates Invitational.