Liberty League commissioner Tracy King has announced that
Madeline O'Connell of the University of Rochester and
Artem Buzoverya of Hobart College have been named the recipients of the 2023-24 Liberty League Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards.
Established following the 2012-13 academic year, the recipients of the Liberty League Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards 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. O'Connell is the second women's track and field honoree and the second from the University of Rochester. Buzoverya is the third honoree from Hobart College. While ice hockey is not a Liberty League sport, the league also honors student-athletes that do not have an opportunity to earn similar recognition in the sports in which they compete. He is the second honoree from a non-Liberty League sport to be selected, joining former Vassar men's volleyball All-American Matt Knigge.
"I am excited to announce that Madeline O'Connell and Artem Buzoverya have been selected as the Liberty League Scholar-Athletes of the Year," said King. "Madeline and Artem represent the very best of the Liberty League and intercollegiate athletics – individuals who have achieved at elite levels academically and athletically while emerging as leaders on their campuses. Both are NCAA champions, have earned national recognition for athletic and academic success and are individuals of great character. 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."
By virtue of her selection as the Liberty League's Scholar-Athlete of the Year, O'Connell will also be the league's nominee for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award. O'Connell and Buzoverya will also be the league's nominees for the Division III Student-Athletes of the Year as selected by the Division III Commissioners Association.
One of the most decorated athletes in the University of Rochester women's track & field program history,
O'Connell is a three-time national champion, 11-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American and a 24-time USTFCCCA All-Region selection. This year, O'Connell helped Rochester repeat as NCAA Division III indoor track and field national champion in the 4x400-meter relay and took home her own individual national championship in the indoor pole vault while adding four more USTFCCCA All-America honors in the indoor and outdoor 400 meters, outdoor pole vault and outdoor 4x400 Relay.
O'Connell ranked in the top three in the USTFCCCA Niagara Region in nine different events across the indoor and outdoor seasons and was named both the USTFCCCA Niagara Region and Liberty League Field Performer of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor campaigns. The senior took home eight All-Liberty League honors at the indoor and outdoor championships, earning both Liberty League Indoor Track and Field Performer of the Meet honors, and is a 21-time conference performer of the week, having earned 13 of those honors this year. O'Connell is also a five-time All-Atlantic Region champion and holds seven indoor school records in the pole vault, 4x400-meter relay, indoor 400 meters, outdoor 200 meters and the 4x100-meter relay.
The 2024 Rochester Merle Spurrier Award Recipient, O'Connell, a neuroscience major with a minor in psychology, is a four-time Liberty League and USTFCCCA All-Academic selection. She is also a member of the Psi Chi International Psychology Honor Society, a Take-5 Scholar and was nominated by lab members for Student Employee of the Year in 2022. The Sudbury, Mass. native also worked as an emergency medical technician (EMT) in the Rochester community while also previously working in the Wojtovich Lab at URMC as a research assistant and volunteers as a Senior Ski Patroller back home, providing medical care to the skiing public and teaching the medical course to become a ski patroller.
Buzoverya, who hails from Kharkiv, Ukraine, helped the Hobart ice hockey team to back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships. The senior was a finalist for the Sid Watson Award, presented to the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Division II-III Men's Player of the Year. A CCM/AHCA All-America East second team and All-USCHO.com third team selection, Buzoverya was the Player of the Year and tournament Most Valuable Player in the New England Hockey Conference. He centered Hobart's top line, leading the team in faceoffs won while ranking second in assists, third in points and 28th in the nation in assists per game.
Buzoverya was honored with Francis L. "Babe" Kraus '24 Memorial Award, recognizing Hobart's most outstanding senior athlete across all sports. He also received the school's Boswell Award as team MVP and the Holden Award for sportsmanship, leadership and character.
An economics and international relations major, Buzoverya graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics honor society). He was a three-time AHCA Scholar All-American and eight-time Dean's list honoree.
The Hobart hockey captain was also active in the community, volunteering with the Geneva Community Lunch Program, serving meals to those less fortunate. In addition to participating in numerous youth hockey clinics for kids in the Geneva area, he was part of a team-organized community service project that cleaned up graves of veterans in a Geneva cemetery. He received the Hobart Dean's Citizenship Award this past year.
Buzoverya will utilize his final year of collegiate eligibility as a graduate student at Division I Bentley University.
Liberty League Scholar-Athletes of the Year
2023-24
Madeline O'Connell, University of Rochester, Track & Field
Artem Buzoverya, Hobart College, Ice Hockey
2022-23
Karson Saunders, Union College, Softball
Matt Lecky, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Cross Country / Track & Field
2021-22
Julia Keogh, William Smith College, Soccer
Ryan Puglisi, Union College, Lacrosse
2020-21
Mekayla Montgomery, William Smith College, Lacrosse
Walker Anderson, Hobart College, Tennis
2019-20
Sophie Nick, Vassar College, Women's Basketball
Garrett Renslow, University of Rochester, Baseball
2018-19
Monica Feeley, Vassar College, Field Hockey
Edvinas Rupkus, Skidmore College, Basketball
2017-18
Taryn Cordani, Ithaca College, Cross Country / Track & Field
Matthew Knigge, Vassar College, Volleyball
2016-17
Caroline Conboy, William Smith College, Swimming & Diving
Kent Curran, Union College, Baseball
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