2020-21 Athletics Awards Summary: Thursday, May 27

ELMIRA, N.Y. — The Elmira College Department of Athletics announced the remaining honorees from the annual Athletics Awards on social media Thursday afternoon, headlined by two Career Achievement Award winners.

For the second year in a row, awards will be revealed virtually rather than an in-person presentation. Despite the challenges, such as squeezing all three sports seasons into a condensed three-and-a-half-month window between February and May, playing the majority of games without fans in the stands, and a strict COVID-19 testing policy, the crowning of the 2020-21 honorees marks the 51st annual celebration hosted by the Department of Athletics. As tradition goes, the best and brightest will once again be commemorated for their achievements in the classroom and competition.

Winners will be revealed via social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter throughout the afternoon and evening. At the conclusion of each day’s announcements, fans, friends, and family can visit athletics.elmira.edu for a recap of the daily awards.

On Thursday, the two winners of the Career Achievement Awards, the Paul Brand Athletics Staff Award, and the last round of Booster Club Player of the Year awards from the spring athletics team were released.
 

After biding her time behind an All-American as a freshman and an All-Conference teammate as a sophomore, Elizabeth Hanson ’21 broke out in a big way during her junior season with Elmira’s nationally-ranked women’s ice hockey team. Not only did she grab the starting role and run away with it, the Massachusetts product ended her career as one of the program’s all-time leaders. A four-time UCHC champion and the 2021 UCHC Goaltender of the Year, Hanson graduates first in EC history in save percentage (.952), second in goals-against average (0.80), sixth in shutouts (16), seventh in wins (34), and eighth in saves (596). 
 

In just two years with the Purple and Gold, Chris Janzen ’21 cemented himself as one of Elmira’s best goalies in recent memory. After spending his first two seasons at Division I Clarkson University, Janzen guided the EC men’s ice hockey team to a United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) title during the abbreviated 2021 season. As a senior, the Pelham, Ontario, native collected numerous awards, including UCHC Championship MVP and All-UCHC First Team. Janzen also became the first Soaring Eagle to collected Goaltender of the Year honors at the conference level since Rob Ligas ’02 during the 2001-02 campaign.

Paul Brand Athletics Staff Award: Sports Medicine

A two-year captain of the Elmira College esports program, Nate Schwartz ’21 was honored for his part on the League of Legends, Overwatch, and VALORANT teams. A valuable leader who played a crucial role on all three teams, Schwartz helped the VALORANT squad qualify for ECAC playoffs in both the fall and spring halves of the 2020-21 season, which included a first-round win in the fall and a first-round bye in the spring.
 

Jordan Peiser ’24 was thrust into the lineup during his freshman season with the EC men’s volleyball team and exceeded expectations. The first-year outside hitter finished second among Soaring Eagles with 114 kills, 2.04 kills per set, and 17 service aces. Two of his five matches with double-digit kills came against nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College, including a season-high 13 kills with a .375 attack percentage against the Cardinals on March 13.
 

On the diamond, third-year catcher Felicity Brockhuizen ’22 led the EC softball team to a berth in the 2021 Empire 8 Conference Championship tournament. Brockhuizen logged the best season of her career, hitting a team-best .303 with five extra-base hits, seven runs, eight RBIs, and nine stolen bases. The Macedon, New York, native was named to the E8 All-Conference Third Team for her efforts.
 

If injury didn’t limit Mason Ryan ’22 to only 24 games, he likely would’ve led the baseball team in nearly every offensive category. The third-year shortstop was second among all Soaring Eagles in batting average (.325) and stolen bases (14), while finishing fourth in hits (25). He also set a program record with a .470 on-base percentage after recording more walks (20) than strikeouts (13).
 

Returning to the field after recovering from a leg injury, Elmira women’s lacrosse team captain Mikayla Carfello ’22 showed tremendous fortitude and commitment to the team. The third-year attacker suited up for six games, including four starts, and finished with nine points (8g-1a). Carfello ended the season with a four-game point streak and had multiple goals in three of those appearances. 
 

Junior Sam Shaw ’22 transitioned from his role as an attackman to the midfield, and in addition to his scoring prowess, added faceoff duty to his resume this spring. In seven games, Shaw tied for second on the team in points (16) and assists (8) and led all Soaring Eagles with 22 faceoff wins. The Portland, Maine, native had a point in every game during the shortened 2021 season, including six points (3g-3a) in a 15-4 win over Wells on March 27.

The remaining schedule for this week’s presentation is as follows:
 

Friday, May 29
Highlight Video (1:00 p.m.)
Thank You Seniors (5:00 p.m.)

 
Here are the previously-announced winners from 2020-21 Athletics Awards Week: