Albany, NY— The Sage Colleges' department of athletics gathered to recognize and honor the outstanding performances of the 2018-2019 year with the naming of the athletic award winners for the 17 varsity athletic teams. In addition to awarding the Gator Award, for the Most Outstanding Player, the department also named the 2018-2019 Female and Male Rookies of the Year as well as the 2018-2019 Female and Male Athletes of the Year.

Sage honored senior captain Zackery Karl (West Monroe, NY/Central Square) as the Gator of the Year in men's volleyball. A leader on and off the court, Karl left a big impact on the Sage program. During his time at Sage, he played in 115 career matches, tied for fourth all-time, having also played in 330 sets (No. 6). He added 442 career kills (No. 6), 84 aces (No. 5), 134 total blocks (No. 6), and 607.5 points (No. 6). On his senior season, he had a personal-best effort in the team's UVC win over Bard with 8 aces, which ranks second all-time in Sage single-match records.  He also picked up 5 aces against NYU-Johnson, which is tied for ninth best as well for in the Gator record book.

Head men's volleyball coach Rachel Martin noted of Karl, "The Zack has always shown commitment to this program during his four years here at Sage." Martin continued, "He has grown significantly as a student and as a volleyball player. He served as a captain the past two years and he is always leading by example on and off the court. He demonstrates a strong work ethic, dedication, and an emphasis of team comradery. He has been an excellent teammate and leader for our program."