ALBANY – The Sage College's department of athletics gathered to recognize and honor the outstanding performances of the 2016-17 year with the naming of the athletic award winners for the 15 varsity athletic teams. In addition to awarding the Gator Award, for the Most Outstanding Player, the department also named the 2016-17 Female and Male Athletes of the Year. Sage's junior Jessica Adams (Nassau, NY/Columbia) was named the Gator of the Year in softball.

Head coach Jamie Brown said of Adams, "Jessica has been the heart and soul of our team for a long time. She is a leader because of her continued example of hard work, commitment to the team and passion for the game. She is also one of the best shortstops and players in the Skyline Conference with her stellar defense and very strong bat. She will be impossible to replace."

Adams was a Skyline All-Conference selection three times, including one first-team selection. The senior totaled 46 hits, 28 RBI's, 24 runs, 13 doubles, ten stolen bases, three home runs and one triple with a .362 batting average and a .551 slugging percentage. Consistently one of the strongest fielders in the conference, the captain finished the season with a .950 fielding percentage. Adams finished third in the Skyline in doubles/game with 0.33. The captain finished her career ranked 2nd in doubles (42), 3rd in RBI's (94), 4th in hits (165), 4th in stolen bases (31), 5th in runs (94) and 9th in home runs (ten).

A captain her senior year, Adams led Sage to its first regular-season Skyline Title along with four Skyline Tournament appearances and two ECAC Division III Metro bids. The shortstop was an excellent student having been on the Dean's List, the Skyline Scholar-Athlete Team and the Sage Scholar-Athlete Team. Adams graduated in May with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in sociology.