Albany, NY—Russell Sage College's department of athletics announced their award winners for the 2021-2022 academic year at the annual awards banquet. In addition to several honors bestowed for athletic and academic excellence, Sage also selected the Gator of the Year Award for the department's 21 varsity sports for the 2021-2022 year. The Dean Sharon Robinson Senior Scholar-Athlete Award recognizes our exceptional senior male and female scholar-athletes for their accomplishments in the classroom and their distinguished efforts as a Sage Scholar-Athlete. This award is given in recognition of Dean Robinson's service and passion for excellence in higher education and love of intercollegiate athletics.
RSC's senior Stuart Phair (Canberra, Australia/Trinity Christian School) was honored for his academic prowess and athletic excellence. Phair took home three awards at the event and in the process became the very first Sage male student-athlete to earn Gator of the Year honors in two different sports, while also being honored as the Dean Robinson Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Boasting a 3.829 GPA at Sage as a business administration major, Phair was also honored with his second consecutive selection to Sage's Athletic Honor Society at the banquet.
Head Men's Basketball Coach Brian Barnes noted of Phair, "Our coaching staff is excited to recognize Stuart as our 2021-22 Gator Award recipient." He added, "Throughout the course of his career, Stuart has always served others first. As a two-year team captain, Stuart has done an exemplary job of living out our program core values. As a three-year starter and now an All-Empire 8 Conference selection, Stuart departs our program helping us to three consecutive Empire 8 tournament appearances. We are so thankful for his contributions to Sage and our program."
In basketball, Phair was honored as an Empire 8 Third Team All-Conference pick as a senior. A team co-captain, he averaged 10.1 points on 49.2 percent shooting and 7.2 rebounds. He also finished his time as a Gator sitting second in program records with 110 career blocks. He added two double-doubles this past season, including when he tallied 21 points on 52.9 percent shooting and 12 boards in the win vs. Keuka on January 21 and was named the Empire 8 Player of the Week. A leader on and off the court, he helped Sage garner a spot in the Empire 8 Tournament once again this past season, while also garnering the 2021-2022 College Basketball Official's Sam Schoenfield Sportsmanship Award.
In golf, Phair had a breakout season as a senior. At the 2021 Empire 8 Fall Championship, he finished in ninth place after he combined for a 162 on rounds of 79 and 83. At the 2022 Empire 8 Spring Championship four weeks ago, he shot an 81 on Friday and an 82 on Saturday. Combined with his fall scores of a 79-88, he posted a score of 325 and finished tied for sixth place to take home Empire 8 All-Conference Second Team acclaim. In addition to his Empire 8 Second Team award, he also earned a pair of citations as the E8 Men's Golfer of the Week twice.
Head Men's Golf Coach Kevin Cain noted, "Stuart leads by example. He is a tireless worker who is always finding ways to get better. His commitment to the game has been rewarded with steady improvement over his career at Russell Sage."
