Albany, NY – The Sage College’s department of athletics gathered to recognize and honor the outstanding performances of the 2013-2014 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 2013-2014 Female and Male Athletes of the Year as well as the ECAC Merit Medal and the Dean Sharon Robinson Senior Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
Junior guard and team captain Megan Bowman (Dannemora, NY/Saranac) was named the 2013-2014 Sage Female Athlete of the Year, while also earning acclaim as the women’s basketball Gator of the Year as well for the year. Senior women’s basketball player, Chelsea Martin (Davenport, NY/Jefferson Central) was named the recipient of the ECAC Merit Medal, while also earning a spot on The Sage College’s Intercollegiate Athletic Honor Society, which recognized junior, senior, or graduate level student-athletes, that have maintained a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.3 or better and have participated as a member of a varsity team for at least two seasons. For Martin the selection to the Honor Society was the second after she earned the same acclaim as a junior.
Additionally, Bowman and Martin were both named to The Sage College’s Intercollegiate Athletic Honor Society recognized junior, senior, or graduate level student-athletes, that have maintained a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.3 or better and have participated as a member of a varsity team for at least two seasons.
Over the course of the 2013-2014 season, Bowman earned numerous awards and acclaim for the Gators. She was the first player in the program’s history to be chosen to the D3Hoops.com regional squad as she was placed on the 2013-2014 All-Atlantic Region Third Team. Sage’s team posted the best finish in school history with a 17-10 record, while also capturing the Skyline Conference Championship and a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament, also program firsts.
Bowman was a team leader on and off the court for Sage this year. Her long list of accomplishments included a selection to the Skyline Conference First Team, as well as the Most Outstanding Player of the Skyline Tournament. She led Sage with a 12.7 ppg average and handed out a Sage single-season record 142 assists with 74 steals. She ranks No. 27 in Div. 3 in assists per game (5.3), while ranking No. 53 in the latest NCAA stats ranking in assist to turnover ratio (1.8) and No. 68 in steals per game (2.74). She scored 344 points on the season in 27 starts and her 344 points ranks No. 5 all-time in single-season efforts.
After three seasons, Bowman ranks No. 11 in career points scored (713), while ranking No. 2 in assists (319), No. 6 in steals (183), and No. 15 on career three-pointers made (40). She has also played in 69 games at Sage with 67 starts.
Head Coach Jackie Craft said of Megan Bowman, “Megan being awarded Female Athlete of the Year was a great way for her to cap off the season that she was very instrumental in leading Sage to over the course of 2013-2014. “ Craft added, “This season Megan did whatever we asked of her, and that varied game to game. She can score in transition and from outside, in addition, she can defend and disrupt other teams with her quickness. She is a fierce competitor and when it was crunch time, she stepped up to the challenge, and we relied on her to do so. She has matured into a student-athlete that receives respect from other members in the department as well as coaches around our conference.”
Head Women’s Basketball Coach Jackie Craft said of Martin, “Chelsea being awarded the ECAC Merit Medal is no surprise simply because she exemplifies what this award is about!” Craft added, “She helped lead our program to new heights this year with a Skyline Conference Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, all while being an excellent student and heavily involved in the community. Chelsea is our Student Athletic Advisory Committee President and has gone above and beyond in organizing events not only this year, but throughout her time at Sage.”
Sage’s lone senior on the women’s basketball team this year, Martin, a team tri-captain, set the career record for most games played. She wraps her outstanding career having made a record 99 consecutive starts. She scored 701 career points, which is No. 12 all-time, while adding 535 rebounds (No. 5). She also connected for 130 career steals (No. 12), while tallying 101 three-point baskets (No. 3) and 62 blocked shots (No. 3). She added a 77.9% career free throw percentage (74-95 and ranks No. 2 all-time). She started 27 games for the 2013-2014 Gators and averaged 4.6 ppg and 4.0 rpg with 25 three-pointers, 38 assists, 23 steals and 11 blocked shots over her final campaign.
Additional acclaim for Martin came as she was named the recipient of the Skyline Conference Sportsmanship Award in women’s basketball. Sage’s women’s team went 17-10 on the year and captured the Skyline Conference Championship and a bid in the NCAA Division III Tournament, both firsts for the hoop program.
