Troy, NY--The Sage Colleges athletic department gathered last month at Carmela’s Banquet House to bestow the program’s top awards for the 2010-2011 academic year.  Sage, which now boasts 12 varsity athletic teams that compete as an NCAA Division III member and a full-member of the Skyline Athletic Conference, handed out a Gator of the Year award as the team’s Most Valuable Player Award in each sport as well as other honors at the banquet as athletic department staff, the college’s dignitaries, families and friends gathered to salute the excellence that occurred in 2010-2011 at Sage.

2010-2011 Sage Female Athlete of the Year:          Nicole Corbett (Sr., East Greenbush, NY/Columbia) Women’s Volleyball

Nicole became the College’s first four-time Skyline Conference All-Star First Team honoree this fall with her outstanding play in women’s volleyball. During her career, Corbett excelled on the court and in the classroom at Sage and last year garnered the 2009-2010 ECAC Merit Medal for her outstanding contributions. A 2010 CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Second Team honoree, she is a childhood education and middle childhood extension and math major at Sage with a 3.85 grade-point-average. During her career, she guided the team to back-to-back Skyline Conference Championship titles in 2007 and 2008 as well as the college’s first and only NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. Active on campus and in the community, Nicole is a member of the math club at Sage and works as a math tutor, while also volunteering as a Miracle League volunteer.

As a senior on the 2010 team, she helped the program earn its fourth straight Skyline Conference Tournament appearance, while breaking Sage’s career block record with 449 blocks. She also etched her name into several of Sage’s career and single-season records as well in her four years on the squad. She ranks third in blocks per game (0.97), fourth in kills (1,131), and sixth in kills per game (2.43). 

2010-2011 Sage Athletic Honor Society:

 (The Sage College’s Intercollegiate Athletic Honor Society recognizes junior, senior, or graduate level student-athletes, who have maintained a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.2 or better and have participated as a member of a varsity team for at least two seasons.)

*Nicole Corbett (Sr., East Greenbush, NY/Columbia), Women’s Volleyball

*Cheryce Harvey (Sr., Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor), Women’s Volleyball 

                                    *Indicates Previous Inductee

Gator of the Year:      Nicole Corbett (Sr., Greenbush, NY/Columbia)

As a senior on the 2010 team, Nicole Corbett led the team as a captain and helped the program earn its fourth straight Skyline Conference Tournament appearance. Along the way, she broke Sage’s career block record with 449 blocks. She also etched her name into several of Sage’s career and single-season records as well in her four years on the squad. She ranks third in blocks per game (0.97), fourth in kills (1,131), and sixth in kills per game (2.43). 

She earned her fourth straight selection to the Skyline Conference All-Star First Team in 2010, becoming Sage’s first and only student-athlete to hold that distinction. Corbett finished 2010 with a team-high 226 kills with 71 blocks in 99 sets played with 30 starts. She also ranked seventh in the Skyline Conference in kills per set (2.27), while ranking fifth with her 0.72 blocks per set average.

Rookie of the Year:  Joanie Cooney (Fr., Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa)

The team’s rookie setter, Joanie Cooney led Sage with her 559 setting assists, which was fourth best in the Skyline as she averaged 5.66 per set. She connected for 206 digs and 59 kills in 99 sets played in her freshman campaign, while also positioning herself into the Sage single-season record book. Her season totals ranks No. 7 on the career list, while her 2010 season totals stand 10th best for assists. Named the Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week in early September, she also earned a pair of postings on the Skyline Conference Weekly Honor Roll.

Coaches’ Award:  Cheryce Harvey (Sr., Utica, NY/Thomas R. Proctor)

A four-year letterwinner and a two-year starter, Cheryce Harvey had a strong senior season for Sage. She netted 85 kills with 25 service aces and 260 digs. Over her career, she played in 271 sets in 88 matches. She connected for 154 kills with 601 digs, 55 service aces and 51 blocks. She served the 2010 team as a co-captain and that leadership carried over as she served Sage’s SAAC as the 2010-2011 treasurer and was also a member of Sage’s Captains’ Council.