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.

Sage’s junior Helen Putriment (Troy, NY/Cobleskill-Richmondville) was named the 2013 Sage Gator of the Year in Women’s Volleyball. Named the 2013 Skyline Conference Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year, Putriment was also named to the Skyline Conference First Team for the second year in a row.

Senior women’s volleyball captain Joanie Cooney (Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa) was named the 2013-2014 recipient of the ECAC Merit Medal for her outstanding contributions to the athletic department as a student-athlete and a leader.

Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Sandy Augstein-Collins said of Putriment, “It is a pleasure to award Helen Putriment with the volleyball Gator of the Year award.” She added, “She had yet another amazing season racking up her 1000th career dig and 1000th career kill while leading the team with her experience, energy, attitude and leadership.  Helen capped off the year with being selected as the Skyline Player of the Year.  She is a joy to watch and a pleasure to coach!”

Over the course of the fall, Putriment earned five Skyline Player of the Week awards, while earning four postings on the weekly honor roll. She was also named the ECAC Upstate/Metro Player of the Week on October 29 as well over the course of the campaign.

She put her mark on Sage’s record book in the team’s win over Purchase as she had the final kill of the match to seal the win and it turned out to be her 1,000th career kills. She has joined an exclusive club at Sage that boasts just four members including herself. She stands at the No. 5 spot in career kills and No. 4 in digs. She has connected for 12 double-doubles this year and now has 1,000 career kills with 1,246 career digs, and 86 aces. She is the first player since the 2007 season to have 1,000 career digs and 1,000 career kills. The last player to achieve the feat was Catelyn Samoranski, who had 1,154 kills and 1,093 digs.

She was named to the all-tournament team at the University of Scranton Invitational and Endicott College Tournament, while leading Sage to the Skyline regular-season crown with a perfect 9-0 record.  On her career, she has 1,044 kills with a 3.08 kills per set average, while adding 1,329 digs, 44 total blocks with 89 aces. She has played in 339 sets in 100 career matches at Sage.

Additionally, Cooney was also named to 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. Cooney was an honoree as a junior and a senior for her outstanding efforts in the classroom.

Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Sandy Augstein-Collins said of Cooney, “It is such an honor to see Joanie Cooney win the ECAC Merit Award.” Augstein-Collins added, “She is an outstanding representative of our volleyball program and of Sage Athletics in general.  She has been the backbone of our program for four years and will be missed tremendously!”

Cooney, who was also named to the 2013 Skyline Conference Sportsmanship Team, was also named to the 2013 Skyline Conference Women’s Volleyball All-Star First Team. She was been forced to the sidelines with a late-season injury and played in all but two Skyline Conference matches this fall.

On her senior season, she led Sage with her 570 setting assists, while contributing 50 kills, 16 aces and 169 digs.  She is No. 2 all-time on the career setting assist list at Sage with her 2,973 setting assists in 124 matches played. She has 949 career digs as well in 413 career sets played. She was also a candidate for the 2013 CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District Team for excellent work in the classroom and on the court. She was named to the Skyline Conference Scholar-Athlete Team and was also named the 2013 Skyline Conference Women’s Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while also earning an additional posting to Sage’s Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll.