Babson Celebrates Class of 2010 At 29th Annual Senior Awards Banquet
BABSON PARK, Mass. -- The Babson College Athletics Department held its 29th Annual Senior Awards Banquet on Friday night, where a total of nine individuals received honors. Women's lacrosse senior Anna Collins (Winchester, Mass.) was named Female Athlete of the Class, while men’s soccer senior Dan Fogarty (Brookline, N.H.) was named Male Athlete of the Class. Women's lacrosse senior Kaitlyn Pettengill (Hopkinton, Mass.) and ice hockey senior Gabriel Chenard-Poirier (St. Augustin, Quebec) were named Scholar-Athletes of the Class, and women's soccer senior Kayla Pomponi (Belmont, Mass.) took home the Michael J. Conlon Award.
In addition to the senior awards, Grant Gosselin and the Undergraduate Admissions Team were the recipients of the prestigious Paul C. Staake Award for outstanding contributions to Babson Athletics, while a trio of first-year athletes were also honored. Softball first-year Megan Brain (Pompton Plains, N.J.) received the Lori Vengrow Award, and men’s soccer freshman Eric Anderson (Scituate, Mass.) and ice hockey first-year PT Donato (Arlington, Mass.) were named co-winners of the Colin "Chip" Brown Award.
Collins and Pettengill were both honored near the end of magnificent careers in which they have helped lead the Babson women's lacrosse team to three straight NEWMAC Championships and NCAA Tournament berths. The duo currently rank 1-2 on the women's lacrosse program's all-time points list while tying for second among the Beavers' goals leaders. A two-time All-American and the reigning NEWMAC Player of the Year, Collins boasts 209 goals and 56 assists for 265 career points. Meanwhile, Pettengill, a 2009 All-American and the 2007 Inside Lacrosse National Rookie of the Year, has accumulated 209 goals and 55 assists for 264 points. With these two star midfielders leading the way, the women's lacrosse team is currently ranked 10th in the nation and as the top seed in the NEWMAC will seek their fourth straight league championship when they host the tournament semifinals and finals this weekend.
Fogarty claimed Male Athlete of the Class honors after a
record-setting four years for the men's soccer team. A First Team
All-Conference and First Team All-New England selection this fall,
Fogarty helped lead Babson to back-to-back NEWMAC Championships and
NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009. The veteran
midfielder was also named to the NSCAA Scholar Athlete All-America
Second Team and to the NSCAA Scholar Athlete All-East Region First
Team this year, and he will graduate as the program's all-time
leader with 39 career assists. With nine goals to his credit,
his 57 career points are tied for 12th on Babson's
all-time scoring list.
Joining Pettengill with Scholar-Athlete of the Class honors was
Chenard-Poirier, who was an instrumental member of Babson ice
hockey's 2007 and 2009 ECAC East Championship and NCAA Tournament
qualifying teams. A rugged and skilled defenseman, Chenard-Poirier
was named to the ECAC East All-Tournament Team as a freshman in
2007, and was selected to the league's Academic All-Conference
squad in 2008 and 2009. Although his career was cut short by
injuries midway through his senior season, he still managed to
compile 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points from the defenseman
position in three and a half seasons on the ice. A bilingual
student whose first language is French, Chenard-Poirier also
enjoyed tremendous success in the classroom, winning numerous
academic awards, including the pretigious Dean's Leadership and
Achievement Award this past fall.
A four-year member of the women's soccer team, Pomponi received the coveted Michael J. Conlon Award, which is presented each year to the senior who best exhibits the qualities of leadership, integrity, loyalty, academic excellence, and, most importantly, a willingness to find the time to care for others. One of the team's captains, Pomponi not only excelled on the field and in the classroom, but also took part in numerous extra-curricular ativities. She was a leading member of Babson's revitalized Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and she served as a work-study student in several different areas of the Athletics Department throughout her career. Pomponi was lauded as a selfless and caring teammate by her peers, and as a magnificent leader both on and off the field by her coaches.
Presented each year to a person or entity that shows outstanding support of Babson's Athletic programs, the Paul C. Staake Award went to Grant Gosselin and his Undergraduate Admissions staff. During his time as Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Gosselin has helped Babson reach several key milestones, including increasing the number of applications, increasing the number of under-represented constituencies within the student body, and continuously raising Babson's academic benchmarks with each incoming class. Presented with the award by men's basketball coach and Athletics Admissions liaison Stephen Brennan, Gosselin and his team were praised for making the admissions process more transparent and efficient than ever before.
A long-time Babson tradition, the Senior Awards Banquet also included a pair of first-year awards. Brain was presented with the Lori Vengrow Award, which is given each year to a first-year female athlete that best represents the qualities of loyalty, selflessness, and positive attitude. A starting pitcher for Babson's young but talented softball team, she posted an impressive record of 11-4 with a 3.32 ERA this spring, striking out 74 batters in 97 innings. She also performed exceptionally well in the classroom, posting the highest GPA on the team in her first semester as a member of the Presidential Scholar program.
Fittingly, the 2010 Colin "Chip" Brown Award, which is presented each year to a male first-year athlete that best exhibits courage, mental toughness, and commitment to his team and school, was shared by two sons of Babson coaches and alumni. Playing for his father and 1975 graduate Jon Anderson, men's soccer freshman Eric Anderson was named co-winner after a sensational rookie season that saw him lead Babson in scoring with 13 goals and six assists for 32 points. The highly-talented striker was named First Team All-NEWMAC, Second Team All-New England, and he was selected as both the NEWMAC and ECAC New England Rookie of the Year. Meanwhile, Donato, the son of 1984 graduate, former coach, and Babson Athletics Hall of Famer Paul Donato, also had a fantastic first season for the ice hockey program. A skilled and intelligent forward, he ranked fourth on the team and was ninth in the league among freshman with eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points this winter. Both Anderson and Donato were praised for their positive attitude, team-first mentality, and committement to their teammates and the College.
As a whole, the Babson Athletics Class of 2010 will go down as one of the most successful groups in the 91-year history of the College. Over the last four years, this year's senior class helped Babson win a total of 11 conference championships and make 13 national tournament appearances - both school records.