PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – On Monday, May 6, the Plattsburgh State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation had its annual Student-Athlete Recognition & Awards Ceremony at E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium in Hawkins Hall.
 
The evening began with a welcome by third-year director of athletics and recreation Mike Howard, while SUNY Plattsburgh President John Ettling provided opening remarks before Howard moved onto the special recognition part of the program. Howard presented head baseball coach Kris Doorey with a framed photo in commemoration of his 300th career win at Plattsburgh State and then honored head men's ice hockey coach Bob Emery's career in advance of his retirement from Plattsburgh State this summer.
 
Next came the academic awards portion of the program. Plattsburgh State announced its newest class of Chi Alpha Sigma inductees, which included:

Kara Barber, Women's Lacrosse
Mikayla Barrett, Women's Cross Country/Track and Field
Sierra Barrett, Women's Tennis
Alex Benjamin, Women's Soccer
Sarah Bonner, Women's Soccer
Rocco Cipriano, Baseball
Brianna Coon, Women's Volleyball/Women's Track and Field
Ralph Cordeau, Men's Track and Field
Cas Costa, Women's Track and Field
Hannah Cunningham, Women's Track and Field
Genevieve DeFrancesco, Women's Soccer
Joe Drabin, Men's Ice Hockey
Jeremy Eisenman, Men's Basketball
Brian Fabian, Men's Track and Field
Antoine Fournier-Gosselin, Men's Ice Hockey
Jordan Godfrey, Baseball
Emily Griffin, Women's Tennis
John Guercio, Men's Track and Field
Joe Gula, Men's Soccer
Alex Hepburn, Men's Track and Field
Marissa Jones, Women's Track and Field
Kade Lampman, Men's Track and Field
Katie Matott, Women's Soccer
Tina Mitsoglou, Women's Tennis
Kentaro Mori, Baseball
Kevin Murphy, Men's Lacrosse
Kaitlyn Preiss, Softball
Amanda Steinman, Women's Soccer
Sarah Wolf, Women's Ice Hockey
 
Second-year Chi Alpha Sigma honorees were then recognized, and that group included:
Kassi Abbott, Women's Ice Hockey
Nick Della Ratta, Men's Lacrosse
Bella DePasquale, Women's Basketball
Taka Fukushima, Men's Soccer
Jennifer Groat, Softball
William Lindau, Men's Cross Country/Track and Field
Jessie Smillie, Women's Cross Country
Alec Tocco, Men's Lacrosse
Ryan Whalen, Baseball
 
Richard D. Semmler Award
 
Next came the prestigious Richard D. Semmler Award, which is given to the male and female seniors with the highest cumulative grade-point averages through the fall semester of their senior year. The Semmler Award is named in honor of Richard D. Semmler, one of the College's top philanthropists and a 1968 SUNY Plattsburgh graduate. The Semmler Award recipients included:
 
Female:
Jennifer Groat, Softball (3.93 GPA, Childhood Education [Mathematics] major)
 
Male:
Nick Della Ratta, Men's Lacrosse (3.90 GPA, Finance)
 
Senior Achievement Awards
 
The Senior Achievement Awards were handed out next, with one going to a female and another going to a male. The Senior Achievement Award is given annually to a senior or junior who has completed academic requirements and plans to graduate in May. Athletic accomplishment from the entire career is considered.
 
Female:
Courtney Moriarty, Women's Ice Hockey

Moriarty's quiet confidence and steady leadership has helped her team achieve heights rarely seen in sports. Serving as a team captain this past season, she helped her team win the national championship for the third time in her four years wearing a Cardinal jersey, and as a result of her efforts at the championship site, she was named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament. The Estero, Fla., native is a two-time All-American, holds the NCAA Division III single-season record in game-winning goals (14 from 2017-18) and was named the NEWHL Player of the Year and a Laura Hurd Award finalist this past season. She also finished as the program's career record holder in games played (121) in addition to ranking second in career game-winning goals (23), fifth in goals (81), sixth in points (149), sixth in power-play goals (21) and tied for sixth in shorthanded goals (5).
 
Male:
Jonathan Patron, Men's Basketball
 
Patron undoubtedly will go down as one of the most impactful student-athletes ever to compete for his program at Plattsburgh State. He led his team to a SUNYAC championship last year in addition to NCAA Tournament appearances in three of his four years on campus. The Huntington, N.Y., native broke the program's career scoring record and finished his tenure at Plattsburgh State with 1,936 points. In the program's career record book, he also finished fifth in career rebounds with 993, the most by a Plattsburgh State student-athlete since the 1970s. He earned two All-America honors from the NABC and one All-America honor from D3hoops.com, and he finished his career with back-to-back SUNYAC Player of the Year recognitions. As a result of his success on the court, he was invited to play in the 2019 Reese's Division III College All-Star Game at the Division III Final Four in Fort Wayne, Ind.
 
Athletes of the Year
 
The final awards of the evening came with the Athletes of the Year. The Athletes of the Year can come from any class year, and only accomplishments from this year could be included in a nomination.
 
Female:
Kassi Abbott, Women's Ice Hockey
 
Abbott enjoyed the most successful season of her four-year career this past season, helping her team win its third national championship in her four years on campus. Named a First-Team All-American, the NEWHL Co-Goaltender of the Year, a First-Team All-NEWHL selection and a Second-Team All-USCHO honoree, the Medford, Mass., native posted a 29-save shutout in the national championship game, helping the Cardinals post a 4-0 victory over Hamline University. For her efforts, she was named to the NCAA Tournament All-Tournament Team. She finished the year as the NCAA Division III leader in goals-against average (0.78), save percentage (.956), shutouts (14) and winning percentage (.935). In addition, her 1,758 minutes and 46 seconds played in goal this season are the most in program history, while her 29 victories also established a single-season program record.

Male:
Jonathan Patron, Men's Basketball
 
A key component to a 20-win team, Patron tied for 12th in NCAA Division III in double-doubles with 16, and he was the only SUNYAC student-athlete to average a double-double a game. The Huntington, N.Y., native earned his second SUNYAC Player of the Year honor in as many seasons following the 2018-19 campaign, and he also was named to the NABC All-America Second Team. The SUNYAC leader in scoring (23.0 ppg) and rebounding (10.6 rpg), he was a First-Team All-Region selection by two different organizations and was selected to participate in the 2019 NABC Reese's Division III College All-Star Game at the Division III Final Four in Fort Wayne, Ind.
  
Finally, a video was shown at the end of the program that highlighted the year that was in Cardinal Athletics (see below).