CR
Christopher Rodgers
  • industrial engineering
  • Class of 2018
  • Franklin, Mass.

Christopher Rodgers of Franklin, Mass., Recognized at WPI Athletics Annual Banquet

2015 Jun 19

Christopher Rodgers was one of 29 student-athletes to earn a major award at WPI Athletics' annual banquet.

The WPI athletic department recently honored all of its 20 varsity teams which encompasses nearly 600 student-athletes at its annual awards banquet. During the festivities, twelve student-athletes were presented with major awards. These accolades highlight some of the best varsity student-athletes at WPI. These awards are presented to student athletes who excel both in the classroom and in their respective sports.

The night was highlighted by two top award winners; Sam Longwell who captured the Melvin G. Massucco Award and Laura Pumphrey who brought home the Varsity Club Award. The night also included the honorees of the Ray Cherenzia Award which highlights each teams "unsung hero".

At the conclusion of the evening it was that WPI had captured the 2015 Worcester Cup. Presented by the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, the Cup is awarded to the Worcester-area school with the highest overall winning percentage during the academic year. The 2014-2015 Cup marked the seventh straight win for the Engineers and tenth victory for WPI in the last 12 years.

It was later revealed the department was the recipient of the NEWMAC Men's Presidents Cup Trophy, which is an all-sports award presented to the top overall men's and women's programs in the conference and is determined using a weighted points system based on the order of finish during both regular season and championship competition.

Frank C. Harrington 1898 Award - Dr. Greg Snoddy Presented to a distinguished contributor to WPI Athletics over a significant period of time

Prior to becoming the Associate Dean of Students, Snoddy split his time in student-affairs and as the director of Healthy Alternatives, Recreation and Club Sports. In these rolls he provided WPI students opportunities to be active through club sports, as well as alternatives to traditional physical education classes. During his time within PERA, Greg was able to secure a three-year alcohol education granted awarded by the NCAA. Athough no longer working in the department, Greg is still a great supporter of WPI athletics and is often found on the erg machines at the Sports and Recreation Center.

The John P. Coghlin Award - Athena Casarotto - Field Hockey Presented to a team manager, who is eligible for a varsity letter, who carried out invaluable service for his/her team

Casarotto, a four-year field hockey manager, was also named captain of the team, an extremely rare feat for a manager Athena did everything and anything that was asked of her and, went above and beyond, hosting the team at her beach house for a weekend during preseason.

The Charles R. McNulty Award - David Smallwood - Men's Swimming and Diving Presented to the outstanding male athlete in the freshman class

Smallwood became the most decorated first-year Men's Swimming and Diving student-athlete in program history. David earned honorable-mention All-America status as a member of the 800-yard freestyle relay. He also took home a first team All-NEWMAC and four second team all-conference awards after his performance at the NEWMAC Championships. In the water, David was a member of three NCAA Qualifying relay teams, which set a WPI school record, as well as establishing a school record at the NCAA Championships in the 200-yard butterfly.

The Coach Award - Ama Biney - Women's Basketball and Softball Presented to the outstanding female athlete in the freshman class

Biney was a force on the basketball court and the softball field during her first year on Boynton Hill. Inserted into the starting lineup midway through the basketball season, Ama averaged 10 points per game in NEWMAC play and finished as the second leading scorer on the team. She stuffed the stat sheets, leading the team in steals with 31, pulling down 4.1 rebounds a game and shooting 33 percebt from 3-point land. A two-time New England Rookie of the Year, Ama shot 48 percent from the field, had the team lead in field goal percentage, and finished 5th best in the NEWMAC in that category. Biney quickly established herself on the softball diamond, playing a huge role as WPI went 34-11, winning the NCAA Williamstown Regional before falling to the three-time national champions in the Super Regionals. The first team NEWMAC and All-New England centerfielder finished tied for fourth in the nation in triples with nine, leading the NEWMAC in the category which has helped the rookie accumulate an eye-popping 107 total bases. Biney appeared in the NEWMAC top 10 in RBI (2nd - 45), stolen bases (3rd - 23), runs scored (3rd - 49), on-base percentage (4th - .488), slugging percentage (5th - .733), batting average (6th - .445) and home runs (6th - five).

The Leo S. Jansson Award - Brian Amato - Wrestling Presented to the sophomore male athlete who best exemplifies the high standards expressed in "The WPI Athlete". The WPI Athlete is someone who, through hard work and positive attitude, acheives success above and beyond ability wile representing the University with distinction.

Amato became the 12th NCAA All-American from WPI this season. He posted a 20-5 record and was the top-ranked 125 pounder in New England all season. Brian was named first team All-NEWA and placed third at the Northeast Regional Championship. The sophomore is also enrolled in the ROTC program and, for the second year in a row, received the American Legion Military Excellence Award.

The Carolyn McCabe Award - Shay Feeley - Volleyball Presented to the sophomore female athlete who best exemplifies the high standards expressed in "The WPI Athlete". The WPI Athlete is someone who, through hard work and positive attitude, acheives success above and beyond ability wile representing the University with distinction.

Feeley transferred to WPI this year from Division I Holy Cross and made an immediate impact at the setter. She led the team in almost every major category this season, compiling over 695 assists, 7.32 assists per set, 47 service aces and 0.49 service ace per set. Shea stacked up in the top five of almost every major statistical category in the NEWMAC conference as well, ranked second in service aces per set, fourth in total assists, fourth in assists per set and fifth in total service aces. In the classroom Feeley's just as good, sporting an overall GPA of a 3.89, and is participating in a prestigious internship this summer.

The Poly Club Award (Male) - Sean Murphy - Football Presented to the top male athlete in the junior class, who has outstanding academic records along with campus involvement of a non-athletic nature.

Murphy was a human highlight reel as a defensive back for the Engineers this past season. He was a finalist for the GEICO Play of the Year with his 95 yard interception return for a TD against Curry. Then not to be out done the following week he returned the opening kickoff 75 yards for a TD against Worcester State. Sean was named All-Liberty League Player of the Week and led the Engineers in interceptions and passes defensed. In the classroom, he maintains a 3.12 GPA with a major in biomedical engineering and just completed his IQP project down under in Australia. Sean is visible in the community as well, as he is a major component of the WPI football's community service initiative with Burncoat Prep and is a member of Team IMPACT.

The Poly Club Award (Female) - Emily Doherty - Women's Soccer Presented to the top female athlete in the junior class, who has outstanding academic records along with campus involvement of a non-athletic nature.

Doherty had a dominate year on the soccer field for WPI, leading the NEWMAC in points (27), which included 12 goals and three assists. She was honored as first team All-NEWMAC, and regionally was a third team All-New England selection. An industrial engineering major, Doherty maintains a 3.68 GPA, which landed her on the NEWMAC All-Academic team. Emily was also honored for classroom success by being selected to the Capital One/CoSIDA Division III Women's Soccer Academic All-District I team. She is an active member of SACC and of the Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority.

The Percy Carpenter Award - Eric Crevoiserat - Men's Soccer Presented to a senior male who displays the best example of sportsmanship while a WPI athlete

Crevoiserat was named first team All-NEWMAC for his efforts during the season, scoring four goals and dishing out five assists. The co-captain scored the game winning goal in the conference semifinal game, which propelled the team into its first NEWMAC finals appearance in program history. Eric has made undoubtedly irreplaceable contributions to the Men's Soccer program, and maybe the most recognized student-athlete for all this support to all the athletic programs on campus. He truly exemplifies the school spirit of WPI.

The Patricia Graham Award - Maya Rhinehart - Track and Field Presented to a senior female who displays the best example of sportmanship while a WPI athlete

Rhinehart was given an honor that is very rare to see. She was given the title of captain for two years for the Track and Field program, in addition her name being posted all over the record boards. Rhinehart holds the mark for fastest indoor time in the 60 meters, 200 meters and 4x400 meter relay. On the track she has been a distinguished three time Division III All-New England honoree and a two time All-ECAC honoree. She has also been honored for her work in the classroom by recently being named to the NEWMAC All-Academic team. Around campus, Maya is a peer academic coach, a trustee in the WPI Mentor Program, and a member of Chi Epsilon.

The Melvin G. Massucco Award - Sam Longwell - Men's Basketball Presented to the male senior athlete on his achievements, contributions, character, leadership, sportsmanship, and promotion of school spirit during his years at WPI

Sam ranks fourth all-time in scoring in WPI Men's Basketball history. He is a two-time first team All-NEWMAC and All-Northeast Region second team selection by National Association of Basketball and Coaches and D3hoops.com. He was voted Preseason All-American and ranked in the top five in NEWMAC in most major statistical categories. Sam boasts a 3.01 GPA, and was is a four-year mentor for Big Brother/Big Sister and led the Engineers to its third NCAA Division III tournament appearance in 4 years. In his 4 years here, the teams posted a record of 88 wins and only 22 losses.

The Varsity Club Award - Laura Pumphrey - Women's Track and Field Presented to the female senior athlete on his achievements, contributions, character, leadership, sportsmanship, and promotion of school spirit during her years at WPI

Pumphrey will go down as one of the greatest track and field athletes in program history. Laura was a four-time NCAA All-American in high jump, including finishing tied for second during the outdoor season as a sophomore in 2015 and this spring as a senior. A two-time New England champion and a four-time All-ECAC honoree, Laura was WPI's NCAA Woman of the Year nomination in 2015. She graduated in May with a 3.57 GPA in biomedical engineering and is three-time All-Academic by the USTFCCCA and a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.

2014-2015 - Ray Cherenzia '73 Award

Presented to a member of each varsity team that exemplifies the spirit of an"Unsung Hero" - who works hard every day, puts the team first over their personal goals, who does the little things without much recognition, yet are vital to their team's success in competition, in the classroom and in the community. The award recipients must represent their program and the university in a respected and dignified manner.

Baseball - Matt Cote '15 Men's Basketball - Chris Rodgers '18 Women's Basketball - Amaia Gritsko '15 Men's Cross Country - Kyle Gerlach '15 Women's Cross Country - Theresa Inzerillo '17 Field Hockey - Nicole Holmes '15 Football - Seamus Gallagher '15 Men's Rowing - Matthew Ryder '15 Women's Rowing - Kelsey Stergiou '15 Men's Soccer - Tristan Richardson '15 Women's Soccer - Kelly Beisswanger '16 Softball - Hope Shevchuk '17 Men's Swimming and Diving - Ben List '15 Women's Swimming and Diving - Nysa Casha '15 Men's Track and Field - Kimberlee Kocienski '17 Women's Track and Field - Thomas Kostelak '15 Volleyball - Brianna Parent '17 Wrestling - Andrew Tanner '15

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI is one of the nation's first engineering and technology universities. Its 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. WPI's talented faculty work with students on interdisciplinary research that seeks solutions to important and socially relevant problems in fields as diverse as the life sciences and bioengineering, energy, information security, materials processing, and robotics. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Perspective Program. There are more than 40 WPI project centers throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.