Packard, Vicaire UMPI’s athletes of the year
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The University of Maine at Presque Isle held its annual Athletic Awards Banquet May 3, 2016. The event honors the contributions and achievements of all student-athletes throughout the year.
The highlight of the night was the naming of the female and male athletes of the year. This year’s honorees are sophomore softball player Sara Packard and senior basketball player Chase Vicaire.
Packard defines excellence on the field and in the classroom. She has dominated the athletic competition this season while accomplishing perfection academically. A national statistical leader in both the USCAA and AD3I in several categories, this true student-athlete has also earned a perfect 4.0 the last two semesters.
In leading the most successful women’s program this season to the national tournament, Packard has made her mark in the pitching circle, at the plate and in the dugout with her intense drive to succeed. Currently, she leads the nation in pitching wins and strikeouts and is second in AD3I in earned run average.
Also dangerous with a bat in her hands, she is hitting .345, ranking ninth in AD3I in batting average. She has slugged four home runs, placing her second in AD3I for long balls. A constant threat in the batter’s box this season, she is sixth in AD3 in slugging percentage.
In the classroom, Packard also excels. She maintains a 3.981 GPA in athletic training. She is not only gifted in terms of her ability to learn and retain new concepts, she is an extremely hard worker. She never slows down, never quits, and is always striving to do better. Packard is a model student and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society and the Athletic Training Club. She is also a resident assistant in the dorms, which is an extremely demanding position that requires someone of strong character and values to look out for the welfare of all campus residents.
Vicaire is an example in steady consistency. A three year starter, he averaged 14.4, 14.5 and 14.3 points a game in his final three years. He shot 77.1 percent from the free throw line both his junior and senior years.
In leading the Owls to 46 wins in his career, he was the Owls leading scorer in both his junior and senior year and amassed 1,116 points during his time with the Blue and Gold. During that period, he etched his name in the UMPI record books as one of the university’s finest sharpshooters, hitting on 41 percent of his 3-point tries, including a 45.7 percent mark in 2014-15 that led AD3I and propelled him to a first-team nod on the All-AD3I team. He was an honorable mention All-AD3I as a sophomore and a second teamer this past season.
While Vicaire made his mark on the offensive end, he was also a willing defender and by Coach Mike Holmes’ admission, never took a play off defensively and could always be counted on to rotate properly and communicate to his teammates. He grabbed 274 rebounds during his time as an Owl and he had 168 assists to round out his outstanding career.
The Al Arman Award is presented to student Athletes who have truly made a difference within athletics and/or the campus community. These contributions can range from being a team manager or being a star player and attitude and effort mean everything. Sophomore Autumn Poulin of the women’s soccer ream and junior Nick Lenhard of the men’s basketball team were named by the coaching staff as this year’s recipients.
The student selected for the Stanley Small Coaches Award is either a junior or senior who has shown exemplary dedication to the athletic program during their years at the university. Katie Patenaude, a senior who played volleyball, women’s basketball and softball received the honor.
Every year UMPI honors one student-athlete who, through their actions in the competitive arena of intercollegiate athletics, has demonstrated one or more of the ideals of character development through sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility. The recipient promotes and enhances the integrity of higher education and civility in society. This year’s Don Zillman Character Award was given to Saul Nunez, a sophomore who competes in cross country and baseball.
In memory of Ruel Parks, who shared his love of the game of basketball by volunteering as an assistant coach, the Ruel Parks Award is given to a passionate women’s basketball player. Dedication to the program and team is essential to this award and this year’s recipient is sophomore Brianna Losee.
Other team awards were presented as follows: men’s cross country: rookie of the year, Sully Jackson; most inspirational runner, Matthew Forshey; runners of the year, Connor Hrynuk and Jackson. Women’s cross country: rookie of the year, Chenoa Jackson; most inspirational, Katrina McPherson; and runners of the year, Jackson. Men’s golf: most valuable, Noah Bernard and Jordan Beaulier; most inspirational, Adam Begos, Anthony Chacho and Steve Wescott. Men’s soccer: rookie of the year: Johnny Theriault; most inspirational player, Daniel Swallow; and most valuable player, Caleb Bragg-Grady. Women’s soccer: rookie of the year, Poulin; most inspirational player, Mikaelah Tracy; and most valuable, Samantha Nadeau. Women’s volleyball: rookie of the year, Hannah Williams; most inspirational, Amanda Allen; and most valuable player, Abby Jewett.
Men’s basketball: most inspirational player: Jordan Cook; captain’s award: Lenhard; most valuable player, Vicaire. Women’s basketball: rookies of the year, Jessy Dickison and Megan Jellison; most inspirational, Kylee Alton; most valuable player, Amanda Hotham; and senior leadership award, Patenaude. Men’s Nordic skiing: most inspirational, Ian Marshall; most valuable, Connor Hrynuk; women’s Nordic skiing: most inspirational, Hilary Saucy; most valuable, Lydia Streinz.
Baseball: rookie of the year, Ryan Sanderson; most valuable pitcher, Matt Curry; and most valuable player, Matt Cauchon. Women’s softball: rookie of the year, Williams; most inspirational players, Amanda Allen and Patenaude; coach’s award, Mikayla Churchill.
