Air Force senior football player Chad Hall and senior women’s basketball player Alecia Steele were named the academy’s most valuable male and female athletes, respectively, for the 2007-08 school year.
Other award winners included senior cross country athlete Kenny Grosselin (scholar-athlete), senior ice hockey player Frank Schiavone (athletic leadership), senior men’s basketball player Tim Anderson (athletic excellence) and senior fencer Peter French (outstanding athletic achievement). The most valuable players for each of the academy teams are listed below.
Men’s Cross Country: Matt Williams, Jr.
Women’s Cross Country: Brittany Morreale, Soph.
Football (Overall): RB/WR/KR Chad Hall, Sr.
Football (Offense): QB Shaun Carney, Sr.
Football (Defense): ILB Drew Fowler, Sr.
Football (Special Teams or Lineman): OLB John Rabold, Sr.
Men’s Soccer: GK Brian Guyette, Sr.
Women’s Soccer: D Christin Brodie, Sr.
Volleyball: OH Kristina Stewart, Jr.
Water Polo: Justin Berry, Sr.
Men’s Basketball: G Tim Anderson, Sr.
Women’s Basketball: F Alecia Steele, Sr.
Men’s Fencing: Peter French, Soph.
Women’s Fencing: Collette Bannister, Sr.
Men’s Gymnastics: Greg Stine, Sr.
Women’s Gymnastics: Abbey Rogers, Jr.
Ice Hockey: G Andrew Volkening, Soph.
Men’s Swimming: Bryan Avery, Jr.
Women’s Swimming: Jane Hwang, Jr.
Rifle: Tom Chandler, Frosh.
Wrestling: Jake Kriegbaum, Sr.
Baseball: P Alex Truesdale, Soph.
Boxing: Daryn Nelson, Sr.
Men’s Tennis: Brett Rodgers, Soph.
Women’s Tennis: Lauren Wilson, Sr.
Golf: Bob Whitney, Sr.
Lacrosse: D Lukas Fisher
Men’s Track & Field: Travis Picou, Sr.
Men’s Track & Field Outstanding Competitor: Ian McFarland, Sr.
Women’s Track & Field: Sara Neubauer, Soph.
Women’s Track & Field Outstanding Competitor: Melissa Beerse, Soph.
Jake – thanks for giving these folks their due. To be a star athlete on top of all of the other demands of a service academy is really quite something. The couple of folks on this list whom I personally know are indeed tremendous individuals.
On another note, your article about the baseball team in today’s edition is very discouraging. It looked like things were starting to turn a corner, and it sounded like Coach K was one of the big reasons for that. You don’t need to look any further than the football program to understand the benefit of having grads on the coaching staff of the Academy’s sports teams. Reading between the lines here …. something about baseball program stinks, and it’s not just the win-loss record, is it?
MKL -
I was glad to give all the award winners their due. I’m going to take the second part of your comment (on baseball) and include it in a new post.
-Jake
MKL -
I didn’t see a reader comment on my story. I clicked on the link you provided, but didn’t see a comment. If you are able to find it and can include it here or e-mail it to me at jake.schaller@gazette.com, I’d appreciate it.
-Jake
ZoomieBBFan wrote:
It is unbelievable that an institution with the reputation and high standards of the United States Air Force Academy can continue to bury it’s head in the sand on this continuing issue. They made an obvious mistake 5 years ago in hiring Mike Hutcheon, a man with no real experience or credentials to run a major D1 program. He played no real ball himself, and came up through the ranks of coaching college teams that were no better than top HS programs. He has been intimidated from “day one” at the intellectual capabilities of his scholar/athletes and has tried to bully them into what he refers to, as “his methods”. I am convinced he has no methods, no real style, and no planned direction for this program.
Unfortunately, the USAFA baseball program is the laughing stock of not only the MWC, but of D1 college baseball in general. One would have thought that TPTB would have made some conclusions based on his attempting to “downgrade” the baseball program two years ago when he recommended D3, NAIA, or NCCCAAA (or wherever he used to coach), but was denied.
Major Mike Kazlausky, a trusted and honorable Officer in the United States Air Force, is one of the Academy’s legends, as far as baseball is concerned. Anyone who contests his loyalties to the baseball program or indeed the Academy or the AF in general, has never met this man. He rejoined the program 2 yrs ago, and attempted to side with Hutcheon to “right” the problems that were outlined by the HC. Two years ago, another fine and outstanding young Officer, Paul Pratt (then a Firstie and Team Captain) attempted to express his concerns about Hutcheon’s ablities to improve and bring the program back to prominence, as Hutcheon’s contract was up for renewal at that point. Pratt’s attempts were deemed inappropriate and they were poorly timed, but it was his love of the program that drove him to futile ends. Hutcheon was able to convince TPTB that a mutiny was in process, had Pratt removed from the program (attempted to have him removed from the Academy) and 6 other seniors departed mid season, in aggreement with Pratt. I have never thought of our Cadet population as “quitters”, and then the folowing season, Hutcheon was able to convince the AD that for the first time in school history, Captains were not needed for a Varsity team… that the players in his program were not mature enough for such responsibilty (isn’t that what’s supposed to be taught on the Hill?).
I’m sure that somewhere over these past two years, Major Kaz came to the conclusion that so many of us have known all along. Hutcheon is simply not a very good coach. In fact he is a BAD coach, and not capable of taking this program forward to it’s rightful place in D1 sports. There are substantial reports of laziness on Hutcheon’s part, no participation in recruiting, lack of loyalty and respect from his players (I believe we teach here at the Academy that respect must be earned, not bought by title), and worse, lousy coaching and knowledge of the game at this level of competition. The man was thrown out of a MWC game at UNLV last year, 10 minutes after the season was over, and couldn’t coach in the season opener in 08. What could that have possibly accomplished?
Major Kazlausky lives under an Honor Code, the same Code we all live under at the Academy and in the Air Force. I’m sure he was asked about Hutcheon’s abilities to take this program “to the next Level” ( I guess the next level would be considered a ranking above #275 out of 285 D1 schools in the country) and with what I have observed about the Major, is that he probably expressed to TPTB that he felt Hutcheon couldn’t do that. I can almost assure you that Kazlausky had no personal ambitions attached to the leadership role, but that he simply got tired of incompetance or neglect on Hutcheon’s part. How do you look in the mirror the day after getting “ten-runned” by Doane College?
But further to the problem. How is it that AD Mueh, or for that matter, General Reghni can’t seem to figure this out? This is no mutiny. It is an attempt at all levels… coaches, players, parents, fans to get TPTB to understand that a coach with less than 15 confernce wins in 5 years is not qualified to coach baseball at this level.
It did for moments this year appear that AFA Baseball had a chance to hold it’s head high. It was the work of Major Kazlausky and his very qualified associates in Marchand and Rose that got us to that point. I fear that if the Academy renews Hutcheon’s contract for another 3 year period, that we may see a future of baseball as a club sport here at AFA.
Hang your head high Kazlausky. You have truly taken one for the team.
.
5/28/2008 12:15:33 PM
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