KEENE, N.H.--Year ending awards were announced today by the Keene State College Department of Athletics and Recreation.

Female Athlete of the Year

Dual-sport standout Nicole De Almeida (Nashua, N.H.) was named as the Female Senior Athlete of the Year.  De Almeida starred for the Owls on both the soccer pitch and as a member of the track and field team.

In soccer, De Almeida will go down as one of the best defenders in program history.  She a four-time All-Conference honoree, the first player in KSC women's soccer history to do so, while being named as the Little East Conference Rookie of the Year in 2016, and the LEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and 2019.    She was also an All-Region pick in 2016 and 2017, and chosen to the New England Intercollegiate Senior Bowl in 2019.   Serving as team captain as a junior and senior, De Almeida's teams went 39-34-2 in her four seasons.

Moving to the track, De Almeida was equally a standout, winning LEC titles in the indoor 600 meters in 2019 and 2020, as well as the outdoor 400 meter hurdles in 2019 and was part of the indoor 4x400 meter relay in 2020.  She leaves with three school records, including the indoor 200 meters (29.65 seconds, set in 2019), the outdoor 400 meter hurdles (1:05.93, set in 2019), as well as the indoor 4x200 relay (1:48.44, set in 2017).

Male Athlete of the Year

Lacrosse attackman Dave Wiedenfeld (Londonderry, N.H.) was picked as the Male Senior Athlete of the Year.  An everpresent on the lacrosse field, Wiedenfeld led the Owls to a 37-18 record in three plus seasons before his senior year was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The Owls did not lose a conference game, going 22-0 in three seasons while capturing the LEC regular season and tournament championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and reaching the second round of the NCAA all three years.

Selected as an All-LEC player in 2019, Wiedenfeld wraps up his KSC career with 68 goals and 87 assists for 155 points in 51 games; the 87 assists are eighth all-time in school history, while his 39 assists in 2019 are a school record.   He had tied the single season school record the previous season with 36.  

Female Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year

No slouch in the classroom either, De Almeida was also named as the Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year.   In addition to the above-mentioned athletic exploits, De Almeida is completing a dual degree in secondary education and mathematics, as well as minor in statistics, with a GPA of 3.89.    A multi-time All-LEC Academic Team Honoree, De Almeida was also named to the Keene State Dean's List and the LEC Academic Honor Roll.

Male Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year

Baseball catcher Ryan Linehan (Bedford, N.H.) was named as the Male Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  A criminal justice major, Linehan was also named to the KSC Dean's List, LEC All-Academic Tream, and the LEC Academic Honor Roll. Linehan played three seasons for the Owls after transferring from the University of Southern Maine, appearing in 41 games over his three seasons.