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Keene State announces athletic awards
KEENE, N.H., 5/2/10 – Bryan Kolacz (Brentwood, N.H.) and Kristine Trutor (Holden, Mass.) were named Keene State College’s male and female Athletes of the Year, respectively, at the College’s 2009–10 Athletic Awards Dinner held Sunday night at Spaulding Gym.
Allison Chamberlain (Scarborough, Maine) was the recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award, and the Keene State women’s soccer team and men’s cross country squad were presented with the Don Carle Award for having the highest cumulative GPA among Owl teams. In addition, 54 seniors and the 133-member KSC All-Academic team were also recognized.
For the second year in a row, Erin Dallas (Marlow, N.H.) received the Erin Dallas Life Challenge award named in her honor. Dallas made a miraculous return to the Owl field hockey team last fall after developing a post-surgical infection following an ACL operation. She spent over three months in the hospital and had 37 operations.
Keene State also presented the first annual Brent Elwell Ambassador Award to Bill and Jane Allen. Bill, a longtime basketball scorer-keeper for the Owls, and Jane have been devoted fans of the KSC basketball program. Elwell, a Keene native and huge Owl sports fan, died January 5, from heart failure after a life-long battle with cancer.
As a sophomore, Kolacz joined a select group of national champions from Keene State by capturing the hammer event, breaking the Don Drumm Stadium and school record with a throw of 61.48 meters at last spring’s NCAA outdoor track and field championships at Marietta College in Ohio. Kolacz swept each of the post-season meets he entered in the hammer throw, adding the ECAC, New England Division III, New England Alliance, and Little East Conference titles to his mantle. He was also named the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association New England Field Athlete of the Year.
Competing at the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 35-lb. weight throw this winter, Kolacz finished sixth (60’6”) to earn his first indoor All-America honor. He also won the LEC and New England Division III championship in the event.
Trutor completed her four-year Keene State swimming career with a storybook ending, becoming the first woman from the program to earn All-America honors. The senior touched the wall at 56.35 seconds to place fourth overall in the 100 backstroke. She also joined her teammates to earn All-America recognition in the 200-yard medley relay (1:46:48), as Keene State placed 18th nationally at the NCAA Championships.
Trutor helped the Owls raise the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association Championship (NEISDA) trophy for the third year in succession. She shattered the program and championship meet records in the 50 backstroke (26.79) to earn the award for the most points accumulated by a senior. Trutor also left her mark at the Little East Championships, where she recorded a pair of NCAA Championship provisional times in the 100 (58.50) and 200 backstroke (2:08:30).
A runner for all-seasons, Chamberlain excelled on the trails and track, and in the classroom at Keene State. After leading the Owls to their 10th-straight cross country championship, Chamberlain hit the track running, racing to a second-place finish (2:09. 38) in the 800-meter race at the NCAA Indoor Championships, becoming the program’s 100th All-American. Chamberlain also captured the 800-meter individual title at New England Open Championships, while also crossing the finish line first in the mile (4:55.90) at the New England Division III Championships. At the Alliance/Little East Championships, she earned a pair of victories in the 400-meter dash and 3,000-meter run. Her performance in the classroom is just as impressive, boasting a 4.0 GPA. She’s majoring in architecture.
