KEENE, N.H.--The Keene State College Department of Athletics and Recreation is pleased to announce the Senior Athletic Awards for the 2020-2021 academic year. The Don Carle Award for Academic Excellence goes to the Keene State College athletic team with the highest GPA.  Don Carle was a 1952 graduate of Keene State College, and a big supporter of Owl Athletics.  For the third time in four years, the KSC softball team receives this award.  The Owls boast a grade point average of 3.59, including nine players with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Megan Palmer of the Keene State College volleyball team will be KSC's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.   The NCAA Woman of the Year program was established in 1991, and honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service, and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions of the NCAA.

Palmer has been a four year member of the KSC volleyball team, where she ranks among KSC's all-time leaders in attacks and attack percentage.

Off the court, Palmer will be graduating this spring with a degree in Nutrition, and will be heading to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee next year as a student in the Dietetic Internship Program.   She's been a leader in the Keene State Student Athlete Advisory Committee and working with The Hungry Owl, Keene State's on-campus food pantry.
The Senior Male Scholar Athlete of the Year is Nate Howard, a member of the KSC men's soccer team.  A native of Manchester, Connecticut, Howard transferred to Keene State in Spring of 2019 and will complete his undergraduate studies with a 3.93 GPA, earning a degree in geography.  Howard appeared in eight games over the first two years of his KSC career, sporting a 0.75 goals against average and earning two shutouts.    He also earned Most Outstanding Player honors as KSC won the 2019 Little East Conference tournament championship.  He will return to KSC in the fall to pursue a master's degree in Safety Studies.
This year's Female Senior Scholar Athlete is Ali Daisy.    A four year standout for the Owl's women's lacrosse team, Daisy boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA and is a dual major in secondary education and math.  On the field, Daisy completed her career with 93 goals and 66 assists in just 47 games, leading KSC to the semifinals of the Little East Conference tournament three times and being named to the All-LEC second team in 2021.   After graduation, she will be considering pursuing a master's degree or heading into the teaching field.
This year's Senior Male Athlete of the Year is James Anozie.   A 6-6 center from Poughkeepsie, N.Y.,  Anozie has completed four years with the Owls' men's basketball team.    A starter in 68 of the 91 games he's appeared in,  Anozie has scored 1,157 points in his career and joined the 1,000 point club in an overtime win over Plymouth State his junior season.   A two-time All-Conference player, Anozie is KSC's all-time leader in field goal percentage and helped the Owls to the NCAA tournament in 2019.  Anozie will return to Keene State to complete his degree and use his final season of eligibility in 2021-2022.
This year's Senior Female Athlete of the Year is Nina Bruno.   A native of Agawam, Mass.,  Bruno completed a glittering four year career with the Owls with 80 goals and 27 assists.  She will finish her time in red and white second in both goals and assists, and would have certainly broken the KSC all-time scoring record were it not for the coronavirus pandemic.  The LEC Rookie of the Year in 2017, Bruno became the 16th All-American in school history in her sophomore year as well as earning All-Region and All-Conference honors as both a sophomore and a junior.   Bruno led the Owls to the LEC Championship in both 2017 and 2018; in the latter year, the Owls eventually reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.  After graduation with a degree in exercise science,  Bruno will be pursuing a master's degree in Strength and Conditioning at Springfield College.