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The North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) announces the
Sportsmanship and Inspirational Award Winners.
The sportsmanship award is presented annually to a Female
Student-Athlete, Male Student-Athlete, Female Team, Male Team, and
one Institutional Winner. These winners have consistently
demonstrated good sportsmanship and ethical behavior in
his/her/their daily participation in intercollegiate athletics.
They have exemplified the values of respect, caring, fairness,
civility, honesty, integrity and responsibility, while also
demonstrating good citizenship outside the sports setting. In
2006-2007, a Male Team was not selected.
The inspirational award is presented annually to an individual(s)
who has(have) endured personal hardship(s) that have led to bravery
and/or dedication within athletics through participation,
volunteerism, coaching, and/or administrating.
Female Team Sportsmanship Award Winner
SUNY-Institute of Technology Women’s Volleyball Team,
coached by Rebecca Fletcher was selected as the Women’s Team
Winner. They have continuously demonstrated good citizenship
through their participation in multiple events both on and off
campus. The countless little acts, constant passion, presence and
sense of responsibility that they portray as a team everyday on and
off the court are respected by everyone in the community. As a team
they reward each other not for who had the hardest hit or the one
who scored the most points, but instead by recognizing their
teammates who have overcome a personal obstacle or were mentally
tough that day.
The team participated in both the SUNYIT “Team
Violette” Breast Cancer Walk and the American Cancer
Society’s 13th annual “Making Strides against Breast
Cancer” walk this past fall. The team was among hundreds of
SUNYIT faculty, staff and students that took part in the
“Team Violette” walk and among 3,400 people that
participated in the “Making Strides” walk. The
“Making Strides” walk supports the American Cancer
Society in its lifesaving research, prevention and support programs
for thousands of patients and their families. Sporting bright pink
“Support the Courage” shirts, the women’s
volleyball squad helped “Team Violette,” a campus-wide
group, raise over $2,700, while the “Making Strides”
walk generated a total of $225,000.
Senior and team captain Hillary Pundt, who was named to the NEAC
All-Conference First Team, said, “It was a great feeling to
go out there and help the cause and be aware of what is going on in
our community. It would be great to see the volleyball team make
this an annual event and continuously support breast cancer
awareness."
In addition to these events, the team self-organized a function
with the local Swanson Humane Society and spent a day caring for
orphaned dogs and cats and helped out with the summer girls
volleyball clinic last summer. The team has continued their
relationships with the attendees long after the clinic was over and
throughout the season. On campus the team has volunteered to help
with the freshman move-in day, giving up their free time to help
carry luggage and greet the new faces on campus.
