Senior Thoroughbred atheltes honored

Skidmore honored its top senior athletes recently as part of 2008 year-end activities.

Golf All-American Tobin Spector and field hockey All-American and softball standout Shaila DeLea were named Senior Athlete Award winners. Leadership Award winners were field hockey captain Chelsea Lisaius and baseball captain Greg Carlow. Softball captain Sasha Diamond-Lenow received the Thoroughbred Award.

Scholar-Athlete Award winners were men's lacrosse captain Rob Martin and women's soccer captain Sarah Russell-Smith.

Spector, a three-time All-American, won seven collegiate golf tournaments and finished 10th in the 2008 NCAA Division III championships, leading the Thoroughbreds to a fifth-place finish.

DeLea was a two-sport standout who earned All-America field hockey honors after leading Skidmore to the NCAA championship round of 16. She also earned All-Liberty League honors in softball and won the 2008 Tim Brown Scholar-Athlete Award for accomplishments on the playing field and in the classroom.

Lisaius helped cultivate a cohesive atmosphere among her teammates that paved the way for the young team to advance to the NCAA round of 16. She earned Liberty League honorable mention.

Carlow was a two-year baseball captain, leading the Thoroughbreds to two Liberty League championships and two NCAA tournaments in his four years. Well regarded among his teammates and his opponents, Carlow is a two-time Liberty League All-Star and won the 2008 New York Region Gold Glove Award give by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Diamond-Lenow received the Thoroughbred Award by distinguishing herself on and off the field. On the field, she was a two-year captain of the softball team. Off the field, Diamond-Lenow was heavily involved with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and volunteered with Saratoga Bridges and the Saratoga Mentoring program.

Martin graduated with honors in economics and business. A two-year men's lacrosse captain, he was a two-time Thoroughbred Society honoree.

Russell-Smith graduated with honors in physics and will continue her studies at Stanford University with support of a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. A starting defender for the women's soccer team, she also was elected to the Skidmore chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the national honor society. ~Bill Jones