POTSDAM, N.Y.—The 10th Annual Maxcy Awards saw the SUNY Potsdam Athletic Department honor their best of the 2023-24 season on Thursday night.
SUNY Potsdam men's lacrosse player
Saka Thompson (Akwesasne, N.Y./Salmon River) was named the Male Athlete of the Year, and for the second year in a row, Bears women's basketball player
Jakia Howard (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham) was named the Female Athlete of the Year. Men's basketball player
Jeff Williamson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) garnered the male Maxcy/Molnar Award, while women's lacrosse player
Lindsey LaDue (Massena, N.Y./Massena) was the female recipient. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) award winners as well as team most valuable players and coaches award winners were also honored.
The Athlete of the Year Award recognizes the male and female athletes who had exemplary seasons in their sports.
Thompson proved himself to be one of the elite goalies in the nation this season. He earned SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Week four times. The sophomore ranks fifth in the nation and led the SUNYAC in save percentage with .632 and is eighth in the country with a conference-leading goals-against average of 8.14. In two seasons, Thompson has won 12 contests, placing him eighth on the program's wins list. He was named first team All-SUNYAC on Tuesday.
This season, Howard led the Bears and was second in the SUNYAC in scoring with a career-high 17.0 points-per-game. The graduate student was also fourth in the league in rebounding at 9.1 rebounds-per-game. The forward registered 12 double-doubles in 23 games. Howard reached 1000 points for her career against Plattsburgh on January 9. In her four seasons, Howard established herself as one of the best players in program history. In 84 career games, she scored 1,192 points, the third most ever for the Bears. She ranks second in field goals made (488), fourth in rebounds (752), fifth in scoring average (14.2), seventh in free throws made (196), seventh in rebounding average (9.0) and 10th in steals (121). Howard also notched 32 double-doubles. She is a two-time All-SUNYAC selection, first team in 2023 and second team this winter.
The Maxcy/Molnar Award is presented to one male and female student-athlete who best combine the qualities of sportsmanship, leadership and athletic achievement. Only senior student-athletes who compete in at least one sport for their entire undergraduate career are eligible to receive the award.
In three seasons with the Bears, Williamson averaged 9.3 points-per-game, with a career-high 11.9 this season. In 68 games with 52 starts he also accumulated 238 rebounds, 62 assists, 57 steals and 18 blocks. He scored a personal-best 30 points against Clarkson on November 17. He led the team in scoring in five contests this season.
LaDue, the Bears captain, scored a career-high 37 goals and was second on the team in scoring with a personal-best 46 points. The midfielder led the team in ground balls (46) and draw controls (76) and was second in caused turnovers (27). LaDue was third in the conference in ground balls and draw controls and seventh in caused turnovers. In her four seasons in Potsdam she ranks ninth in points (122), seventh in goals (97), second in ground balls (146) and caused turnovers (62), fifth in draw controls (136) and 12th in assists (25) in 56 games with 51 starts.
SAAC chose 30-year men's lacrosse head coach
Rick Berkman as Potsdam's Coach of the Year. Berkman led the Bears to the SUNYAC Championship game for the second time in program history. He, along with assistants
Cam Talcott'22 and
Cole Zeller '20, coached Potsdam to 10 wins for the fifth time in program history, fourth under Berkman. They were named the SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year. The Bears had the third best offense in the conference this season, averaging 12.06 goals-per-game. They even were more daunting in the defensive zone, allowing a SUNYAC-best 8.39 goals-per-game. The Bears upset top-seeded SUNY Cortland in the conference semifinals, 8-7, ending a 32-game winless streak to the Red Dragons and the first victory in the series since 1999.
See below for a complete list of SAAC Award winners as well as team MVPs and Coaches Award recipients.
| Maxcy Awards |
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| Bears Cup Champions - Women's Lacrosse |
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| Portrait of a Potsdam Athlete - Timothy Petty (Men's Track and Field) |
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| Newcomers of the Year - Abby Kraus (Women's Lacrosse) & Lenny Perno (Hockey) |
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| Coach of the Year - Rick Berkman (Men's Lacrosse) |
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| Most Improved Team - Men's Hockey |
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| Most Successful Team - Men's Lacrosse |
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| Team Service Award - Track and Field |
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| Potsdam Appreciates - Bill Mitchell |
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| Academic Award - Highest Team GPA - Women's Hockey |
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| Maxcy/Molnar Award Winners - Jeff Williamson (Men's Basketball) and Lindsey LaDue (Women's Lacrosse) |
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| Athletes of the Year - Saka Thompson (Men's Lacrosse) and Jakia Howard (Women's Basketball) |
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