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BURLINGTON, Vt. - The University of Vermont Athletic Department hosted the fourth annual Rally Awards on Tuesday night at the Flynn Theatre in downtown Burlington. The all-sports year-end event celebrated the accomplishments of the UVM student-athletes. The department handed out seven major awards, honored each team's MVP and senior student-athletes, and showed a multimedia presentation highlighting the 2007-08 season.

Linda Bogardus of Essex Junction, Vt., and Steve Doyon of South Burlington, Vt., were the recipients of the Athletic Department Award. The award is presented annually to a member of the faculty, staff or community in appreciation of loyal support and continuing devotion to the University of Vermont athletic program. Bogardus and Doyon are Victory Club members and have contributed countless volunteer hours to the department throughout the years. The duo helps out at many special events working hard behind the scenes to help generate support for UVM student-athletes

Senior Corinne DiPietro (Middleton, Mass.) and sophomore Jared Alvord (Plainfield, Mass.) were named winners of the Jeff Stone Memorial Award. Presented for the fourth time in 2008, the award recognizes exceptional contributions by a male and female student-athlete, in any class, in the area of community service and campus leadership. The award is presented in memory of Jeff Stone, an outstanding tennis player at UVM who died tragically in 1984.

DiPietro, a two-time America East Champion in the javelin, has been a committed and motivated officer of UVM's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (S.A.A.C.). She has been the driving force behind the student-athlete volunteer efforts at the Essex CHIPS Teen Center and has spent numerous hours volunteering at the center herself. She has volunteered for the past three years at the Women Helping Battered Women organization as a hotline worker, offering phone support to victims and survivors of domestic violence. DiPietro has been a program instructor for the "Get Kids in Action: Get 60", a fitness program in Milton. A social work major, she has served as a facilitator at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington since 2006, spending 15-plus hours on a bi-weekly basis visiting with the residents at the facility. She has also served as a community resource volunteer for the Department of Corrections in Burlington since 2006. DiPietro was one of three women student-athletes honored by the UVM Women's Center for significant contributions to their sport as well as academics and campus community. She was recently named a NSCA Strength & Conditioning All-American, the first-ever for the UVM track and field program.

Alvord, a member of the men's track and field team, was named Volunteer of the Month in the state of Vermont for March by the United Way. Alvord was selected for the honor based on his work with the Essex CHIPS Teen Center. He spends time each week mentoring middle school age kids providing them with a role model. Alvord, an environmental studies major with minors in community entrepreneurship and green building and design, is the president of the UVM Campus Energy Group, a club organization that advocates and educates students and faculty on renewable and sustainability energies. He is also the men's track and field representative for UVM's S.A.A.C. group. Alvord is a multi-event athlete for the track and field team and owns the school record in the pentathlon, set during the 2008 New England Indoor Track and Field Championships.

The 2008 Rally Awards also marked the fourth presentation of the Underclass Athletic Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding athletic accomplishments by a male and female student-athlete in the freshmen, sophomore and junior classes. Sophomores Courtnay Pilypaitis (Ottawa, Ontario) and Marqus Blakely (Metuchen, N.J.) were named the winners of the 2008 Underclass Athletic Achievement Award.

Pilypaitis was named the America East Women's Basketball Player of the Year in 2007-08. She is just the second player in league history to earn America East Rookie of the Year as a freshman and America East Player of the Year as a sophomore. Pilypaitis ranked among the America East's top-10 in nine of 10 statistical categories. She led Vermont in scoring, rebounding, assists, three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. This season she tied UVM's single-game scoring mark, pouring in a career-high 40 points against Boston U. Four games later, Pilypaitis recorded Vermont's first-ever triple-double in women's basketball in a win over Hartford. She led Vermont to a record of 24-9, the fourth most wins in the program's history, and a 13-3 America East mark. The Catamounts earned an automatic bid to the Postseason WNIT and advanced to the second round with a victory over Dartmouth.

Blakely was named the America East Men's Basketball Player of the Year and America East Defensive Player of the Year this season. Blakely led the conference in points, rebounds and blocks and earned a spot on the all-conference first team and all-defensive team. He is the first player in league history to earn both major awards in the same season and was one of only two players in the nation to win their conference player and defensive player of the year awards this season. Blakely is only the second player in conference history to lead the league in points, rebounds and blocks joining the late Reggie Lewis of Northeastern and the Boston Celtics. This postseason he collected several honors, including being named an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press.

The 52nd annual Semans Trophy was awarded to seniors Channel Hamilton (Willingboro, N.J.) and Kyle Cieplicki (Shelburne, Vt.). The Semans Trophy is presented to the senior male and female student-athletes who have demonstrated a high level of athletic achievement and who earned the respect and regard of his/her fellow students for leadership, loyalty and service to the university.

Hamilton has been one of the top sprinters for Vermont throughout her career. She served as a co-captain of the track and field team this year. Hamilton has been a strong, positive influence on her teammates and the track and field program. She has demonstrated a desire to be an excellent athlete without sacrificing academics. Hamilton is an America East All-Conference performer and has garnered All-New England honors three times in her career. She owns the school record in the 300 meters and is a member of the record setting 4x200 relay team.

Cieplicki was the first three-year captain in the men's basketball team's 94-year history. He stepped into the starting lineup as a sophomore and started 82 of 89 games over his final three seasons. He helped lead Vermont to the America East Championship game three times, an appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a freshman and the team's first-ever postseason NIT as a junior. A top defender, he increased his offensive role as a senior, wrapping up his career averaging 11 points per game. Off the court he was a three-year member and co-chair of S.A.C.C. Cieplicki was also active in the community volunteering with several organizations.

The Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy was presented for the 69th time at the Rally Awards. The honor is given to the senior male and female student-athlete who, throughout their college careers, have demonstrated a high level of athletic achievement and has exemplified the qualities of character, leadership and persistence in overcoming obstacles. The 2008 winners of the Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy were Collin Shore (Ithaca, N.Y.) and Stirling Winder (Manchester, Mass.).

Winder, a member of the field hockey team, has battled cancer since November of her freshman year. She fought the disease and returned to the field to compete in seven games during her senior year. Winder received chemotherapy every weekend from December 2004 through November 2005. She underwent a total knee replacement in March of 2005 to remove the tumor. During her recovery she continued to attend every field hockey related event and played in 25 career games. Even with the treatments and her various hospital visits, she has remained on track academically and will graduate in a few weeks.

A battle with cancer has not kept Shore off the men's lacrosse field. He was diagnosed with cancer this fall but has played in every game this spring, making 11 starts. Shore has been receiving radiation treatment throughout the year but continues to participate in every practice. Shore has been an inspiration to his teammates and a role model. Off the field he is a member of S.A.A.C. and represented Vermont at the America East S.A.A.C. meeting in Boston this fall. On the field he was one of Vermont's top defensemen and played in 37 games and totaled 67 ground balls in his career.

Seniors Emilie Clark (Calais, Vt.) and Chris Healy (Denver, Colo.) were the 2008 recipients of the Wasson Athletic Prize. The award, handed out for the 79th consecutive year, is presented to the senior male and female student-athletes who have demonstrated a high level of athletic achievement and who have maintained the highest standard of academic scholarship.

Clark, a member of the women's lacrosse program, owns a 3.74 GPA as a nutrition and food science major. She is in the 3+3 physical therapy masters program at UVM, taking undergraduate classes the first three years and completing a master's degree in physical therapy the second three years. When she finishes the program she will have earned a doctorate's degree. As a senior she has started the second half of the program and is the first student-athlete to be competing while pursing this degree. Clark, a tri-captain, earned America East All-Conference honors and was named to the league's all-academic team last year. As a junior she set a new single-game school record with 14 points in a win over Siena and doubled her career point total. She surpassed the 50-goal milestone this season and closed out her career with 88 points.

Healy owns a 3.68 GPA as a biology major at Vermont. He has also been a top distance runner during his four years with the men's cross country and track and field teams. Healy served as a captain for both teams this year. He recorded three top-10 finishes as a junior and was 13th in both the 1,500 meters and 3,000-meter Steeplechase at the 2007 America East Outdoor Track & Field Championship. As a sophomore he started the indoor season with four straight top-10 finishes and added five more top-10 finishes during the outdoor season. Last weekend he placed ninth in the 10,000 meters at his final America East Championship meet. This past summer, Healy spent five weeks in Tanzania, Africa working at a medial clinic and orphanage. He helped gather used sneakers from fellow UVM student-athletes and distributed over 100-plus pairs to children in the areas where he worked.

For the 17th consecutive year, the J. Edward Donnelly Award was presented to the senior male and female student-athlete who has displayed the greatest accomplishments in individual athletic performance and who significantly contributed to their team's overall performance. The 2008 winners of the J. Edward Donnelly Award were Danielle Collins (Walpole, Mass.) and Joe Fallon (Bemidji, Minn.).

Collins left her mark on the field hockey program as Vermont's all-time leader in goals, assists and points. She led the Catamounts in scoring for a fourth consecutive season and topped America East in points per game for the third straight year. As a senior she was named: an ECAC Division I All-Star, Womensfieldhockey.com Third Team All-American, NFHCA Third Team All-American, America East Field Hockey All-Academic Team and America East Offensive Player of the Year. Collins was also selected to participate in the 2007 NFHCA Division I Senior All-Star Game, netting a goal to help the North win 3-1.

Fallon is arguably the greatest goaltender in Vermont's men's hockey history. He finished his career ranked first or second in every major goaltending category at UVM. His 20 career shutouts rank second all-time in NCAA history and his 2.05 career goals against average is 11th best all-time in Division I. He holds six career records and three single-season marks at Vermont. As a freshman he was the ECAC Rookie of the Year. As a junior he ranked second in the country in goals against average and was a nominee for the Hobey Baker Award. This year he was an honorable mention Hockey East All-Star and he led the Catamounts to the championship game of the Hockey East Tournament. He recently signed an NHL contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.

For the second straight year fans were invited to vote for the "Top Moment in UVM Athletics". This season, the honor went to the UVM women's lacrosse team's win over New Hampshire on April 9. Vermont defeated No. 14 New Hampshire, 9-8, on a goal by Kaitlin Fuller with 20.9 seconds left in regulation. It was the program's first-ever win over a ranked opponent and the first win since 1996 over the Wildcats. UVM also clinched a spot in the America East Playoffs with the win, returning to the conference tournament for the first time since 2003.

Each team's MVP for the 2007-08 season were also announced at the Rally Awards. They are as follows: Men's Cross Country - Doug Maisey (Gwynedd Valley, Pa.); Women's Cross Country - Aly Millett (Half Moon Bay, Calif.); Field Hockey - Kim Striegler (Whitney Point, N.Y.); Men's Soccer - Connor Tobin (Fort Collins, Colo.); Women's Soccer - Erin Pichiotino (Burlington, Vt.); Men's Basketball - Marqus Blakely (Metchuen, N.J.); Women's Basketball - Courtnay Pilypaitis (Ottawa, Ontario); Men's Ice Hockey - Joe Fallon (Bemidji, Minn.); Women's Ice Hockey - Kristen Olychuck (Kelowna, British Columbia); Women's Swimming and Diving - Kate Weaver (South Burlington, Vt.); Men's Skiing - Juergen Uhl (Muhlenbach, Germany); Women's Skiing - Jilyne McDonald (Bellevue, Wash.); Men's Indoor Track and Field - Justin Scricca (Wethersfield, Conn.); Women's Indoor Track and Field - Carmen Lagala (Montpelier, Vt.); Men's Outdoor Track and Field - Aaron Campbell (Bend, Ore.); Women's Outdoor Track and Field - Corinne DiPietro (Middleton, Mass.); Men's Lacrosse - Derek Lichtfuss (Lutherville, Md.); Women's Lacrosse - Kristen Millar (Whitby, Ontario); Softball - Rachelle Eloschuk (Calgary, Alberta); Baseball will be announced following the conclusion of the season.

A DVD featuring footage from the Rally Awards ceremony at the Flynn Theatre plus all the video interviews and highlights that were shown during the show, as well as bonus footage is available for $12. For more information or to order the DVD please CLICK HERE or contact the UVM Athletic Communications Office at 802-656-1818 or sportspr@uvm.edu.