Canton, NY – Hunter Olsen, Samantha Dayter and Andrew Fitch headlined the major award winners taking home Student-Athlete of the Year honors at the SUNY Canton Athletics department's end-of-year awards banquet on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.

Dayter (women's lacrosse, basketball) was named the Female Student-Athlete of the Year, while Olsen (men's lacrosse) and Fitch (men's basketball) were recognized as the Co-Male Student-Athletes of the Year. Iida Laitinen (women's hockey) and Maddy Caron (women's lacrosse) were named the Co-Female Rookies of the Year, while Adam Szlamczynski (men's golf) and Austin Mesler (men's lacrosse) were named Co-Male Rookies of the Year.

Fitch was recognized as the highest male GPA of the 2021 graduating class, while Zack LaFave carried the highest male GPA of the 2022 graduating class. Jordan Knapp (softball) took home the top female GPA honor. Four members of the men's hockey team (Filip Jakobsson, Gino DeBlasiis, Pierce Diamond, Matthew Headland) were honored for making a difference off the ice.
   

Highest Cumulative GPA Awards:
We have two male highest GPA awards as our first award winner graduated with their Bachelor's degree in May 2021, but was still a member of a team this year, and then our second winner graduated in 2022.

Male: Andrew Fitch, Men's Basketball – 3.98 (Graduated May 2021)
First up is Andrew Fitch who graduated in May 2021 with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology and double-minors in Mathematics and Applied Physics. Andrew graduated with a cumulative GPA of 3.98 and was a five-year member of the men's basketball team. Congratulations, Andrew!

Male: Zack LaFave, Men's Lacrosse & Golf – 3.96 (Graduating in 2022)
Our 2022 highest male GPA award goes to Zack LaFave. Zack is a two-sport athlete competing for the men's lacrosse and golf teams who is graduating in three years. The Finance major has done a tremendous job of balancing two sports and academics as he currently has a 3.96 cumulative GPA and already has an internship turning into a job lined up which will start in a few short weeks. Congratulations, Zack!

Female: Jordan Knapp, Softball – 3.89 (Graduating May 2022)
Our highest senior female GPA award goes to a four-year member of the SUNY Canton softball team. Jordan recently surpassed the 100-career hit mark and has a career batting average of .385. The Sports Management major currently boasts a cumulative GPA of 3.89. Congratulations, Jordan!
 
Make-A-Difference Award:
Gino DeBlasiis, Matthew Headland, Pierce Diamond & Filip Jakobsson, Men's Hockey

Four SUNY Canton men's hockey players: Gino DeBlasiis, Matthew Headland, Pierce Diamond and Filip Jakobsson helped to organized a Cancer Awareness game for the hockey team when they hosted Rivier on February 11th. The game was to honor the four players and their families who lost their loved ones recently to cancer: Teresa Jakobsson (breast cancer, 2014), Nikki Lynn DeBlasiis (renal cell carcinoma, 2017), Barbara Austin Diamond (breast cancer, 2019) and Michelle Jennifer Morris (gastric cancer, 2017).  The entire team spearheaded by these four gentlemen worked to raise money for the Cancer Research Institution and the Nikki DeBlasiis Foundation. Overall between donations and a jersey sale $950 was donated to the Cancer Research Foundation and $1,000 was donated to the Nikki DeBlasiis Foundation. Thank you, Gino, Matthew, Pierce and Filip for making a difference both on and off the ice!
    Co-Rookies of the Year:

Female
Iida Laitinen, Women's Hockey

After not being able to play a single game in her official rookie season due to COVID, Laitinen, a sophomore captain, made an immediate impact this season for the women's hockey team. She led the team in points (21), goals (11), assists (10) and game-winning goals (2). The Roos got off to their best start in program history at 6-0-1 and finished with a winning record at 13-10-1. Laitinen scored four goals and added an assist in a road win at King's College on Halloween. On Thanksgiving morning, the captain took the nation by storm as her nifty dangle and score in a 5-2 win at Neumann appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 plays. Laitinen was named the NEWHL Rookie of the Week on two different occasions and was named to the conference's All-Rookie Team following the season. Congratulations, Iida!
 
Maddy Caron, Women's Lacrosse

Maddy Caron has been a standout performer for the women's lacrosse team during her rookie season ranking second on the team in goals (55), points (62) and draw controls (86), while leading the team with 49 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers. A two-time NAC Rookie of the Week the Marcellus native was named NAC Second Team All-Conference. After a stellar conference tournament that included nine goals, three assists, 11 draw controls and four ground balls she was named to the NAC All-Tournament Team. She also finished her first semester in the classroom with nearly a 3.6 GPA. Congratulations, Maddy!

Male
Adam Szlamczynski, Men's Golf

Szlamczynski has burst onto the SUNY Canton golf scene over his year plus on the links. He helped the Roos finish in fourth place out of the nine-team field at the NAC Championship in Fall 2021 and recorded a ninth place individually to earn Second Team All-Conference honors. Had it not been for illness he very likely would have been named the NAC Rookie of the Year following the Spring 2021 championship. Szlamczynski has three top three finishes and seven top 10's in eight career events. In his most recent start, he won medalist honors at the Elmira College Invitational with an 80 finishing with eight pars and two birdies. He is also an exceptional student in the classroom currently carrying a perfect 4.0 GPA and a three-time member of the NAC All-Academic Team.

Austin Mesler, Men's Lacrosse

Mesler has been a standout at attack for the Roos during his rookie season helping to lead the team to a winning record at 9-7 and the cusp of the program's first conference championship. He ranked second on the team in points (55) and assists (22), while sitting third in goals (33). He also had 32 ground balls and caused 13 turnovers on the season. A young leader for the Roos Mesler was named to NAC All-Tournament Team after posting six goals, an assist and seven ground balls in the tournament. He was also named NAC First Team All-Conference following the season. Congratulations, Austin!  
Student-Athletes of the Year

Female
Samantha Dayter, Women's Lacrosse & Basketball

Samantha Dayter, a three-year member of the SUNY Canton women's lacrosse team and two-year member of the SUNY Canton women's basketball team, has been a standout two-sport athlete for the Roos.
The 2022 and 2021 NAC Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference performer posted game-highs of 7 points and 6 goals against #17 nationally-ranked St. Lawrence earlier this season. She was named the NAC Player of the Week four times this season and has set numerous program records. She owns single-game program records in points (14), assists (9) and draw controls (17). Dayter has single-season records in points (127), goals (70), assists (57) and draw controls (113). She led the Roos to their second conference title and NCAA Tournament berth in program history as she was named the NAC Tournament MVP. She is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has participated in an Autism Awareness game.

On the basketball court the captain started all 21 games this season leading the team with 93 assists and averaging 5.1 points and 5.0 assists per game. Dayter was a key piece to the team finishing with their first winning record in nine years at 13-12 overall. The Roos also earned just their second ever NCAA playoff win with a thrilling 55-53 win against SUNY Cobleskill. Dayter has been named to the President's List once and Dean's List three times during her time at SUNY Canton. Congratulations, Sam!

Male
Andrew Fitch, Men's Basketball

Andrew Fitch, a five-year member of the SUNY Canton men's basketball program, has been a fixture in the paint and a defensive force during his time in a SUNY Canton uniform. He was named the 2021 North Atlantic Conference Man of the Year, the most prestigious award bestowed by the NAC. Andrew was also named the NAC Men's Basketball Senior Scholar Athlete and to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team following the 2020-21 season. Following his final season this year he was recognized on the D3Hoops.com All-Region Team. Fitch is a three-time NAC Defensive Player of the Year and two-time First Team All-Conference member. He led NCAA Division III in total blocks (109) and blocks per game (4.36) during his final season. Andrew completes his career fifth all-time in NCAA Division III blocks with 372. His 372 career blocks and 109 single-season are both program records for the Roos and he also owns the career rebounding record (862). Fitch was also recognized with the 2021 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence, the SUNY Chancellor's Scholar Athlete Awards and SUNY Canton's Outstanding Graduate Awards for Associates Degrees (2019) among numerous other accolades. He graduated from SUNY Canton with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology and double-minors in Mathematics and Applied Physics. Congratulations, Andrew!
 
Hunter Olsen, Men's Lacrosse
Hunter Olsen has been a four-year player for the SUNY Canton men's lacrosse team and was captain during his senior year. The 2022 and 2021 NAC Player of the Year and three-time First Team All-Conference recipient has set numerous program records while being recognized on the national stage. Olsen has been named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) National Team of the Week as well as the NAC Player of the Week four times this season. His SUNY Canton men's lacrosse program records are numerous including program marks in career points (216) and second in career assists (99). Hunter owns the single-season points (101), goals (54) and assists (47) marks. Olsen has also set the single-game program records in points (14), goals (8) and assists (8). He has also been involved in the campus and greater community off the field taking part in Wounded Warrior lacrosse clinics, Special Olympics and working other team's games on campus. Olsen has a cumulative GPA over 3.0 as he will graduate in May with a degree in Finance. Congratulations, Hunter!
 

About SUNY Canton
As Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs, SUNY Canton delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 23 online degree programs. The college placed first in 14 categories in a SUNY-Wide Student Opinion Survey, most notably in career services, tutoring, library resources, and classroom facilities. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also features varsity esports and cheerleading.