Canton, NY – Natalie Bartle, Maddy Caron, Sal Diaz and Niko Schoner 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 Wednesday, April 30, 2025.

Bartle (women's basketball) and Caron (women's lacrosse) were named the Co-Female Student-Athletes of the Year, while Diaz (baseball) and Schoner (men's hockey) were recognized as Co-Male Student-Athletes of the Year. Logan Kelly (men's hockey) was named Male Rookie of the Year, while Kat McRobbie-Taru (women's basketball) was tabbed the Female Rookie of the Year.

Eli Larson (men's basketball) and Brendan Morrow (men's hockey) tied for the males with the highest overall GPA in their graduating class, while Gwendolyn Glennon (women's golf) earned the highest female GPA in the graduating class. The women's hockey team and George Webb earned Make-A-Difference awards for their support of the Athletics department.

There was also a Game of the Year award with four finalists: the women's hockey team's 1-0 OT win at No. 2 nationally-ranked Adrian (11/1/24), the men's hockey team's 4-3 OT win at Morrisville (12/7/24), the women's basketball team's 61-58 SUNYAC First Round win against Plattsburgh (2/25/25) and the baseball team's 15-14 win against Plattsburgh (4/14/25). The women's basketball team winning the Roos first ever SUNYAC playoff game and the women's hockey team earning the highest ranked win in the school's history shared the award as co-winners.

This year the popular trivia contest returned for the second year as Mayella Rubin and Summer Foster from the women's soccer team earned the trivia title. New this year there was also a red-carpet event where we caught up with student-athletes prior to the awards ceremony and a couple of fun Roody awards.  
   

Student-Athletes of the Year:
 
Co-Female
Natalie Bartle, Women's Basketball
Bartle became the first SUNY Canton women's basketball player in program history to be named All-Region at the NCAA D-III level and just the second ever student-athlete across all sports in the school's history to be named to a D-III All-Region team. Bartle, a SUNYAC First Team honoree, led the SUNYAC averaging 14.8 points per game and 3.8 steals per game. She also ranked second in the league with 3.9 assists per game and sixth with 7.7 rebounds per outing. She was a two-time SUNYAC Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week (1/13, 2/17) and had seven double-doubles on the season. The senior scored in double figures 20 times and hauled down double-digit rebounds nine times. Bartle score the game-winning basket and free throw in the Roos SUNYAC first round game against Plattsburgh on February 25th, the first SUNYAC playoff win in school history.

Maddy Caron, Women's Lacrosse
Caron has had a monster senior season and career for the women's lacrosse team. She finished the season ranking extremely high in a number of statistics in the SUNYAC including: first in shots on goal (101), second in goals (63), second in draw controls (108) and third in points (79). Caron, who carries a 3.77 cumulative GPA after the fall 2024 semester, will graduate with a number of program records including: career goals (252), career draw controls (446), single-season goals (73 – 2024) and single-season draw controls (129 – 2023). The senior was named the SUNYAC Offensive Athlete of the Week (3/17/25). Caron was named to the SUNYAC Second Team All-Conference after the season as she scored five or more goals in nine different games. She helped lead the team to three NAC championships and three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances during her career.
 

Co-Male
Niko Schoner, Men's Hockey
Schoner led the men's hockey team in points (29), goals (13) and assists (16) in just 26 games, averaging more than a point per game. His 13 goals ranked fifth in the SUNYAC, while his 29 points were sixth best in the conference. He had eight multi-point games including a remarkable five games with three points each. The sophomore registered a pair of hat tricks in just over the span of a week against SUNYAC opponents in a 6-4 win against Fredonia (11/22/24) and a 5-1 win vs. Potsdam (12/1/24). Following his impressive performance Schoner was named the SUNYAC Men's Hockey Athlete of the Week (12/2/24). Through two seasons and 42 games Schoner has 45 career points on 23 goals and 22 assists.

Sal Diaz, Baseball
Diaz was on a tear at the plate for the baseball team in his first season with the Roos leading the team in batting average (.362), hits (34), doubles (10), triples (1), home runs (3), RBI (25), slugging % (.585). He also drew seven walks and owns a team-best .426 on-base %. Diaz had 11 multi-hit games and drove in multiple runs in eight outings.
 
Rookies of the Year:
Male
Logan Kelly, Men's Hockey
Despite missing the first half of his rookie season due to blocking a shot and breaking his finger which required surgery, Kelly had an incredible first season with the Roos. He finished fifth on the team in points (14) and tied for second with 10 goals to go with four assists. He finished the season on a tear recording a remarkable 10 points on seven goals and three assists in his final four games. Kelly had a hand in three of Canton's four goals with two goals and an assist in their SUNYAC First Round playoff game against Buffalo State (2/26/25).

Female
Kat McRobbie-Taru, Women's Basketball
McRobbie-Taru had a standout first season for the women's basketball team ranking third on the team in both points per game (11.3), rebounds per game (5.6) and minutes per game (26.7). She was first on the team with 34 blocks and shot over 41% from the field and 26% from three-point range. She scored in double figures 16 times and hauled down double-digit rebounds twice. For her performance in a pair of SUNYAC playoff games McRobbie-Taru was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament as Canton earned the first SUNYAC playoff win in school history with a thrilling 61-58 victory against Plattsburgh at home on February 25, 2025.
 

Graduating Senior Highest Cumulative GPA Awards:
 
Co-Male: Eli Larson, Men's Basketball – 3.96
Larson, a senior on the men's basketball team, has a 3.96 cumulative GPA. The Mechatronics Technology major nearly averaged a double-double per game ranking fourth on the team with 11.0 points per game and first with 7.4 rebounds per game on his way to six double-doubles. He also led the team shooting nearly 52 % from the field and blocked a team-best 19 shots.  He ranked fourth in the SUNYAC in both field goal % and rebounds per game.

Co-Male: Brendan Morrow, Men's Hockey – 3.96
Morrow, a senior on the men's hockey team, has a 3.96 cumulative GPA. The Civil & Environmental Engineering Technology major ranked second on the team with 20 points and 15 assists to go with five goals. The captain finished the season with a team-best +5 on-ice rating and registered four multi-point games including three assists in a 5-1 win against Potsdam (12/1/24).

Female: Gwendolyn Glennon – Women's Golf – 4.0
Glennon, a member of the women's golf team, is graduating with a degree in Homeland Security and has a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA. She has been the Roos top women's golfer throughout her career and twice earned the Northeast Women's Golf Conference's (NWGC) Elite Academic Award which is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing at the championship. She finished in a tie for 12th place out of 52 golfers at the 2025 NWGC Championship.
 

Co-Game of the Year:

Women's Hockey 1-0 OT win v. No. 2 nationally-ranked Adrian on November 1, 2024 and Women's Basketball 61-58 SUNYAC First round win vs. Plattsburgh on February 25, 2025.

Women's Hockey

Sophomore Abby Seaman recorded a 42 save shutout in her debut with the Roos and classmate Riley Andzel scored the game-winner 1 minute, 44 seconds into overtime to lead the SUNY Canton women's hockey team to a 1-0 win at No. 2 nationally-ranked Adrian College on November 1, 2024. The win was the highest ranked victory in school history for any SUNY Canton team and the women's hockey team's second win against a ranked opponent in program history (later in the season they also beat #5/4 Cortland for their third ranked win).

STORY | HIGHLIGHTS
 
Women's Basketball
Natalie Bartle gave Canton the lead for good with 13.9 seconds remaining finishing the and-one to lift the Roos to a thrilling 61-58 win against Plattsburgh State in a SUNYAC First Round playoff game in front of a packed crowd on February 25, 2025 in the Roos House. The win marked the first SUNYAC playoff victory for any team in the school's history.

STORY | HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTOS
 
 
The other nominees for Game of the Year included the men's hockey team's 4-3 OT win at Morrisville on December 7, 2024 and the baseball team's 15-14 win against Plattsburgh on April 14th.



Make-A-Difference Awards:
This year we will be handing out two Make-A-Difference awards. These awards go to individuals who make a huge difference for the Athletics department during the 2024-25 academic year

Women's Hockey Team
The SUNY Canton women's hockey team is one of this year's Make-A-Difference winners. While several SUNY Canton teams are heavily involved in the community, the women's hockey team's efforts this year went above and beyond. The team organized a Cerebral Palsy Awareness game donating over $1,500 to the Cerebral Palsy of the North Country, they volunteered at the Help Sami Kick Cancer event, the Norwood-Norfolk Kindness Day, took on a leadership role at the Roos Special Olympics event and had multiple players volunteer as assistant coaches with the Adirondack 46ers youth team. Below you can see a breakdown of all their community service efforts this academic year.

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Game: New this year the SUNY Canton women's hockey team hosted a special game dedicated to raising awareness for Cerebral Palsy. Proceeds from this event were donated to Cerebral Palsy of the North Country (over $1,500), helping support local individuals and families affected by Cerebral Palsy. This was an extra special event for our team, as our assistant coach's brother, Jack, has cerebral palsy. Jack was there at the game to perform the ceremonial puck drop, and to get the girls ready for the game by announcing the starting lineup in the locker room before!

Help Sami Kick Cancer: For the third consecutive year, the women's hockey team volunteered with this non-profit organization at their annual Blue Jean Black Tie Event. which is one of their signature fundraisers to help raise funds for the organization whose mission is to enrich the lives of pediatric cancer patients and their families. The Lodge at Dreaming Tree Ranch, where the event was hosted, serves as a physical place where such families can reconnect with one another through nature. Each year, the Help Sami Kick Cancer Foundation hosts a handful of families to this beautiful location in the North Country. At the event, the SUNY Canton women's hockey players helped prepare the meal, clear plates, and serve desserts for the attendees.

Special Olympics: The women's hockey players took on a leadership role when SUNY Canton hosted the 2025 New York State North Country Region Special Olympics Summer Games on April 13th.  Special Olympics event head manned the track events at the Special Olympics hosted at SUNY Canton this spring.

Norwood-Norfolk Kindness Day: The women's hockey team (along with men's hockey) lined the lobby of the elementary school at Norwood-Norfolk to spread kindness and positivity as the students arrived at school that day.

Adirondack 46ers: Molly Lenihan, Abby Tate and Kyra O'Keefe served as volunteer assistant coaches for the Adirondacks 46ers girls hockey team based out of Malone, NY. They recently helped with the team's tryouts and will assist with practices and coaching games next season, when possible.

George Webb
Webb is a graduating senior in the SUNY Canton Sports Management program and has been a fixture on the mic broadcasting numerous webcasts of home games for SUNY Canton teams throughout the 2024-25 academic year. Webb broadcasted nearly all men's and women's soccer home matches in the fall and despite also interning at SUNY Potsdam in the spring semester still went out of his way to find time to broadcast many men's and women's basketball and men's and women's lacrosse games in the winter and spring. He can be heard on the call HERE for the women's basketball team's playoff win against Plattsburgh in February, SUNY Canton's first ever SUNYAC playoff win.
   

Trivia Winners:
Women's Soccer: Mayella Rubin and Summer Foster
The women's soccer team made their way to the top of the trivia field to earn the trivia title edging out the defending champs from the men's lacrosse team. The contest started with two players from each of the Roos 15 varsity NCAA teams.

The 15 teams were trimmed down to 10, five and then two finalists: the men's lacrosse and women's soccer teams. The women's soccer team won the trivia title in thrilling fashion led by the efforts of Mayella Rubin and Summer Foster. The women's soccer team also captured the Roo Cup, which is awarded to the team that gains the most points for attending the most home games throughout the school year. 
 

There were also several fun Roody awards that were presented at this year's event including the Matt Milograno "Best Beard" award won by Jake Erskine from the men's lacrosse team.
   

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