Colgate Holds 17th Annual Golden ’Gates
HAMILTON — Colgate Athletics held its 17th annual Golden 'Gates award ceremony Monday evening on Cotterell Court, honoring its student-athletes and presenting department awards.
Athletes of the Year
After impressive seasons, Alexa Brodie of the women's basketball team and Keegan Records of the men's basketball team were named Athletes of the Year.
Brodie will go down as one of the most influential women's basketball players in Colgate history. A four-time captain, All-Patriot League Second Team and All-Defensive Team honoree, she became the 22nd player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark and finished her career 19th all-time in scoring with 1,056 points. The Chalfont, Pa., native started 123 of 125 games throughout her career. Brodie sits third in career assists and second in free throw percentage. She helped lead the Raiders to their best Patriot League season in 20 years.
Records helped lead Colgate Men's Basketball to four NCAA Tournaments in five years. He concludes his Colgate career holding the program record for career field goal percentage and ranks third all-time in blocks, fourth in rebounds, and 11th in scoring. The South Kingstown, Rhode Island native is a two-time All-Patriot League First Team and All-Defensive Team selection. He added to his accolades with All-District honors for the second consecutive season after leading Colgate to its fourth consecutive Patriot League championship in 2023-24.
Rookies of the Year
Lucy Art of women's swim & dive, Emma Pais of women's hockey, and Dakin Ebmeyer of men's cross country and track had strong starts to their Colgate careers, helping them earn Rookie of the Year.
Art led Colgate Swim & Dive with a third-place finish in the 100 Free during the Patriot League Championships, becoming the program's first podium finisher since 2014. She was Colgate's first postseason honoree since 2015 after garnering All-Patriot League Second Team honors. She played a part in the 200 and 400 Free relay teams that finished fourth at the Patriot League championships. Throughout the season, Art contributed to two individual and two relay first-year records while scoring the most points for her team overall.
Pais was voted ECAC Rookie of the Year after finishing the season tied for most points in the conference by a first-year skater. Her 34 points were the second-most in the country from a rookie and ranks as the second-best scoring season from a first-year in Colgate women's hockey history. The three-time ECAC Rookie of the Week was named to the Hockey Commissioner's Association Rookie of the Year Watch List after helping the Raiders to their second-ever trip to the Frozen Four.
Ebmeyer earned Rookie of the Meet at the 2024 Patriot League Indoor Track and Field Championships. He is a member of the school record-holding distance medley relay team and holds the first-year record in the mile and the 1500-meter run. Ebmeyer qualified and competed at the 2024 Indoor ECAC/IC4A Championships. He won his first career outdoor event in the 1500 at the Maryland Invitational earlier this season. Ebmeyer ranks among the top 100 nationally for the 1500.
Coach of the Year
Ganiyat Adeduntan led Colgate Women's Basketball to its first 20-win season since 2003-04. The Raiders became the first team in Patriot League women's basketball history to advance past the second round of the WNIT, and Colgate reached the Super 16 with postseason victories over UAlbany and Providence. Finishing 20-14 overall and 10-8 in conference play, Colgate hosted the Patriot League semifinals for the first time. The Raiders won six of their last seven regular-season games to secure second place in the Patriot League standings, their highest mark since the team's championship run in 2003-04
Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Kas Betinol was a key leader on the second team in Colgate Women's Hockey history to make it to the Frozen Four. She finished the 2023-24 season with 13 points on 10 goals, a career-high mark for the senior. Betinol also contributed three multi-point performances, including a four-score explosion where she scored a goal on every shot she took in Colgate's 12-0 domination of Syracuse.
Harrison Zeigler has competed in five regattas for the Raiders this season. Most recently, he helped Colgate's varsity eight place fourth at the SIRA Regatta and fourth at the Knecht Cup Regatta. During the fall season, he helped the club eights finish 29th at the Head of the Schuylkill. Zeigler was also a member of the 1V8 boat that took eighth and the quad that finished third at the Princeton Chase.
Athletics Director Leadership Awards
Vice President and Director of Athletics Yariv Amir presented the annual award to senior student-athletes who have displayed leadership and the Colgate virtues – thoughtful, driven, enthusiastic, cohesive, and bold over their Colgate careers. This year's recipients were Taylor Cigna of volleyball and Sam Thomson of men's basketball.
Cigna was a centerpiece to another historic Colgate volleyball season. She was named Patriot League Tournament MVP after helping the team to its third consecutive championship. Appearing in 27 matches this past season, she averaged more than two digs per set and finished second on the team with 27 aces. Cigna shined again in the NCAA tournament, registering 16 digs in the first-round matchup against Creighton. Off the court, she has been a significant leader in the Colgate athletic department as a Co-President of SAAC. Under her leadership, SAAC has seen engagement soar and new initiatives enacted, like the recent Student-Athlete Mental Health Dinner.
Thomson played in 115 career games and helped lead Colgate to four Patriot League championships. He will graduate with more than 400 points and 200 rebounds along with a 50 percent career-field goal percentage. As a senior, he appeared in 33 games, averaging 4.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Thomson scored a season-high 11 points in the final contest of his Colgate career against Baylor in the NCAA tournament. Off the court, he has been instrumental in representing his team as a Career Ambassador and a SAAC representative.
John LeFevre '41 Appreciation Awards
The John LeFevre '41 Appreciation Awards are presented annually to an internal and external candidate in honor of their tireless contributions to Colgate Athletics. This year's award winners were Michael Holobosky of University Printing (internal) and Pathfinder Village (external).
Raider of the Year Award
The Raider of the Year Award is presented annually to the community fan with the greatest support and spirit for Colgate Athletics, and who leaves a lasting impression on the student-athletes he/she interacts with. This year's honoree was Doug Lewis.
Community Service Awards
The Community Service Award is presented to the programs most known for their contributions to the community and ability to have a positive impact on it. This year the award was given to the softball team and men's lacrosse team.
Players Mentioned
Players Mentioned
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