CASTLETON, Vt. – Castleton University student-athletes were lauded for their achievements on and of the playing surface on Wednesday, as the university announced the winners of its annual Castleton Awards.
In total, nine different student-athletes were recognized with a total of 12 awards. Three student-athletes were given Academic Excellence Awards as the student who is deemed the top student in his or her respective major, while two student-athletes and one coach were given Student Government Association Awards and a Student Life Award.
Two-sport athlete Robby Kelley was honored with the Male Coaches Award after sweeping the slalom, giant slalom and overall titles for men's alpine skiing at the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard (USCSA) National Championships in March. Kelley also appeared in four games for the football team before suffering a season-ending injury. Megan Greene collected the hardware for the Female Coaches Award following a dominant senior season for women's Nordic skiing in which she won 13 races and finished No. 2 overall at the USCSA National Championships. Greene claimed Castleton's first-ever individual National Championship for women's Nordic in the 7.5K Classic. In addition to her athletics recognition, Greene also earned the Academic Excellence Award for Castleton's Natural Science Department for her outstanding achievements in the classroom.
Kylie Mackie was honored with the Mary Ellen Evans Award, given annually to the most outstanding female student-athlete who has played four years in one sport, has a GPA of 2.50 or better and has provided service to the University community. Mackie was a four-year member of the women's alpine ski team, and helped guide Castleton to its first-ever team National Championship in the slalom in 2020. She also earned a second-place finish in the giant slalom, her first-ever National Championship podium result.
Claiming the Rocky Mezzetta Award in 2020 was senior wrestler Mitchell LaFlam. The award is given annually to a male athlete in recognition of determination, drive to improve athletic skills, coachability, and team leadership. LaFlam showed steady improvement over his four years at Castleton, culminating in a 41-6 record as a senior while becoming the first wrestler in program history to win 100 career matches. LaFlam was also selected as one of the winners of Student Life's 343 Award, bestowed upon a Castleton undergraduate or graduate student who has shown immense school spirit and is actively involved in various clubs, groups, or activities on campus.
Julia Carone was voted as the winner of the Sharon Brown Memorial Award, given annually to a female athlete who relates well to peers and coaches, shows a desire to learn and excel, demonstrates dedication, persistence, and team leadership while carrying a GPA of 2.50 or better. Carone was one of the leading scorers for Castleton women's soccer during the 2019 season, and has been a standout in the classroom as well, earning a spot on the LEC All-Academic Team in both 2018 and 2019.
The final award given out by the athletic department was the John Young Memorial Award, given to a male or female basketball player who shows great leadership and outstanding offensive abilities. This individual must have a positive attitude and is interested in pursuing a degree in teaching or interested in coaching in the future. The 2020 winner of the award was Casey Belade, a four-year member of the men's basketball program who was a crucial piece of the offense as a junior and senior. In his final game, Belade scored 24 points to lead Castleton to victory.
Wrestler Max Tempel was selected for a pair of awards outside the athletic department. He earned SGA's Community Advisor award as the Community Advisor who goes above and beyond to create community, and strong relationships on campus, as well as Student Life's University Service Award for making outstanding contributions to Castleton through their participation in various extracurricular activities. Women's basketball's Brooke Raiche and Katlyn Toomey were also given awards outside of athletics, as they each earned Academic Excellence Awards in their respective majors. Raiche earned the award for Business Administration, and Toomey for Health, Human Movement and Sport.
Rounding out the honorees was track and field head coach Jay Condon, who was voted by the Student Government Association as the Coach of the Year. Condon, in his second season at Castleton, earned the award as a "part-time or full-time coach who has generously contributed time, energy, and support to the student body." Condon's track and field programs saw numerous program records shattered in 2019-20's indoor season, as well as multiple qualifiers for the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championships.
