CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton athletics department gathered its winter sports teams on Tuesday evening at Casella Theater to bestow the President's Cup for Academic Excellence and team Most Valuable Player honors to deserving student-athletes.
 
Earning the President's Cup for Academic Excellence for the second year in a row with a 3.59 average cumulative GPA was the women's basketball program. The award is given each season to the team with the highest cumulative grade point average. All nine winter sport programs saw teams average above a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
 
Women's Basketball
The women's basketball program continued its run of double-digit win totals with a 10-15 record under first-year head coach Kathleen Payne. The team picked up a handful of quality road victories against LEC opponents, and team MVP Elise Magro was a driving force in the team's success. Magro earned her fourth career All-LEC appointment with Second Team honors after averaging 18 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. The fifth-year guard had a trio of 30-point games for the Spartans and finished her career as the second leading scorer all-time in program history.
 
Men's Basketball
The Spartan men's basketball team saw an improvement across the board this season, registering its highest win total in seven seasons while competing night-in and night-out against the strongest teams in the Little East. Team MVP Joe Russell capped his season averaging 17.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the floor. He scored double-digit points in 23 out of 25 games this season and dropped 30 points in a game twice.
 
Women's Ice Hockey
The women's hockey program continued its strong play with an 11-13-2 record to finish sixth in the regular season in the New England Hockey Conference. The Spartans closed out the regular season on a five-game winning streak, with their final game beating eventual NCAA runner-up Elmira for the first time in program history. Leading the way was team MVP Katie Campoli, who had career highs in goals and +/- in her final season with the Spartans. Campoli capped her career tied for the most games played in program history at 118 games.
 
Men's Ice Hockey
The men's ice hockey program battled to a 7-19-0 record in 2023-24 and made its second consecutive trip to the NEHC playoffs with four conference triumphs. The Spartans won six games on home ice, the program's best mark since 2016-17, featuring a riveting 2-1 victory in overtime against UMass Boston. Team MVP Andrew Stefura led the offensive attack with 17 goals — the fifth-most in program history — and 11 assists, totaling 28 points. The junior forward recorded a point in each of the first seven games, going on to finish the regular season as the league's top goal-scorer and earn third team all-conference honors.
 
Women's Alpine Skiing
The women's alpine skiing team experienced a resurgence in 2024, claiming eight team victories and 10 individual titles while placing seventh overall at USCSA Nationals. The program boasted three different race-winners, landing 10 individual victories and 22 podium finishes in 14 competitions. Team MVP Emilie Stene paced the squad with eight race wins including the USCSA crown in GS, making her the program's second female national champion. In her sophomore campaign, Stene boasted six consecutive triumphs, went a perfect 5-for-5 in MacDonnell Division GS contests, and racked up 12 top-two finishes.
 
Men's Alpine Skiing
The Castleton men's alpine skiing program elevated to new heights in 2024, repeating as overall USCSA national champions with titles in both GS and slalom. The team amassed 12 team victories – eight of the 10 MacConnell Division competitions – and 11 individual race-winners. On the national stage, the Spartans totaled three podiums, seven top-10 finishes, and saw three skiers place inside the top five in combined standings. Team MVP Lorenzo Mencaccini had a season for the record books, sweeping nationals to become the fifth individual national champion in program history. Mencaccini finished his senior season with six USCSA race wins and five runner-up placements.
 
Wrestling
The Spartan wrestling program garnered national attention all season long and backed it up on the biggest stage with a program-best 12th-place finish at the NCAA National Championships with two All-Americans. It was the first time ever that the Spartans had two All-Americans in the same season, as Gavin Bradley and team MVP Sampson Wilkins reached the podium in Wisconsin. Wilkins finished the year 39-4 at 184 pounds and was the fourth-place finisher at the National Championships to set a new program record for finish position at the event.