MAY 19, 2007
KING'S HONORS BEST AT ANNUAL SENIOR
AWARDS LUNCHEON
(Sabo, Calarco, Flexon Presented Top Athletic,
Academic Awards)
WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College
athletic department honored its best when the annual Senior Sports
Luncheon was held on campus Saturday at the Sheehy-Farmer Student Center.
At the event, senior gifts were presented to each graduating Monarch
student-athlete. Also included during the program were the awards
presentations of the college's Female and Male Athletes of the Year; the
Female and Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year; the Eastern College
Athletic Conference Merit Awards; as well as the John J. Dorish Award.
The Female and Male Senior Athlete of the Year awards were presented to
Lindsay Sabo (Milford/Delaware Valley)
and Caleb Calarco (New Ringgold/Tamaqua).
Sabo
(left) has enjoyed one of the finest athletic careers in
King's College history, setting virtually every record in her sports of
field hockey and women's lacrosse.
As a field hockey player, she was a
three-time All-Freedom Conference selection and was named the conference
"Player of the Year" in both 2005 and 2006, while twice earning National
Field Hockey Coaches Association Regional All-American Honors. This
season, she led the Monarchs to the 2006 Freedom Conference championship
and the program's first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III National
Tournament. She finished the year by scoring 59 points, the second
highest single-season total in program history. She posted a
school-record 25 goals with a team-high 11 assists. In field hockey, she
totaled 157 career points on 61 goals and 35 assists, all
school-records.
In lacrosse, Sabo was a two-time first-team All-Middle Atlantic
Conference selection. She concluded her lacrosse career as the program's
all-time leading scorer with 305 points on 197 goals and 108 assists
with 286 ground balls, all school-records. She established King's
single-season marks of 64 goals in 2007, 54 assists in 2005, and 99
total points, also in 2005.
Combining her career totals for lacrosse and field hockey Sabo has
registered 462 points on 258 goals and 169 assists.
Calarco
(right), meanwhile, was known for his tremendous versatility
as a baseball player, possessing the ability to play a number of
effectively at the collegiate level. Calarco enjoyed three outstanding
seasons at King's after transferring from Alvernia College after his
freshman year.
This season, Calarco led the Monarchs to a school-record for wins as the
team finished the year with a 28-12 record and earned the second-seed in
the Freedom Conference Tournament. A year ago, Calarco earned most
valuable player honors as King's won the Freedom Conference Tournament
and reached the NCAA Division III National Championships for the
first-time in school history.
As a junior, Caleb was named first-team
All-Freedom Conference as a utility player. During the year he played
first-base, second, base, third-base, and was one of the team's top
starting pitchers. As a senior, Calarco enjoyed a banner year as he held
down the first-base position and was the team's number-one pitcher,
while mixing in time at third base and second base when needed. He
concluded the season with a .377 (55-146) batting average with nine
doubles, two home runs, and 27 RBI. As a pitcher, he posted a 7-3 record
with a 2.03 ERA registering a team-high 55 strikeouts in 61 innings. He
was rewarded for his outstanding overall play when he became the first
player in King's history to be named both the Freedom Conference Pitcher
and Player of the Year.
In his three-year career at King's, Caleb
has compiled a career batting average of .359, totaling 143 base hits in
398 at-bats with 31 doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 74 runs
batted in. As a pitcher, he owns a 15-6 record and a 3.3 earned run
average with 101 strikeouts in 135 innings.
He was also an outstanding student with a
3.73 overall grade-point average and was named to the 2007 ESPN The
Magazine District II All-Academic Team.
Each year the King's recognizes the
outstanding academic achievements of its student-athletes by choosing a
male and female scholar athlete of the year. The 2007 winners were
Chad Flexon (Sewell,
NJ/St. Augustine Prep)
and
Lindsay Sabo
(Milford/Delaware Valley).
Flexon
(left) was a four-year letterman and three-year starter as a
defenseman for King's men's lacrosse team where he helped anchor one of
the top defensive units in the Middle Atlantic Conference each of the
last four years.
In the classroom, Flexon enjoyed an even greater
level of success with an outstanding 3.845 overall grade-point average
as an elementary education major and has been named to King's Dean's
List all eight semesters. Additionally, he is a three-year selection to
the Middle Atlantic Conferences All-Academic Team.
Flexon served King's for two years as a member of
our Students Athletic Advisory Committee and has also been active in the
community, working two years as a volunteer reading to children at the
McGlynn Center in Wilkes-Barre. He also volunteered for two years at the
Kid's Café.
As a lacrosse player, Flexon was a top defender
for the Monarchs and contributed to the team in many ways. He displayed
his tenacity and hustle by garnering 146 ground balls during his career.
Aside from her record-breaking athletic career, Sabo enjoyed a
distinguished academic tenure at King's. As a student, Sabo compiled a
3.988 overall grade-point average as an elementary education major and
has been named to King's Dean's List every semesters.
During her time at King's Sabo received numerous
academic honors. She was a two-time ESPN the Magazine District II
All-Academic selection in 2005 and 2006 and was additionally honored as
a 2006 ESPN the Magazine National Academic All-American Third-Team
choice.
She was named the 2006 Middle Atlantic Conferences
Field Hockey Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is a six-time MAC
All-Academic selection in both field hockey and lacrosse, as well as a
three-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Academic
selection.
Sabo also received a number of academic awards,
having been named to the Kappa Delta Pi National Education Honor
Society, the Delta Epsilon Sigma National Honors Society, the Phi Sigma
Tau National Philosophy Honor Society, and the King's College Aquinas
Honor Society. She is also a Certified CRLA Level III Peer Tutor .
Lindsay has also been involved in a number of
extra-curricular and community service activities. She is the Class of
2007 Student Government Secretary, the King's Education Club Vice
President; and a Two-year Resident Hall Assistant.
Despite her hectic schedule as a two-sport
student-athlete, Sabo found the time to participate in a variety of
community service activities. She served as a volunteer with Lil' Leo's
Volunteer with Big Brothers & Big Sisters; King's Relay for Life; Hunger
for Justice Week at King's, and King's "Campuses That Care" Week.
Lindsay has volunteered tutoring low-income children at McGlynn Center;
helped raise money for Angelman's Syndrome; while serving as a Community
Economical Outreach volunteer.
The Eastern College Athletic Conference Merit
Awards are presented to deserving student-athletes who have demonstrated
a high level of excellence in both academics and athletics. To be
nominated for consideration, student-athletes must maintain a minimum
3.0 overall grade-point average. A total of 10 King's student-athletes
were selected for 2007 ECAC Merit Awards.
They include Mike Venarchick
(Lehighton/Lehighton), baseball;
Vince Sobocinski (Norristown/Lansdale Catholic), men's
basketball; Alicia Barrios (Wanatage, NJ/High
Point), field hockey; Joe Tassoni
(King of Prussia/Upper Merion), football;
Sean Apanovich (Plains/Coughlin),
golf; Justin Kumor (Lawrenceville, NJ/Notre
Dame), men's lacrosse; Lindsay Sabo
(Milford/Delaware Valley), women's lacrosse;
Eric Schmieder (Allentown, PA/Parkland),
men's soccer; Mari Valonis (Dickson
City/Mid-Valley), softball; and Jason
Reilly (Mountaintop/Crestwood), wrestling.
Each year King's also presents the annual John
Dorish Award to a member of college's faculty, staff, or administration
in recognition of their dedicated service to the athletic department.
The 2007 winner of the John J. Dorish Award was
Paul Moran, Executive Director of Information and
Instructional Technologies at King's.
2007 Senior Awards winners include (sitting, L-R):
Sean Apanovich (ECAC Merit Award), Mari Valonis (ECAC Merit Award),
Lindsay Sabo (Senior Female Athlete and Scholar-Athlete of the Year,
ECAC Merit Award), Alicia Barrios (ECAC Merit Award), Vince Sobocinski
(ECAC Merit Award).
Standing (L-R): Chad Flexon (Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year), Justin
Kumor (ECAC Merit Award), Caleb Calarco (Senior Male Athlete of the
Year), Mike Venarchick (ECAC Merit Award, Eric Schmieder (ECAC Merit
Award), and Joe Tassoni (ECAC Merit Award).
Missing is Jason Reilly (ECAC Merit Award).
as of May 19, 2007
