Ithaca College Department Awards
The following awards are presented at Ithaca's annual awards luncheon in May:
The Ben Light Senior Athlete of the Year Award is presented annually to the senior male athlete whom the coaches feel showed excellence in one or more sports, leadership on the field and ability in the classroom. It is named for Ben Light, a 1936 Ithaca graduate who coached football and men's basketball and was named the school's first director of admission and placement. He later served as secretary of the college and vice president of development. In 1969 he was named a charter member of the Ithaca Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Iris Carnell Senior Athlete Of The Year Award is presented to the senior female athlete who has shown outstanding athletic ability, leadership and contributions to the team both on and off the playing field. It is named for Iris Carnell, a 1942 Ithaca graduate who spent 27 years at Ithaca. She served as professor of health, physical education and recreation and assistant chair of intercollegiate athletics. She was the first coach of the women's basketball and women's tennis teams and also coached bowling, field hockey, golf and tennis. She was the first woman inducted into Ithaca's Hall of Fame.
The Women's Varsity Scholar-Athlete Award is presented annually to the senior female scholar-athlete with the highest cumulative seventh-semester grade-point average.
The Men's Varsity Scholar-Athlete Award is presented annually to the senior male scholar athlete who has the highest seventh-semester cumulative grade-point average.
The Robert C. Deming Leadership Award is presented to the student-athlete who has been recognized for athletic ability, maintained high standards in the classroom and demonstrated outstanding leadership on the campu and in the community. It is named for Bob Deming, who spent 17 years as director of athletics at Ithaca, overseeing a program that won 10 national championships. He was named to the Ithaca Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992.
The James K. Harris Memorial Trophy is presented annually to an outstanding and versatile student-athlete in memory of James Harris who excelled in three varsity sports and whose leadership, loyalty and team spirit inspired all those around him. It is named for James K. Haris, a 1966 Ithaca graduate who was a record-setting football quarterback and track & field sprinter and member of Ithaca's first NCAA playoff basketball team. He was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1990.
The Rodney H Dusineberre Athletic Training Excellence Award is presented annually to the senior student athletic trainer who best exemplifies the qualities of hard work, commitment and loyalty to the Ithaca College athletic training program. It is named for Dr. Rodney Dusinberre, who served as Ithaca's team physician from 1980 to 1990. He taught at the gradaute level and was an active professional in the area of sports medicine. He was on the staff of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.