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At the annual Athletics Banquet on May 5, four graduating athletes were recognized by the Vassar Athletics Department for their exemplary contributions to the program. Coaches and teammates congratulated these four seniors—as well as the other 100 senior student athletes—for showing incredible work ethic and dedication throughout their careers as Vassar athletes.
Christine Eaccarino: Athletics and Fitness Alumnae/i of Vassar College Athlete Award: The Alumnae/i Award is presented to a senior athlete based on his or her overall grade point average, athletic ability, team spirit and leadership.
Watching a Vassar women’s lacrosse game, it is difficult to keep track of Christine Eaccarino. Although she primarily played an attack position, Eaccarino was always running all across the field—getting open for a pass, scooping up a ground ball or tracking down an opponent to cause a turnover. “I remember her first breakout game,” said Head Coach Judy Finerghty. “It was at the Seven Sisters Tournament her freshman year. She was running up and down the field, making great passes and making great connections.” Not much as changed since the Seven Sisters game. Perhaps considered the fastest on the team, she has been key both as a player and as a leader.
For the past two years, Eaccarino has been the offensive organizer for the team. Known as an incredible passer—with what Finerghty describes as “great hands and incredible field vision”—Eaccarino is ranked second in career assists with 23 coming from this season, putting her at fifth in the Liberty League. Her 23 assists are complemented by 32 goals this season—six of which came in an overtime league win over St. Lawrence University.
These stick skills weren’t natural for Eaccarino. As a freshman, she didn’t start games, and, while she was talented, she lacked experience. Realizing this, she spent “everyday before and after practice, catching, shooting, throwing,” said Finerghty. “Always with a stick in her hand and smile on her face. She sets the tone with her own hard work and sheer passion for the game,” continued Finerghty. And, often battling a series of injuries—including two shoulder surgeries—Eaccarino can certainly be recognized as a player who has truly dedicated herself to her sport.
Eaccarino also devoted time to the Athletics Department, working as an athletic trainer and taking photographs for the Sports Information Office. “The whole department has become a family,” said Eaccarino. “I have support from [Head of Sports Information] Robin Deutsch, the trainers and of course Judy [Finerghty] and the girls on the team, who are my best friends.”
After graduation, Eaccarino will begin at the Yale School of Nursing in its entry-level pre-specialty nursing program. She intends to graduate in three years as a pediatric nurse practitioner. While she has no plans to play competitive lacrosse, she hopes to coach in the New Haven area. “I think that playing lacrosse has given me a lot of pride in Vassar,” said Eaccarino, “and it’s something I can always connect in this place through.”
Scott Leserman: Frances Fergusson Coaches’ Award: The Coaches’ Award recipient embodies not only athletic ability, but also a contribution to a team that extends beyond pure performance. The recipient of the Coaches’ Award has commitment, strong leadership, is respected and admired by teammates, has a strong work ethic and a high level of sportsmanship.
For the graduating seniors on the Vassar men’s volleyball team, the past four years cannot be viewed as anything other than unbelievable. During the seniors’ first two years, the team was less than impressive: their freshman year, the team went 2-17, and their sophomore year wasn’t much better with a record of 8-15. The next two years, however, were very different. In 2008 the team won its league and was second in the nation with a record of 26-7. In 2009 they finished third in the league with a 19-8 record. This dramatic change was truly a testament to the talent and hard work of the players—and of the Coaches’ Award recipient, Scott Leserman. As Head Coach Jonathan Penn explained, “[Leserman’s] leadership was instrumental in the team improving from that 2-17 record his freshman year.” A four-year starter for the Brewers, Leserman came into Vassar after playing on a national championship club team and one of the top high school teams in the country.
Stepping up to play the libero position this season, Leserman tallied a remarkable 361 digs, leading the nation in digs per game as well as holding the Vassar record for digs per game and is third for highest single season total. His talent didn’t go unnoticed and this spring he received Second-Team All-American honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association and in the league was a Second-Team All-Metro Division selection. He is in the top 10 in eight career-record categories and in seven single-season categories
But Leserman is much more than one of the nation’s top volleyball players. “While Scotty is many things to many people,” said Penn, “what he is to this team is a leader.”
“From the beginning I kind of viewed myself as a leader,” admits Leserman, who was named a captain his sophomore year and has held that title for the past three years.
“His talent, knowledge and experience earned him the initial respect of his teammates, but his attitude, work ethic and dedication are what earned their admiration,” said Penn. This leadership was carried off the court as well where he was a two-year member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee before becoming president this past year. “So many things here I’ve learned in these four years I will carry for the rest of my life,” said Leserman. “My love for athletics was really expanded even though being on an incredible team wasn’t an integral aspect.”
After graduation Leserman will be moving to Illinois where he’ll work toward his master’s in sports management at the University of Illinois while apprenticing with their women’s volleyball team in hopes of later working as a coach or athletic director.
John Kessenich: Outstanding Senior Male Athlete: The Outstanding Athlete award recipient has shown athletic excellence, leadership, an ability to motivate his teammates, sportsmanship and exemplary commitment.
John Kessenich has been playing volleyball for just about his entire life. “My mom played volleyball when she was pregnant with me. Then, since I could walk, I was always with a volleyball,” he said. He competed in his first game at age nine and has been playing ever since.
Today, Kessenich will graduate from Vassar with his name all over the men’s volleyball record books and the experience of being on the most successful team in the history of the program.
Head Coach Jonathan Penn describes Kessenich as “nothing short of a freak.” Although he is the team’s recognized setter, he is incredibly skilled in all six basic skills of the game. “He not only led the team in hitting percentage by over 300 points, but had only one fewer kills than our nationally ranked kill leader,” explained Penn.
A nationally ranked setter, he is only the second Vassar player to have over 3,000 assists and is the all-time career assist leader in the rally score era. Last season he was named a Second-Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (ACVA), an honor he received again this year along with the ACVA National Player of the Week honor on February 17 and a Second-Team All-NECVA Metro selection.
“Johnny will be the first to give credit to his teammates for this meteoric rise, and he is right to do so, but they in turn would come right back and say it wouldn’t have happened without him,” said Penn. Serving as a captain his senior season, Kessenich lead by letting “his work ethic, attitude, passion and integrity all set the standard for the team,” explained Penn. Unsurprisingly, Kessenich’s post-graduation plans include planning volleyball. “Since I was young, I always wanted to be a professional beach volleyball player and that will happen,” he said. “I hope to be training as much as possible, and we’ll just let the future speak for itself.”
Emily Love: Outstanding Senior Female Athlete: The Outstanding Athlete award recipient has shown athletic excellence, leadership, an ability to motivate, sportsmanship and commitment.
Looking at the Vassar women’s swimming record books there is a common theme: Emily Love. Swimming primarily the freestyle and backstroke, she holds six individual records in the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard freestyle races and the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard backstroke races. She was also a member of four record-breaking relay teams: the 200- and 400-yard medley relays and the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays.
While these records alone could be enough to nominate Love for this award, it is what’s behind the statistics that has truly made her an outstanding athlete.
“[Love] doesn’t see herself as at the highest swim caliber. She didn’t when she came in either,” explained Head Coach Lisl Prater-Lee. “Mentally, she considers herself to be just a student athlete at Vassar.” This was certainly the case before Love came to Vassar, where most of her peers didn’t even knew she swam.
“In high school everyone just thought I was the theater girl,” said Love. Attending a high school without a swim team, Love had to look elsewhere to compete, spending some time on a club team before eventually participating in a co-op with another local high school.
Outside of swimming, Love has participated in a show just about every spring and has held a variety of other positions on campus including student fellow and Daisy Chain coordinator. Love has also worked with the Exploring Science program on the Vassar Farm.
Spending two years as captain for the team, Love is seen as “someone who has done exceedingly well, who has balanced academics and swimming, had fun and a social life in an environment where she could thrive,” said Prater-Lee.
While her series of records is impressive, what is probably most notable about Love is that she is a five-time All-American. In 2007 she qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships in the 50-yard freestyle and 100- and 200-yard backstroke races, qualifying for the same backstroke races again in 2008. Both years she earned All-America First Team in all her races.
Within the Liberty League, Love was also named the Rookie of the Year in 2006-07, Swimmer of the Year in 2007-08 and 2008-09 as well as Swimmer of the Week 20 times and Rookie of the Week three times.
A four-year swimmer and two-year captain for the team, Love has watched the program improve as a result of the achievements of herself and her classmates. “We’ve become not just a team that swims, but a team of swimmers,” she said. “I’m excited that there are so many strong recruits and to be at the center and know that our class had such an impact. And I know [Prater-Lee] will be able to take these new swimmers and make them better than me.”
After graduating, Love will stay around Vassar to receive her certificate in elementary education. And while she doesn’t plan on competitively swimming, coaching may be in her future.
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