Senior athletes garner awards, express gratitude

On May 5, four Vassar seniors were honored at the annual Department of Athletics and Physical Education Banquet. Tennis star Nicole Pontee '10 was honored with the Outstanding Female Athlete Award. On the male side, volleyball phenomenon Phil Tully '10 won the Outstanding Male Athlete Award. Mike Mattelson '10, a tennis standout, earned the Frances Ferguson Coaches' Award, while Brian Bianchetti ‘10, a prolific soccer scorer, was selected as the winner of the Athletics & Fitness Alumnae/i Award. Rounding out the award winners was squash player Libby Pei '13, the winner of the Betty Richey Award.

In his freshman season, Tully helped the Brewers to an 8-15 record, the most wins for the program in four years. However, his star did not truly begin to shine until his sophomore year. In Tully's second season, he earned first-team All-American honors, a distinction he would repeat the next year, while leading Vassar to its first ever Molten Division III Men's Invitational Volleyball Championship (National Championship) appearance. Tully led the Brewers with 447 kill shots—spikes that earn his team a point—his sophomore year. In addition to his All-American honors, Tully was also chosen as the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) player of the year.

In his junior year, Tully notched 471 kill shots, while repeating as a first-team All-American. Those 471 kill shots were the most of Tully's career. In his senior year, Tully collected 424 kill shots, en route to a second-team All-American selection.

Tully leaves Vassar with his name strewn throughout the record book. He is the school's all-time leader in kill shots (1,556), kill shots per game (4.45), attack attempts (3,333), points (1,777), and points per game (5.08). Tully is also sixth in digs, eighth in blocks and six in service aces. As part of the volleyball team, Tully was a part of teams that collected a total 71-37 record, and won two NECVA Metro Division Championships and three Vassar Invitational titles.

The winner of the Outstanding Female Athlete Award, Nicole Pontee, came to Vassar from Chicago Illinois, where she spent four years on the varsity tennis team. At her high school, Homewood Flossmoor, she earned All-State honors in tennis multiple times.

Her freshman season at Vassar, Pontee earned the no. 25 ranking in the Northeast region, completing the year with a 24-2 singles record—with one of those losses coming to a teammate—and a 19-2 doubles record. These successes were strong enough to earn her Liberty League Rookie of the Year honors, as well as a selection as All-Liberty League in singles. She also emerged victorious in the New York State Championships at both no. 3 singles and no. 3 doubles, as well as Seven Sisters no. 3 championship.

In her sophomore year, Pontee garnered the no. 25 national ranking (no. 9 regionally). This season also marked the first time Pontee qualified for the NCAA Division III Single Championship, where she advanced to the quarterfinals. Pontee also won the no. 1 single championship at the New York State Championship, and at the Seven Sisters Championship. Over the course of the season Pontee amassed a 21-9 record competing at no. 1 singles, and a 17-7 record at no. 2 doubles. Her success for the year was recognized as she was honored as an ITA/NCAA All-American.

Pontee continued to impress her junior year, rising to the no. 12 nation ranking (no. 4 regionally), the highest for a Vassar player since 1991. Pontee was named team captain for the year, and was able to once again secure the no. 1 singles championship at the New York State Championships, while also winning the no. 1 doubles title. Pontee once again qualified for the NCAA Division III Singles Championship, this time losing in the round of 16 to the eventual champion. That same year Pontee compiled a 26-6 record at no. 1 singles, and a 14-9 record at no. 1 doubles.

In her senior season, Pontee is currently ranked no. 12 nationally (no. 6 regionally), having amassed a 25-3 record so far this season. She also successfully defended her two New York State Championship titles. Pontee's National Championship fate is still yet to be determined. Over the course of her career, Pontee has collected a 95-22 singles record, while also winning over 70 percent of her doubles matches. Pontee is 15-1 in Seven Sisters matches, and 31-1 in New York State Championships.

Mike Mattelson took home the Frances Ferguson Coaches' Award. Noted Mattelson in an e-mailed statement, "Receiving such a huge award is an incredible honor. To be recognized by the entire athletics community was such an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget. In regards to this award in particular, it's humbling to have the coaches select me to be honored. The coaches are the driving force of the department so for them to choose me was unreal."

His freshman year, Mattelson earned the Liberty League Rookie of the Year award. In addition he earned league awards in singles and doubles his junior season, accumulating a 47-29 record in singles over the three years and a similar 45-26 record in doubles.

While Mattelson had a successful three years, his senior year was truly a special one. This fall, he became the first Brewer to compete in the ITA National Small College Championship. Mattelson qualified by winning the ITA Northeast Regional championship. Mattelson also persevered in the Wallach Invitational, capturing both the singles and doubles championship in that event. This season, Mattelson has accumulated a 21-6 record in singles, and 20-6 record in doubles.

Mattelson has persevered on his own this season, but his contributions to the Vassar team have set him apart. This season he led the Brewers to their first national tennis ranking, and their second Liberty League Championship. Mattelson also led the Brewers to the NCAA Team Championship tournament, where they ultimately lost 5-2 to North Carolina Wesleyan.

While the team's season may be over, Mattelson's is not, as he will compete in the NCAA Division III Single's Championship. Mattelson was one of 32 competitors selected for the event which will occur from May 28-30 at Oberlin College. When asked about his proudest accomplishment at Vassar, Mattelson responded, "being selected to participate in the 32 person individual national tournament is probably my proudest moment."

Mattelson has accomplished a lot at Vassar, but he admits he could not have done it alone, "My success is owed to my teammates, my coach, and everyone around me who encouraged me to be the best I could. While I put in a lot of time and I feel that a lot of my improvement was a result of the hard work and effort that I put in, that would all mean nothing without the team succeeding." He noted in an e-mailed statement.

Bianchetti received the final award. Bianchetti started all 61 soccer games he played in at Vassar and led the team in goals his sophomore, junior and senior seasons scoring 4, 10 and 11 goals respectively. Bianchetti completed his career with 26 goals, the fifth highest total in program history, while notching nine game-winning goals, tying him for the program lead. Bianchetti was named to the All-Liberty League Second Team his sophomore and junior seasons.

In his senior year, Bianchetti became the first Vassar player to earn Liberty League Player of the Year honors. In addition to being recognized by the Liberty League, Bianchetti also became the first Brewer to earn a spot on the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Upstate First Team. His scoring prowess led Vassar to a 9-6-1 overall record, with a 3-3-1 Liberty League record. Both were the best records for the Brewers since 2003.

It is of this team success that Bianchetti is most proud. He wrote in an e-mailed statement, "My proudest soccer accomplishment at Vassar is that I've been a part of making the program better. The individual awards mean a lot to me on a personal level, but I think the true measure of an individual's success, is that they worked towards something bigger than themselves. In my fours years, the team has progressed every season, culminating in the success of this year with the best record since 2003. I'm very proud to say that I was part of this program, at this institution. Plus, 15 years from now when the Vassar Men's Soccer Team is a perennial NCAA champion, I'll be able to say I played for them back in the day."

While each senior had their own individual athletic experience at Vassar, they all had one thing in common: the gratitude and adulation they felt towards their teammates. As Mattelson noted in an e-mailed statement, "My favorite memory is simply seeing all the incredible relationships I've developed through tennis. Achieving success along side my friends is the most satisfying thing in the world and I would trade anything for it."

Bianchetti echoed Mattelson's sentiments, also writing in an e-mailed statement. "Some of my best memories have been off the field with my teammates. I'm really going to miss the times I was able to share with those guys on long bus rides, hotel stays, Spring Break in Barcelona, and of course, our time in the locker room."

The four senior athletes are graduating Sunday, May 23, and will all go on to exciting careers in the world outside of Vassar.