TROY, N.Y. - Four student-athletes from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Class of 2022 have been chosen for prestigious honors and were recently presented their awards. Josh Kerpsack and Connor Wooding shared the Leopold L. Balleisen Prize, Austin Charles was a co-recipient of the Paul B. Zuber and Barbara J. Zuber Award for Underrepresented Students and George Marinopoulos was tabbed with the Livingston W. Houston Citizenship Award.

LEOPOLD L. BALLEISEN PRIZE

• Established by Donald H. Balleisen in 1976, in memory of his father, a graduate in the Class of 1918
• Presented to a senior (or seniors) who won a varsity letter in at least one sport during two of his or her undergraduate years and of those thus qualified, stands highest academically in his or her class.

Josh Kerpsack (lacrosse)
Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering dual major ... Cumulative GPA of 4.0 ... Dean's Honor List ... Research reporting directly to Fotis Kopsaftopoulos, Director of the Intelligent Structural Systems Laboratory ... Intern with General Dynamics Electric Boat ... Long stick midfielder ... Man-down unit ... Team Squad Leader ... Active volunteer ... Austin, Texas ... Bowie High School.

Connor Wooding (cross country / track & field)
Computer & Systems Engineering and Computer Science dual major ... Cumulative GPA of 4.0 ... Dean's Honor List ... Engineering tutor for ALAC ... Intern with Bandwith Inc., becoming top contributor to ETL application ... Intern with Athenahealth ... NCAA Regional alternate ... NCAA Championship alternate ... North Chili, N.Y. ... North Chili High School.

PAUL B. ZUBER AND BARBARA J. ZUBER AWARD FOR UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS

• Established by Mrs. Paul B. Zuber in 1989 to recognize the impact her husband, Paul B. Zuber, had on underrepresented students during his tenure as the Director of Environmental Studies at Rensselaer
• Recognizes the academic merit and the leadership contributions of Black, Latinx, and Native American underrepresented graduate and undergraduate students to the institution and to their communities.

Austin Charles (football)
Business and Management undergraduate degree ... Business Analytics graduate major ... Dean's Honor List ... SAAC officer (campus & community involvement chair) ... Intern with UCLA Development, Sports Innovation Lab Research and NYSERDA Contract Management ... Linebacker ... Two-year captain ... Active volunteer ... Castaic, Calif. ... Cathedral High School.

LIVINGSTON W. HOUSTON CITIZENSHIP AWARD

• Established by Clay P. Bedford, in memory of Livingston Waddell Houston, 11th president of Rensselaer
• Awarded to a student who is considered the "First Citizen of the College"; Recipient must rank high in character, leadership, scholarship, and athletic ability

George Marinopoulos (football)
Business and Management undergraduate degree ... Supply Chain Management graduate major ... Dean's Honor List ... Operations management experience with Target and Callanan Industries ... Quarterback ... Two-year captain ... CoSIDA National Academic-All-America ... Active volunteer ... Slinglerlands, N.Y. ... Guilderland High School.

Each of the four recipients, as well as all the others who participated in their final seasons as Rensselaer student-athletes, are featured in a Senior Student-Athlete Recognition video that was produced by members of the athletics department. That video can be found on the RPI Athletics YouTube page or by clicking HERE.

Rensselaer's 216th Commencement Ceremony is to be held on Saturday at the East Campus Stadium. More information on the event, as well as those surrounding commencement, can be found at commencement.rpi.edu or by clicking HERE.