2022-23 Athletic Department Awards Announced

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) department of athletics year-end student-athlete awards - Freshman of the Year, Athlete of the Year and Richard S. Lyons Career Athlete - as well as the Marvin Anderson Award - for the 2022-23 season have been announced and seven individuals have been recognized for their accomplishments. 

Collecting the student-athlete awards from last season, the 2022-23 year - the most prestigious presented by the department - are Sutter Muzzatti and Nicole Ridenour - as Freshman Athletes of the Year; CJ Lyons and Morgan Lee - as Athlete of the Year honorees; and Matt Lecky and Alex Mednikova as the Lyons Award recipients. Head softball coach Amber Maisonet was named the Anderson Award winner as the department's Coach of the Year. 

Each coach had the opportunity to nominate student-athletes and peers for the awards. The final ballot is voted upon by head coaches and administrators from the athletic department. Below are the award winners with their accomplishments included.

RICHARD S. LYON FEMALE CAREER ATHLETE
Alex Mednikova
Women's Tennis

Throughout her illustrious tennis career at RPI, Mednikova served as a four-year team captain and consistently demonstrated academic excellence as a four-year ITA Scholar Athlete. Graduating as the winningest player in RPI Women's Tennis history, Mednikova's impact extended beyond the 2022-23 season, where she earned First Team All-Liberty League Singles and Second Team All-Liberty League Doubles honors, finishing the year ranked No. 8 in NCAA Region 2 for Doubles. The preceding 2021-22 season marked a pinnacle in her career, achieving the titles of Liberty League Player of the Year and RPI Female Athlete of the Year. Notably, she became the first-ever RPI women's tennis player to win conference Player of the Year, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in both Singles and Doubles and securing impressive rankings of No. 3 in NCAA Region 2 for Singles and 1st in NCAA Region 2 for Doubles. Breaking single-season records and earning Liberty League 1st team honors in both singles and doubles, Mednikova also attained an ITA National Ranking of No. 49 in Singles and No. 17 in Doubles during that season. Despite the challenges posed by the 2020-21 hiatus, her remarkable achievements in the 2019-20 season flowed into the remainder of her career, including being named RPI Female Freshman Athlete of the Year and achieving national rankings of 49th in singles and 16th in doubles.

RICHARD S. LYON MALE CAREER ATHLETE
Matt Lecky
Men's Cross Country/Track

Lecky's exceptional career in Cross Country and Track & Field is marked by a series of remarkable achievements and records. A seven-time All-American, Lecky's prowess spanned both cross country and the track, securing impressive finishes such as 38th in 2021 and 11th in 2022 at the NCAA National Championships. In Indoor Track, he excelled with four All-American titles in 3k and Distance Medley Relay (DMR) - with two each in 2022 and 2023 - and an outdoor title in the 1500m in 2023. Lecky's outstanding performances led to multiple accolades, including being named NCAA Mideast Region Runner of the Year for Indoor Track in 2023 and earning Liberty League Runner of the Year for cross country in 2022 and 2023, Indoor Track in 2022, and Outdoor Track in 2022 and 2023. Holding All-Time Liberty League and School Records in the indoor mile, 3k, and DMR, where he anchored the fastest flat track time ever in NCAA Division III, Lecky is also the record holder in the outdoor 1500m and 5000m, with a League Championship Record in the 1500m. As the captain and lead finisher, he propelled his team to its best-ever NCAA Championship finish of 9th place in 2022 and a 14th place finish in 2022. Lecky's impact extends beyond the track, earning CoSIDA Academic All-American 1st team honors twice and USTFCCCA Academic All-American recognition four times, solidifying his status as an exceptional athlete and scholar in NCAA Division III history.

2022-23 MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
C.J. Lyons
Football

In a standout 2022 season for CJ Lyons, established him as a defensive force on the field for the Engineers. Lyons began the season with recognition as D3football.com Preseason All-America First Team, setting the stage for a strong season. As a key player for the team, he secured positions on the All-Liberty League First Team and D3football.com All-Region First Team. Earning the coveted title of D3football.com Region Defensive Player of the Year, Lyons further solidified his impact as it also lead to a D3football.com All-America Third Team placement and an AP All-America First Team honor. His excellence extended beyond the field, earning recognition on the Liberty League All-Academic team. As the starting cornerback, Lyons displayed his defensive skills with 19 solo tackles, 14 assisted stops, 4.5 tackles for lost yards, six pass breakups, and one interception. Throughout the season, he consistently delivered multiple tackles in games, with a season-high of 10 in a game against Ithaca. Lyons's impactful performance was marked by a season-high four tackles twice, and at least one tackle for lost yards in three games - including two against Ithaca. Additionally, he demonstrated his proficiency in pass defense with at least one pass breakup in five games, recording a season-high of two against Dickinson.

2022-23 FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Morgan Lee
Women's Cross Country/Track

Lee's 2022-23 season in Cross Country and Track & Field stands as one of the top season's in cross country in the women's program. She earned two All-American honors, achieving a pair of seventh place finishes - one at the NCAA Cross Country Championships and one at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Lee also qualified for the NCAA Championships in two other events, securing a 16th place finish in the 5k, and 12th place in the Distance Medley Relay in indoor track. Her top highlights of the year were 2022 NCAA Mideast Regional Champion and 2022 Liberty League XC Champion. Serving as the captain of the Liberty League Championship team, Lee led her squad to an impressive 3rd place at regionals and a 23rd place finish at nationals. Recognized as the NCAA Mideast Runner of the Year and Liberty League Runner of the Year in cross country, Lee's dominance continued with three other Liberty League titles (indoor mile and 3k, outdoor 5k). Academically, she earned USTFCCCA Academic All-America and CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. Furthermore, Lee set school records in the indoor mile and 3k, and anchored the school record Distance Medley Relay. Her mark in the 3k also set a new Liberty League record as well.

2022-23 FEMALE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Nicole Ridenour
Women's Tennis

In a standout freshman season, Ridenour made her mark on the tennis court for the Engineers. She earned the Liberty League titles of Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year for the 2022-23 season, highlighting her exceptional skills and impact from the start. Ridenour's talent was further represented by her ITA All-American status and impressive rankings, securing the No. 1 spot in NCAA Region 2 for doubles and the No. 8 position in the ITA National Rankings for doubles. Her play was strong in both singles and doubles all season long, earning First Team All-Liberty League honors in both categories. Ridenour's remarkable record of 24-3 in doubles not only broke the school record for doubles wins in a season, but also qualified her for the NCAA Tournament in Doubles. Her consistency was acknowledged with multiple Liberty League accolades, including two-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week, two-time Liberty League Singles Player of the Week, and an impressive nine-time Liberty League Doubles Player of the Week.

2022-23 MALE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Sutter Muzzatti
Men's Hockey

Muzzatti emerged as a future force on the ice for the Engineers after a solid freshman campaign in 2022-23. His notable accolade of the season, Muzzatti found himself Tim Taylor Award Watch List, recognizing the most outstanding first-year player in the country. He received both RPI's Top Forward and Top Freshman awards, solidifying his impact to the program. Muzzatti's season was further acknowledged with a spot on the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team and with ECAC Hockey All-Academic honors. Playing in all 35 games for the Engineers, he showcased his offensive abilities with seven goals and a team-high 15 assists, accumulating a total of 22 points. Notably, he secured two power play goals and a crucial game-winner in overtime against St. Lawrence. Muzzatti's well-rounded performance extended to defensive contributions, including 13 blocked shots and success in face-offs, winning 192 of 422. His dynamic play was evident in multiple points in four games, with a season-high of three (1 goal, 2 assists) against eventual national champion Quinnipiac. His remarkable season culminated with a selection in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, as he was drafted by the Nashville Predators in the fifth round (143 overall).

MARVIN ANDERSON AWARD
Amber Maisonet
Softball

In what was arguably her most successful season in Troy to this point, Maisonet led the RPI Softball program to their fourth NCAA Tournament in program history, and first appearance since 2017. RPI finished the 2023 regular season with a 31-7 overall record, with a near-perfect 13-1 record in Liberty League play. The Engineers won their opening game of the Liberty League tournament 8-0 in five innings over Union before falling twice on Friday to both Ithaca and eventual tournament champion Rochester. Maisonet helped the Engineers to a nice at-large resume, as RPI boasted wins over four automatic bid teams in the NCAA Tournament field (Williams, Rochester, Redlands, UWisconsin-Lacrosse). The Engineers longest winning streak of the season came at 16 games, falling short of the program record 19 wins (2006). Under Maisonet's leadership, she saw graduate student Erin Askins earn multiple All-American nods for her performance both on the field and in the classroom. On the field, Askins was named to the 2023 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Third Team, becoming the first RPI All-America selection since Stephanie Caudle in 2017, and the fourth in program history. She also earned NFCA All-Region First Team and All-Liberty League First Team accolades. In the classroom, Askins earned CSC All-American honors as well. In total, RPI was well-represented in the Liberty League postseason awards, with seven student-athletes selected to all-conference teams. In addition, the Engineers brought home three of the four major awards - including Maisonet earning the Liberty League's Coaching Staff of the Year along with assistant coach Katie Wysocki. RPI fell just short of their program record in wins (35 - 2006) with a 32-win season a year ago, marking only the second time in program history that the Engineers have eclipsed the 30-win plateau. In her 13 years at the helm at RPI, she has earned six Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year honors.