LOUDONVILLE, NY – The Siena Athletics 2018-19 All-Sports Celebration presented by Northwestern Mutual proved to be an historic evening Tuesday night in the Alumni Recreation Center, as men's basketball freshman Jalen Pickett became the first student athlete in school history to sweep student athlete and rookie of the year honors in the same season. Women's cross country/track standout Sarah Forman was heralded as the 2018-19 Siena College Female Student Athlete of the Year, and women's lacrosse freshman Kaitlyn Dowsett was honored as the 2018-19 Siena College Female Rookie of the Year.
 
Nearly 400 student athletes, coaches, administrators, staff, and distinguished guests attended the annual year-end banquet to celebrate the 2018-19 Siena Athletics' school year. The event recognized distinguished athletic, academic, and community achievements by student athletes from the past year, awarded recognition to deserving athletic department staff, and honored the 70-plus member Siena Athletics Senior Class of 2019.
 
Siena College Vice President and Director of Athletics John D'Argenio offered opening remarks and reflections on achievements from the past year, while men's lacrosse alumnus Eric Hungershafer, representing event sponsor Northwestern Mutual, delivered the annual "Always a Saint" address. Siena College Chaplain Fr. Larry Anderson, O.F.M. gave the invocation, which followed with a buffet-style dinner and season highlight and senior tribute videos.
 
The evening concluded with an awards ceremony, culminating with the presentation of the 2018-19 Siena College Male and Female Student Athlete and Rookie of the Year Awards. 
 
Pickett, who recently declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, achieved arguably the greatest freshman season in both program and MAAC Basketball history. A Freshman All-American, NABC District 1 First Team selection, and the ECAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-ECAC pick, the Rochester, New York native was also heralded as the unanimous 2018-19 MAAC Rookie of the Year and a First Team All-MAAC honoree. Also tabbed a unanimous MAAC All-Rookie Team selection, Pickett won a league-record 11 MAAC Rookie of the Week honors this season which was tied for the second most in any conference in NCAA Division I history. He was named the CBS Sports/USBWA National Freshman of the Week on Feb. 19, and on Dec. 3 swept the MAAC's weekly honors to become just the fourth league freshman in the past 33 years to be named MAAC Player of the Week. Pickett ranked ninth nationally this past season in assists (6.7), 22^nd in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.76), and 35^th in steals (2.0). Amongst NCAA Division I freshmen, he ranked third in assists and fourth in both assist-to-turnover ratio and steals. Pickett led the MAAC overall in both assists and assist-to-turnover ratio, ranked second in steals, fourth in blocks (0.9), and seventh in scoring (15.8). He broke both Siena's freshman scoring (521) and steals (66) records, while also achieving the fourth highest single-season assist total overall (221) in school history.
 
Forman secured the lone Siena individual or team championship to date so far this year, capturing her third career title by winning the 3K at the MAAC Indoor Track and Field Championship. The local standout from nearby Altamont, New York began her season by leading the Saints, who were projected to finish seventh according to the preseason coaches' poll, to a tie for the program's best-ever finish with a third place showing at the MAAC Cross Country Championships. Forman earned All-MAAC honors after finishing 10^th overall in the 6K with a time of 22:12.4. Earlier during the cross country season, she set new a new program benchmark in the 5K, and finished in the top-10 in six of eight meets highlighted by a pair of top-two finishes. Forman has already set seven school records in both indoor and outdoor track so far this season, while earning All-ECAC honors. She ran qualifying times for the ECAC/IC4A Championships in both two indoor and two outdoor events, and was an ECAC Finalist in the outdoor mile. The consummate student athlete, Forman boasts a 3.93 cumulative GPA after achieving a perfect 4.0 during the fall semester. A MAAC All-Academic Team selection, she serves as the secretary of Siena's student athlete mentoring program (SAM).
 
After missing the entirety of the 2018 season due to injury, Dowsett has played a major role in the unprecedented success of the women's lacrosse program this spring. The Manorville, New York native currently ranks tied for third in the MAAC in game-winning goals (three) and fifth in goals (44) while totaling 49 points. A MAAC All-Rookie Team selection, Dowsett scored a season-high seven points in the regular season finale at Marist, and has recorded a trio of five-goal games. She has started all 18 games while sparking a Siena team which is set to make the program's first MAAC Championship Game appearance in 14 years. The Saints have posted the second best turnaround in the country this spring, while also setting a new program record for wins with 12. Dowsett has also achieved success in the classroom, where she maintains a 3.30 cumulative GPA.
 
Athletic academic advisors Molly Kaffka and Sarah Sivertson presented Academic Excellence and Academic Honor Awards to the 34 seniors who achieved cumulative GPA's of 3.20 or better. The duo then presented awards to the senior student athletes who held the highest GPA's in their respective schools, who were women's golf's Sarah Riso for the School of Science (3.97 – Actuarial Science), men's basketball's Paulo Morastoni for the School of Business (3.94 – Finance), and Forman for the School of Liberal Arts (3.93 – Psychology).
 
Athletic communications assistant Brett Bosley presented the 2018-19 S.A.IN.T.S. Cup to the men's lacrosse team for their exemplary work over the past year in the areas of community service, academics, and support of fellow student athletes.
 
Strength and conditioning coach Ian Farrell presented the Iron Saint Award to the women's lacrosse team, whose historic success on the field this spring began with a much-improved performance in the weight room.
 
Student Athlete Advisory Committee representatives Jack O'Hara (men's cross country/track), Conor McGlynn (men's soccer), and Maurice Tessier (men's lacrosse) presented the third annual Bernie Awards to deserving athletic department staff who have gone above and beyond the past year. First-year men's lacrosse head coach Liam Gleason was presented the Rookie of the Year Award for orchestrating the Saints' turnaround, which featured the program's most wins in five years while also doubling the win total from the previous season. The entire sports medicine staff of Greg Dashnaw, Brian McElroy, and Nic Piretti was honored with the Building the Saints Award for going above and beyond with their commitment to the department's more than 300 student athletes while being short-staffed for the second half of the year. Assistant to the athletic director Heidi Speer was the recipient of the Behind the Saints Award, recognizing her unmatched contributions to the department over the past year.
 
Following the awards ceremony, the program concluded with D'Argenio offering a champagne toast to the Siena Athletics Senior Class of 2019. Each of the seniors then received special graduation sashes to wear at Siena College's upcoming commencement to be held on May 12.