Women's basketball guard Kelcie Zarle '22 (Wellesley Hills, Mass./Wellesley HS) and football defensive lineman James Ball '22 (Saugerties, N.Y./Saugerties HS) were honored as Hamilton College's top athletes from the Class of 2022 at the Jack B. Riffle Celebration for senior varsity athletes on Tuesday, May 17.
The Riffle Awards have been presented annually since 1987 to the top male and female athlete in Hamilton's senior class. Riffle graduated from Hamilton in 1950 and passed away on Dec. 13, 1986. A group of Riffle's friends and associates established a memorial fund in his name because of his deep interest in Hamilton athletics.
Zarle is the first Riffle winner from the women's basketball team since 2004. She was a two-time all-New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) team selection and was voted to the 2022 D3hoops.com all-region team. She finished second in the conference in scoring with 19.5 points per game as a senior, and was named the NESCAC Player of the Week in November 2021 after scoring a career-high 35 points in a game. As a sophomore, she helped lead the team to their most wins since the 2009-2010 season, their first postseason appearance since 2015, their highest seed in the NESCAC championship and most victories in conference play since joining the NESCAC for basketball in 2011-2012. She finished her 69-game career with 913 points, 138 assists, 114 3-pointers and 105 steals.
Ball is the first Riffle winner from the football team since 2013. He was voted to the all-NESCAC first team on defense in 2019 and 2021. He played in all 36 games during his four-year career and recorded 141 tackles including 6.5 sacks. In Ball's only season competing in track and field, he earned all-NESCAC team honors for finishing first in the javelin throw in the 2022 NESCAC Outdoor Championships, and was the only athlete to throw the javelin further than 50 meters. He is competing at the All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference Outdoor Championships on Wednesday, May 18, and is attempting to qualify for the NCAA championships.
Women's lacrosse attacker Lauren Hamilton '22 (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central HS) and men's hockey defenseman Nick Rutigliano '22 (Upton, Mass./Saint John's HS) received the Jean-Marius Gelas Memorial Awards. The Gelas Awards are presented annually to a male and female senior student-athlete who has displayed outstanding development in sportsmanship, leadership, character and athletic ability during their college years.
Hamilton was a team captain her senior season when she helped lead the Continentals to the fifth seed for the conference championship and a national ranking as high as 12th in the Division III Top 25 poll. She was a member of the NESCAC Coalition of Student-Athletes of Color during the 2021-22 academic year. She helped lead the team to a national ranking as high as 21st as a junior in 2021. Hamilton finished her 34-game career with 39 goals including 15 in her final season.
Rutigliano was a two-time member of the all-NESCAC team, including the first team in 2022, and was voted his team's MVP after his senior season. He was a three-time team captain who helped lead the Continentals to 36 wins with a record of 29-19-6 in the NESCAC. Hamilton advanced to the NESCAC championship semifinals in each of his three seasons. He led the team with 14 assists as a first-year and finished his 70-game career with 36 points on 14 goals and 22 assists.
Women's cross country and track athlete Liza Greene '22 (Park City, Utah/Park City HS) and men's golfer Jack Habeeb '22 (Scranton, Pa./Scranton Preparatory School) received the Milton H. Jannone Awards. The Jannone Awards have been presented annually since 2009 to a male and female senior athlete who exhibit outstanding athleticism, leadership and academic accomplishment.
Greene made the all-NESCAC cross country team for finishing in 13th place at the 2021 conference championship meet. She helped lead the cross country team to fourth place at the 2021 NCAA Niagara Region Championship by finishing in 12th place out of 141 runners. Her performance at the regional meet earned her all-region honors and qualified her for the NCAA cross country championships. She earned All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference honors for finishing in the top eight in the mile run at the 2022 indoor championships. The sociology major is a three-time member of the NESCAC winter and spring all-academic teams, and made the 2021 NESCAC Fall All-Academic Team. Greene earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Athlete honors twice after the cross country season.
Habeeb competed in the 2022 NESCAC Men's Golf Championship as the Continentals won their first conference title in 19 years and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA championship. It was the team's first NCAA appearance since 1999 and just the second trip to the national tournament in team history. At the NCAA championship in his last round for Hamilton, he recorded a 3-over-par 74 for his team's best score of the two-day event. As a first-year student he posted the second-best scoring average on the team, earned all-NESCAC second team honors, and helped the Continentals finish second at the NESCAC championship. Habeeb led the team in scoring average his sophomore season, helped Hamilton qualify for the NESCAC championship, and made the Golf Coaches Association of America honorable mention All-America list. The economics major was a three-time member of the NESCAC spring all-academic team.
