The Nichols College Department of Athletics held its annual end of the year banquet on Sunday, April 29 to honor its senior student-athletes as well as hand out its 12 major awards, including the Hal Chalmers Award and Senior Male and Female Athletes of the Year Awards. The keynote speaker for the event, held at Nichols' Auditorium, was Nichols' Assistant Professor of Accounting Marcia Behrens '78 MBA '89.

The winner of the Hal Chalmers Memorial Award for Dedication and Sportsmanship was senior quarterback Michael Carven (Hanover, MA). Carven is Nichols all-time leader in career passing yardage with 4,619 yards, pass completions with 307 and touchdown pass completions with 40. In addition, he holds five other game and seasonal passing records for the Bison. This season, he completed 96 of 186 pass attempts for a 51.6 completion rate and a total of 1,276 passing yards. Named the NEFC Boyd Division Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career, Carven threw for nine touchdowns and ran in another five, which ranked third on the team.

His 168.9 yards of total offense per game ranked fourth in the NEFC while his 38.5 punting average was second in the conference. Carven earned First Team All-Boyd Division honors as a quarterback and punter in 2006 and also earned First Team All-Worcester Area honors as a punter and Second Team accolades as quarterback. Carven had previously earned Nichols' sophomore and junior male athlete of the year awards.

The Dan Cardin Memorial Award for integrity and leadership went to senior defensive back Prince Burns (Morton, PA) of the football team. Burns overcame tremendous adversity to get to Nichols. With his willingness to learn, a hunger to grow and a commitment to his team, he became a role model and leader for not only the football team but the campus, serving as a Residential Advisor. Burns played three years on defense after starting off as a running back. As a rookie in 2003, he ran for 164 yards on 43 attempts. Burns was also used as a kick return specialist his first two seasons. As a sophomore Burns played both offense and defense as he posted 33 tackles and two interceptions. As a senior this year, he recorded four tackles and had one fumble recovery.  

The Charles Hopkins Award for Study, Sports and Spirit was awarded to senior Paul Caprera (Southbridge, MA) of the men's soccer team. Over his four years at Nichols he maintained a grade point average of 3.99 in History. Caprera played in 43 games, starting 18 of them as a three-year letterwinner in soccer. In his first season with the Bison, he was named team MVP. As a senior this year he played in 13 games, starting five of them.

Senior Zach Lindsay (Enfield, CT) received the inaugural Bates Craver Award, named after long-time Nichols athletic trainer and current equipment manager Bates Craver. Lindsay overcame two injuries throughout his three-year playing career with the Nichols men's hockey team. He played in 54 games scoring 25 points with 11 goals and 14 assists, including three shorthanded goals, during his career. During his first season playing for the Bison, Lindsay tallied eight points in 12 games. He contributed seven points in 16 games in the next abbreviated seasons. This past year, Lindsay posted career highs with ten points and five goals, including scoring two shorthanded goals.

The Jim Miller Award for the Outstanding Male Senior Athlete of the Year went to linebacker Bryan Meuse (Billerica, MA) of the football team. Arguably one of Nichols most tenuous defenders, Meuse closed out his four-year career with 345 total tackles. He was named an ECAC Northeast All-Star this past season in addition to being named to the All-Boyd Division and All-Worcester Area First-Teams. He ranked third in the NFEC and first for Nichols with 10.6 tackles per game after leading all of Division III as a junior in 2005. Meuse posted ten or more tackles in six games this season, including a season-high of 16 against Worcester State on Sept. 15. He ranked third in the conference in forced fumbles with three on the season. In addition, Meuse was third on the team in sacks with three and tied for second with five passes defended and 9.5 tackles for loss on the year. Meuse had previously received the sophomore and junior male athlete of the year awards at Nichols.

Senior Stacey Hejwosz (Dudley, MA) of the women's basketball team was named the Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year. Hejwosz closed out her Nichols career with 1,264 points, which ranks fifth all-time in school history. Her 202 career threes is the most in school history while her 60 made threes this season broke her own single season record from last year. This season Hejwosz ranked second on the team with 12.7 points per game and third with 1.7 steals per game. The Nichols co-captain was named the CCC Player of the Week once this season after scoring her 1,000th career point in a win over Western New England College on Jan. 6. She scored a season-high 22 points in that victory. Hejwosz ranked second for Nichols in scoring as both a junior and sophomore and was third as only a freshman. Throughout her career she amassed a total of eleven games with 20 points or more and 64 games with ten points or more in 107 games played, including 103 starts.

The Outstanding Junior Male Athlete of the Year Award went to Chris Vallee (Fitchburg, MA) of the men's basketball team. Vallee, a Second Team All-CCC selection, averaged a team-high 16.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for Nichols as he played and started in all 25 games. Vallee's 16.7 ppg during the regular season ranked third in the CCC while his 14.9 ppg in conference play ranked eight and his 7.1 rebounds were ninth. His 78.2 average at the free throw line was seventh in the conference as well. Vallee scored a career-high 29 points in Nichols first game of the season. He went on to post 20 or more points in seven games and racked up four double-doubles. In a 95-83 win at Anna Maria on Feb. 6, Vallee went 12-12 from the line for a game-high 26 points. Last season, Vallee earned an All-CCC Honorable Mention. He will enter his final season with the Bison next year just 99 points away from 1,000 for his career.

Stephanie Magni (Newton, MA) of the field hockey and softball teams was named the Outstanding Junior Female Athlete of the Year. Magni started in all 19 games as team captain, scoring one goal with three assists for the field hockey team. This spring, she is currently leading the softball team with a .333 batting average as the only player to start in all 35 games. Her .413 on-base percentage leads the team as well while her 18 RBI rank third on the team. Magni was named the CCC Player of the Week after leading the Bison to a 6-4 record during their spring break trip in Fort Myers, FL.
The William Horrigan-Bud Sessions Award for the Outstanding Male Sophomore Athlete of the Year was awarded to Jeff Bieber (Littleton, CO) of the men's hockey team. Bieber was named an ECAC Northeast All-Star by the New England Hockey Writers. He was also honored with a First Team All-Conference selection in the ECAC Northeast. Bieber led all ECAC Northeast defensemen in scoring with seven goals and 14 assists in 15 conference games this season. He finished fourth for Nichols in scoring with ten goals and 17 assists for 27 points in 26 games. His 17 assists ranked second on the team while his six power play goals were third for the Bison. Of the six power play goals, four came in conference action, which was good for second for Nichols.

The Nancy Rossini Memorial Award for the Outstanding Sophomore Female Athlete of the Year was given to MaryLynn Skarzenski (Woodbridge, NJ). Skarzenski, an All-CCC First Team selection, ranked ninth in the CCC in scoring with a team-high 15.6 points per game in conference play. She was tied for first with 3.9 steals per game and was second with 5.1 assists per game as well while her 2.68 assist/turnover ratio led the CCC. Skarzenski was the CCC Rookie of the Year last season and also earned First Team honors. The co-captain's 79.2 percent average at the free throw line ranked fourth in the CCC while her 79.0 percent mark in all games was third in the CCC. Skarzenski posted double-figures in scoring in 23 out of 28 games, including a season-high 25 points, which also tied her career-high, in an overtime loss at Roger Williams. She recorded at least ten points, five rebounds and five assists in nine different games. In a 72-56 win against Western New England College on Jan. 6, she tallied 18 points, nine assists and seven rebounds while more recently she posted 20 points, a season-high ten assists, seven rebounds and five steals in a dominating victory against Roger Williams on Feb. 15. Skarzenski racked up four or more steals in a total of 11 games, including a career-high of nine against Curry on Dec. 2. She also dished out five or more assists in 14 games.

The Gary McNulty Award for the Outstanding Freshman Male Athlete of the Year was won by Ryan Wilcox (West Granby, CT) of the men's basketball team. Wilcox, who was named the CCC Co-Rookie of the Year, finished the season averaging 10.3 points off 49.2 percent shooting and 5.2 rebounds in 25 games played, including 14 starts for Nichols. Upon earning a spot in the starting rotation in January, he averaged 14.3 points off 53.8 percent shooting. In conference play, his 51.2 percent shooting ranked 13th while his 73.8 average at the foul line was 12th. Wilcox ranked 11th with 1.19 blocks per game in conference play as well. He recorded two double-doubles this season, including 19 points and ten rebounds in a key win over Roger Williams on Feb. 15. He followed up with an 18 point performance in 18 minutes of play against

New England College on Feb. 17. Wilcox was named the CCC and Worcester Area College Basketball Association's Rookie of the Week twice during the regular season.

Molly McGuire (East Sandwich, MA) received the Outstanding Freshman Female Athlete of the Year Award. McGuire was named the CCC Rookie of the Year after breaking Christina Cabral's '02 2001 season record of 13 singles victories with her 6-2, 6-2 win over Roger William's Jessica Manners in the CCC quarterfinals on Oct. 10. Her 14-1 mark at #2 singles was also the best winning percentage ever recorded in the program's history and ranked fourth overall in the CCC. Her only loss of the season came against First Team All-CCC selection Michelle Kennedy of CCC finalist Salve Regina. McGuire earned Rookie of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 9 after going 4-0 in the final week of the regular season. In addition to earning Rookie of the Year honors, she was also named to the All-CCC Second Team for singles and earned an Honorable Mention for her doubles play.