NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University Athletic Department hosted its 21st Annual Senior Athlete Recognition Luncheon on Thursday, May 1, celebrating the Class of 2025 and honoring several student-athletes for their excellence across academics, athletics, and leadership in the Corps of Cadets.

Headlining the afternoon's accolades were women's basketball standout Haley Brewster (Virginia Beach, Va.) and men's basketball star Owen Liss (West Suffield, Conn.), who were named the Coach Mariano Outstanding Athletes of the Year.  The prestigious award is presented annually to the top senior female and male athletes, as voted on by the department's head coaches.

Other major award recipients included Clark Kerner (Kansas City, Kan.), a dual-sport athlete in men's golf and ice hockey, and Rebecca Klements (Dunbarton, N.H.) of the women's rugby team, who were named Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year, respectively; Thoren Berg (Holliston, Mass.) of the men's wrestling team, winner of the Garrity Award for his combined athletic, academic, and Corps leadership; Lindsey Duggan (Belmont, N.H.) from the women's soccer program, recipient of the Looke Award, recognizing leadership as a civilian student-athlete; and Alex Lewis (Moncton, New Brunswick), a fellow dual-sport athlete in men's golf and hockey, honored with the Crosby Courage Award for perseverance in the face of adversity.

Brewster wrapped up her collegiate career as one of the most prolific scorers in Norwich women's basketball history.  A three-time All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) selection, she climbed to second all-time in program scoring with 1,665 points and surpassed the 1,000-point milestone on Nov. 28, 2023, against SUNY Delhi.

She was a two-year captain, two-time All-GNAC Academic and three-time CSC Academic All-District pick, and received weekly regional recognition from the New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA), including both First Team and Second Team nods throughout the 2023-24 campaign.  Over her four years, she also compiled 598 rebounds, 217 assists, and 151 steals, leaving a lasting legacy on and off the court.

Liss likewise carved out a decorated legacy with Norwich men's basketball, becoming the sixth leading scorer in program history with 1,391 career points, along with 614 rebounds, 139 assists, 112 blocks, and 91 steals.  A two-time All-GNAC First Team honoree, he also became the first Cadet to be named United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Player of the Week in December 2024.

He concluded his career ranked second all-time in field goal percentage (58.7%), and in his final season, led the GNAC in both scoring (21.5 points per game) and blocked shots (44).  A two-year captain and two-time Academic All-District honoree, Liss helped guide the team to back-to-back postseason appearances, earning National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 1 Second Team and D3hoops.com All-Region 1 Third Team plaudits to close his Norwich tenure.

Berg was recognized with the Garrity Award, given to the senior who has demonstrated exceptional performance in the classroom and on the field while embodying leadership in the Corps.  Berg commissioned into the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Nuclear ensign and earned multiple ROTC leadership honors, including the Leadership Award from the Association of Military Colleges & Schools of the United States, as well as the Bernard A. Schriever Award Armed Forces Communications and Electronics ROTC Leadership Award.

Academically, he conducted summer chemistry research with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center.  As a wrestler, he earned National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Scholar All-American and New England Wrestling Association All-Conference Honorable Mention at 197 pounds, and helped lead the team to a Team Scholar All-America Top 30 finish.  He also earned a spot on the CSC Academic All-District At-Large Team in 2024.

Duggan received the Roy Looke Achievement Award, which is presented to a senior civilian student-athlete who excels academically and athletically while demonstrating strong leadership.  The two-year women's soccer captain holds the program record for single-season assists and led all of NCAA Division III in penalty kick conversion during the 2024 campaign.

She helped propel the Cadets to their first GNAC Tournament win since 2010.  Outside of athletics, Duggan served as vice president of Tri Beta, the biology honor society, worked with East Montpelier Youth Soccer, and was an active member of SAAC for four years.

Kerner capped off his Norwich career with a perfect 4.00 GPA, while Klements finished with a 3.99 GPA, earning them the department's top academic honors.

Lewis was selected as the ninth recipient of the Charles F. Crosby Courage Award, established in 2017 in honor of Charlie Crosby '63, a longtime athletics supporter and former member of the sports information staff who bravely battled leukemia for 15 years.

The award recognizes a senior athlete of team manager who has overcome adversity during their Norwich journey.

In addition to the individual awards, 55 senior student-athletes were recognized as Scholar-Athletes, maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher throughout their academic careers.

Baseball: Brock Carpenter, Noah Carpenter, Ryan Miller, Eli Oliver, Rile Rhodes
Women's Basketball: Haley Brewster, Maren McGinn, Erika Thomas
Men's Cross Country: Andre Knapp
Women's Cross Country: Shannon Driscoll
Football: Carter Bass, Jeremy Henault, Eli LeBlanc, Shayne Leddy, Rasheed Patterson, Lucas Reasons
Men's Golf: Clark Kerner, Alex Lewis
Men's Hockey: Holden Doggett, Jason Galotti, Clark Kerner, Alex Lewis
Women's Hockey: Neris Archambault, Leocadia Clark, Taylor Girouard
Men's Lacrosse: Cole Funk
Women's Lacrosse: Lexi Adams, Neris Archambault, Leocadia Clark, Julia Gutke, Carlie Henning, Celine Juneau, Ellie Moriarty, Sarah Moshrefi, Lindsey Parker, Julia Proto
Men's Rugby: Brendan Coyne, Jonah Houser, Brady Kline, Brian Nguyen, Jon Sambuchi
Women's Rugby: Marissa Campbell, Shannon Hobbs, Rebecca Klements, Elinah Liaina, Amanda Uggalla, Eva Warren
Women's Soccer: Lindsey Duggan, Celine Juneau, Rebecca Karis, Abigail Stewart
Softball: Rachel Kempf, Maren McGinn, Kennedy White
Men's Swimming & Diving: Will Thompson
Women's Swimming & Diving: Jenna Tschida
Men's Tennis: Keagan Bakke
Men's Wrestling: Thoren Berg, James Spellman
Volleyball: Giovanna Fruci, Ava Nihill

The Norwich University Athletic Department extends its heartfelt congratulations and gratitude to the Class of 2025 for their remarkable contributions, steadfast leadership, and indelible impact on the University over the past four years, and Norwich wishes each of them continued success in their next chapter.