MOUNT VERNON – Approximately 400 Cornell College student-athletes, coaches and staff celebrated a full 2021-22 academic year of competitions and accomplishments Monday night inside the Small Sport Center Arena.
 
Cornell's Annual Athletics Recognition Night kicked off with a tour of the anticipated $19 million expansion and renovation facility project – expected to open in early August – and culminated with senior men's soccer/lacrosse standout Justin Howe accepting the Russell W. Landis Award.
 
Dick Landis, the son of whom the award is named, presented Howe with the event's most prestigious award, which recognizes the individual that best demonstrated academic excellence, campus leadership and athletic development over a four-year career.
 
Howe exemplified the Division III student-athlete at the highest levels. The engineering major and Phi Beta Kappa electee earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors three times in his career, the fourth Cornellian to achieve the feat. Howe was an elite soccer defender and also made an impact in his first season playing lacrosse.
 
A three-time all-Midwest Conference soccer selection, Howe was tabbed 2021 MWC Defensive Player of the Year, piloting the Rams to a school-record 15 wins and the program's first appearance in the MWC championship match since 1982. He was named First Team All-Region and Second Team Scholar All-American. An instant starter in lacrosse, Howe set a single-season record with 32 caused turnovers for the postseason-bound Rams.
 
Lacrosse record-holder Nina Deer was chosen as the Ellen Whale Senior Female Athlete of the Year. The four-year starting attacker is Cornell's all-time leader for points per game (2.57), assists (33) and assists per game (0.72). Deer's 20 assists this season are the most ever by a Ram. 
 
Distance runner Aaron Davidson and lacrosse star Kyle Jussila were co-recipients of the Paul K. Scott Senior Male Athlete of the Year. Davidson was crowned Cornell's first MWC individual cross country champion since 1990 and earned all-region status. On the oval, he won three MWC indoor titles (5000, 3000, distance medley relay) and was voted the 2022 MWC Track Performer of the Year. 
 
Jussila became the most accomplished men's lacrosse player in school history. The first team all-conference attacker is No. 1 all-time in eight career categories, including 154 points, 103 goals and 51 assists. Jussila also owns 10 season records and four game records for the Rams, who are the No. 3 seed in this week's MLC Tournament.
 
Faculty Athletics Representative Kristin Meyer presented the Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year to basketball players Grace Werlin and Marcus Quirk, respectively. Werlin, a four-year letterwinner and three-time academic all-MWC performer, was heavily involved on campus with SAAC, LEADS, Colleges Against Cancer, Salt Company, FCA and Leadership Council.
 
Quirk, elected to Phi Beta Kappa, was a two-time recipient of the MWC's Elite 20 Award and named CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-American in 2020-21. Quirk scored 939 career points and was a key piece to Cornell's MWC Tournament championship run with the Rams earning an NCAA berth.
 
Offensive lineman Andrew Corley (football) was tabbed Junior Male Athlete of the Year, and middle blocker Rory Light (volleyball) the Junior Female Athlete of the Year. Corley earned first team all-conference and third team all-region honors, while not allowing a quarterback sack in 10 games at the center position.
 
Light was named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, ranking No. 5 nationally in blocks per set (1.20). The first team all-conference and all-region performer guided the MWC champion Rams back to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in 11 years.
 
Cleanup hitter Miranda Keith (softball) and goalie Evan Begner (lacrosse) were selected Sophomore Female and Male Athlete of the Year, respectively. Keith led the Rams in RBIs (27) and extra-base hits (12) while compiling a .991 fielding percentage in her first season at Cornell.
 
Begner shattered Cornell's record for saves in a season (208) and is the program's career leader for saves per game. His seven wins in net this season are the most ever by a Cornell goalie.
 
Setter Clare Green (volleyball) was chosen as First-Year Female Athlete of the Year, and distance runner Isaak Hutchings (cross country/track & field) the First-Year Male Athlete of the Year. Green, a second team all-MWC pick, ranked 19th nationally with 1,095 assists and is Cornell's career leader for assists per set (9.80).
 
Hutchings raced to MWC indoor titles in the 800 and mile and was part of the school-record distance medley relay. He earned all-MWC recognition in cross country (11th place) for the runner-up Rams.
 
Head athletic trainer Loren Nydegger honored senior Ellie Nestingen as Sports Medicine Assistant of the Year. Nestingen emceed Monday's event with sophomore baseball player Jack Langan.
 
2021-22 Cornell Athletics Special Award Winners
Russell W. Landis Award – Justin Howe (men's soccer/lacrosse)
Ellen Whale Senior Female Athlete of Year – Nina Deer (lacrosse)
Paul K. Scott Senior Male Athlete of Year – Aaron Davidson (cross country/track & field), Kyle Jussila (lacrosse)
Sportswoman of Year – Grace Werlin (basketball)
Sportsman of Year – Marcus Quirk (basketball)
Junior Female Athlete of Year – Rory Light (volleyball)
Junior Male Athlete of Year – Andrew Corley (football)
Sophomore Female Athlete of Year – Miranda Keith (softball)
Sophomore Male Athlete of Year – Evan Begner (lacrosse)
First-year Female Athlete of Year – Clare Green (volleyball)
First-year Male Athlete of Year – Isaak Hutchings (cross country/track & field)
Sports Medicine Assistant of Year – Ellie Nestingen (women's lacrosse)