BPF - Athlete of the Year

[GreatDanes06]

KEEP VOTING IN THE OTHER CATEGORIES!!! Remember, if you pick other, state the person.

[UA_MA_2000]

My vote is cast for Ricardo Estremera, X Country! Great job!

[bleedpurple101]

All had excellent seasons, but Lillis stands above the rest. Defensive player of the year last season turns into 18 pts. a game and an absolute team leader? Its tough to argue that.

[UA_MA_2000]

All had excellent seasons, but Lillis stands above the rest. Defensive player of the year last season turns into 18 pts. a game and an absolute team leader? Its tough to argue that.

 

Great points about Lillis! Indeed, Lillis had an outstanding year, and his performance undoubtedly gave us wins that we would not have otherwise have had (not to mention the fact that he played hurt (did he have a fractured hand at one point?) and excelled in the classroom; and the fact that he always hustled and conducted himself well on and off the court).

 

I do think, however, it's easier than you might think to "argue" for one of the other candidates. Not only do we each employ our own criteria* in casting our vote, which in itself often dictates who gets the vote, but I'll point to the following article as a starting point for why my vote was cast in the manner it was:

 

http://www.ualbanysports.com/SportSelect.d...amp;SPSID=70359

 

Naturally, we could go back and forth citing the accolades of the persons listed above, but like I said, we each have our criteria for why we voted for who we did, and that's all part of the fun!

 

 

 

* In discussing criteria, consider academics, for example. Some voters may elect to figure academic success into the equation when voting for player of the year, while others may not consider academics in casting their vote. No doubt, academics as a factor would push Lillis into the top spot for those who also weigh academics into casting their vote. Like I said, it's all about the criteria one uses. The criteria you used, for example, seems to focus on leadership, offensive success, and improvement as a player from the previous year -- and those are all great measures or criteria for this vote!

 

As for myself, I tend to factor out such criteria as what athlete got the most press coverage, for example. To just examine one factor that I think about, I look to that athlete and how he compares to athletes around the country. In that context, Ricardo has excelled to such a degree as compared to other X-C athletes around the Northeast and nationally, that he earned my vote.

[UA_MA_2000]

I think it would be fun to hear how some others on here cast their vote and why they voted as they did! I know that I went back and forth between Ricardo, Cummings (next year perhaps as a senior?), and Lillis (and then thought about whether anyone could deny McCarty the vote with his amazing performances this past fall; and what about McIntosh (also, perhaps next year?) and her pitching performances? Ugh, this is hard!).

[bleedpurple101]

I think it would be fun to hear how some others on here cast their vote and why they voted as they did! I know that I went back and forth between Ricardo, Cummings (next year perhaps as a senior?), and Lillis (and then thought about whether anyone could deny McCarty the vote with his amazing performances this past fall; and what about McIntosh (also, perhaps next year?) and her pitching performances? Ugh, this is hard!).

 

McCarty lost my vote the second he did a flip into the endzone.

 

Estremera and Cummings are right up there if your criteria are how the rest of the team looks up to them and how crucial they are to a team's success. But as teams are concerned: Cross Country Albany men finished 7th out of 9 teams and the women finished 6th out of 9 teams; and they are consistently this low yet somehow that coach still has a job (but thats a different story).

 

Lillis, was the stud on a team that still finished in the Top 3 in regular season, and was crucial on 2 championship teams. Estremera was a conference champ last year on the track in the 3k steeple which was great; but it was 10 out of 268 points that the team scored; compared to 18 out of a team average 68 every night.

[UA_MA_2000]

Should our vote take into account the athlete's entire tenure at UAlbany or just 2007-08? If it was the entire career at UAlbany, then that might change the analysis and, for me, narrow the selection between Ricardo and Lillis (with Lillis getting the vote, from me, for the reasons stated by bleedpurple101).

[Patch]

To me it's all about how each of us view sports/athletes.

 

I voted Lillis because he achieved so much and competed so hard with that said it's very opinionated.

 

They all are very accomplished athletes who work very hard but how many of us have seen track meets or XC meets at UA ( I have). It's low profile.

 

In football you watch the games but only recognize the number and you can't put a face on the athlete and you can't really tell how their feeling because you rarely see their face same with Lacrosse.

 

Basketball is up close and personal you get a feeling that you know the players because I recognize their faces on campus or downtown. I can see their joy and their frustrations.

 

These may not be good reasons but in a close situation with 1 vote I go with someone who is good and I can recognize and feel like I know a little.