Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Athletics

TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) department of athletics’ 2007-08 year-end awards have been announced and six student-athletes have been recognized. Named the Male and Female Freshmen of the Year were hockey forward Chase Polacek and softball first baseman/pitcher Jen Bach, respectively. The Female Athlete of the Year was women’s basketball standout Elizabeth Barker while the Male Athlete of the Year was baseball first baseman/pitcher Ken Carroll. Brendan McGowan, who excelled in football, was named the Male Career Athlete while track & field standout Marion Albert earned the Female Career Athlete.

Polacek, a native of Edina, Minn., played in all 38 games for the Engineers as a freshman, tallying seven goals and a team-high 21 assists for 28 points. He posted a team-best 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) and 20 penalty minutes in 22 ECAC Hockey contests and was third in the league in points among freshmen. Named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team, the Academy of Holy Angels graduate was also a league All-Academic selection.

Bach, who hails from Lansdale, Pa., batted .385 (50 for 130) as a starter in all 40 games during her rookie campaign. The team leader in a number of categories, including home runs (10) and runs batted in (45), she had a .646 slugging percentage and a .412 on base percentage. The school record holder for RBI in a season, she tied the school mark for home runs in a season. A graduate of Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Bach also made five appearances as a pitcher, owning a 3-1 record with a 3.62 earned run average. She struck out 14 batters in 19.1 innings and held opponents to a .219 batting average. An All-Liberty League First Team selection at first base, she was the league’s Rookie of the Year.

In 25 games, Barker, a native of Suffield, Conn., averaged a double-double of 13.0 points and 11.9 rebounds per game to rank among the league leaders in both categories. She also had 30 assists, nine blocks and 26 steals while averaging 26.6 minutes per game for the Red Hawks, who played in the Liberty League Tournament semi-finals. Barker, a Cathedral High School graduate, ranked first in the Liberty League and 12th nationally in rebounds per game. She was the league leader in offensive (4.28) and defensive (7.6) rebounds per game and also posted 16 double-doubles. She was the Liberty League Forward of the Week five times and an All-League First Team selection.

A first baseman/pitcher out of Shelton, Conn., Carroll played in 37 games and was third in the Liberty League and second on the team with a .427 batting average. He had 56 hits, including 13 doubles, a triple and six home runs. The team leader in slugging percentage (.679), he recorded 48 runs batted in and scored 31 runs. An All-Liberty League First Team selection at first base, Carroll appeared as a pitcher in nine games, going 5-1 with a 3.15 earned run average. The Fairfield Prep graduate, who earned All-New York Region First Team and D3Baseball.com All-America Second Team honors, recorded 22 strikeouts to 11 walks in 34.1 innings. He helped the Red Hawks win the Liberty League title and set the school record for wins (34), while advancing to the NCAA Regional Finals.

McGowan, the Male Career Athlete, finished his football career as the school record holder for receptions in a career (251) and receiving yards (3,132). The Mesa, Ariz., native, who started all 39 games in his career, was first on the team in 2007 with 1,007 yards on 73 receptions. An All-Liberty League First Team selection, he ranked 16th nationally in receptions per game and 20th in receiving yards per game. The team’s Offensive Most Valuable Player and the Institute’s Livingston Houston Award recipient, McGowan helped RPI go 8-2, winning the Liberty League title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. A former standout at Mountain View High School, he earned numerous All-League honors during his career and was a multiple Liberty League All-Academic selection.

A sprinter from Norwich, Vt., Albert was selected as the Female Career Athlete of the Year after setting seven school records, including four indoor marks. The Liberty League Outdoor Track Performer of the Year in 2008, she had one of her best seasons as a senior, capturing two individual titles and one relay victory at the Liberty League Indoor Championships and two titles at the NYSCTC Indoor Championships. An NCAA Championship participant in the 400-meter dash in 2008, the Hanover High School graduate was the Liberty League Track Performer of the Week 10 times in her career and captured numerous league, state and regional titles in multiple events.