Alex Bell

May 5, 2005

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Statesmen Athletic Association and the Hobart Athletics Department honored the top student-athletes of 2004-05 at the 40th Annual Block H Awards Banquet this evening. Senior offensive lineman Alex Bell (Wallkill/Modena, N.Y.) took home top honors as the Francis L. “Babe” Kraus ’24 Memorial Award winner. The Kraus Award is presented to Hobart’s most outstanding senior athlete.

The other major award winners were senior ice hockey forward Craig Levey (Mississauga, Ontario) who was presented the William C. Stiles ’43 Memorial Award for leadership, determination, and character, while first-years Dimitri Papaevagelou (Windham, N.H.) and Daryl Veltman (Salisbury School/Georgetown, Ontario) shared the Abe Solomon Memorial Award as Hobart’s Rookies of the Year.

Bell was named to three All-America teams this season after leading the Statesmen to a 9-2 record, the program’s third consecutive Liberty League Championship, and a third consecutive postseason berth (NCAA Tournaments in 2002 and 2004 and an ECAC Bowl Championship in 2003).

Bell paved the road for the Statesmen to set team records for passing yards (2,302), passing touchdowns (31), total offense (4,501), touchdowns (50), and points (364) in 2004. With the 6-foot-3, 328-pounder as the keystone, Hobart’s offensive line reduced the number of sacks it allowed from 43 in 2003 to 25 in 2004, despite playing one more game this year.

Bell and the Statesmen led the Liberty League in rushing offense (199.9 yds/g) and scoring (33.1 ppg). Extremely nimble for his size, Bell was even used as a running back, à la Refrigerator Perry, as a first-year, scoring a pair of 1-yard touchdowns in 2001.

Highly decorated, Bell represented Hobart on Team USA in the 2004 Aztec Bowl, a senior all-star game against a team of Mexican college all-stars. He was a four-time All-Liberty League pick, a three-time Football Gazette All-East selection, and a two-time All-ECAC Northwest honoree.

Levey, a two-time team captain, played a vital role in Hobart’s emergence as a national hockey power. Over the past four seasons, he helped guide the Statesmen from 10-16-0 as a first-year to 15-8-5 and the program’s first ECAC West Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2003-04 through the 2004-05 campaign’s 14-6-4 mark, the best winning percentage in the 31 season history of the program.

A central figure in the team’s offense, Levey finished first or second on the team in points in each of his four seasons. The two-time All-ECAC West selection was named the 2004 ECAC West Co-Player of the Year. Levey finished his career tied for second in career power-play goals (25), sixth in career goals (57), eighth in career points (111), and 12th in career assists (54).

A force in the classroom as well, Levey is a two-time ECAC West All-Academic team selection. He also served on the 2004-05 Hobart Student-Athlete Leadership Team.

The hockey team’s goalie, Papaevagelou used his first season in the Purple and Orange to set the single season record for goals against average, posting an impressive 2.57 GAA. He ranked 20th in the nation in goals against average and also sported a .902 save percentage.

Expected to be the top backup to All-American Adam Lavelle when the preseason began, Papaevagelou was thrust into the starting lineup three games into the season when an injury felled Lavelle. He went on to notch an 11-5-3 record, the second most wins in a season by a Hobart goalie, as the Statesmen went 14-6-4.

The leading scorer on Hobart’s Division I lacrosse team, Veltman paces the Statesmen attack with 27 goals and 21 assists for 48 points. Only two Hobart players have scored more points as first-years, Rick Gilbert ’74 (91 in 1971) and Bill Miller ’91 (78 in 1988). Gilbert is the last Statesman to lead the team in scoring as a first-year, a feat Veltman is nearly certain to match with a 12-point lead over his closest teammate and just one game remaining in the regular season.

Veltman has scored three points or more in 10 of Hobart’s 13 games this season, including a career-high eight points (4-4) at Penn State. The three-time ECAC Lacrosse League Rookie of the Week has scored at least one point in every game this season. The Statesmen are currently 7-6 overall and will close out the regular season at 7 p.m. on May 6, at third-ranked Cornell.

Sponsored by the Statesmen Athletic Association—the team behind Hobart’s teams—the department’s coaching staff also presented individual awards in each of the College’s 11 varsity sports, more than 50 in all.

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