Athletics News
Fava, Karis Honored with Senior Athletic Awards
Bill Karis ´09
May 28, 2009
NEW LONDON, Conn.--Connecticut College men's basketball seniors Matt Fava (Londonderry, N.H.) and Billy Karis (Potsdam, N.Y.) were honored at the senior athletic awards luncheon, an annual part of the college's graduation weekend.
Fava, a student-assistant and team manager won The Andrew H.Chait Service Award. The Chait Award was established in 1986 by Andrew H. Chait '82 to honor a member of the college community who has shown outstanding service and commitment to the Connecticut College Department of Athletics.
Fava was an essential contributor to the men's basketball program and the athletic department. He assisted in all phases of the program and hopes to teach and coach in the future. In the fall of 2008, Fava student taught in the English Department at Fitch High School in Groton, Conn. He also coaches and administrates his own youth basketball travel team in his home state of New Hampshire.
"Matt Fava is as responsible for our success as any of our players," head men's basketball coach Tom Satran said. "He consistently lives up to our ideals of dedication, selflessness and sacrifice. He has the mark of a true leader, that is, he serves others and, in so completing those services made himself indispensable and irreplaceable."
Fava received his English degree along with a minor in psychology and is certified to teach secondary education.
Karis was recognized as the co-recipient of the Brown Brooks Award. Established by the Class of 1984, the Brown/Brooks Award is given to the outstanding male and female student-athletes who best represent the graduating class in scholarship, leadership and sportsmanship. The award is named after its first recipients, Tammy Brown '84 and Jim Brooks '84.
In four seasons as a starter, Karis buried 151 three-pointers at a 43% clip, completing his career with 744 points. As a senior, the 6'2" tri-captain shot a sizzling 45% from three point range. Karis, a biology and botany major, distinguished himself as a Dean's List student and a two time NESCAC All-Academic Team honoree.
He also received the Sally Taylor Prize Award for excellence in the field of botany. Karis authored a senior honors thesis with the biology department on paleoecology.
"The nuts and bolts of this experience is getting back to your room after a game or practice and being faced down by an upcoming paper or exam. Billy was great at focusing on his academic career while the highs and lows of his athletic career were still immediate and fresh," Satran said.
For more information contact: William Tomasian (860) 439-2501; william.tomasian@conncoll.edu