November 30, 2011

Kelly Babstock And Ike Azotam Named Quinnipiac's November Athletes Of The Month

Quinnipiac sophomores Kelly Babstock (Mississauga, Ontario) and Ike Azotam (Boston, Mass.) have been named the Quinnipiac November Athletes of the Month.

Sophomore forward Kelly Babstock returned to form in the month of November, collecting a team-high 15 points on six goals and nine assists in nine games played. The highlight of the month came on Friday, Nov. 18 against Colgate, when her game-high four points (two goals, two assists) helped her become the all-time program leader in points (75) in just 50 career games played. In the final two games of the month, the sophomore contributed a goal and three assists over the weekend against Connecticut and Robert Morris, leading Quinnipiac to its second-consecutive Nutmeg Classic Tournament Championship, earning MVP honors along the way.

She began November with an assist on the game-winning first goal in the team's 3-0 victory over Yale on Friday, Nov. 4. Babstock notched a goal in the team’s 2-2 tie against Brown on Saturday, Nov. 5. She then factored in all three goals in the team's 3-2 victory over St. Lawrence on Saturday, Nov. 12, collecting a goal and two assists. Babstock had her highest point total of the month on Friday, Nov. 18, when she collected a team-high four points, scoring two goals and two assists, in the team’s 6-2 victory over Colgate. The sophomore earned an assist in the team’s 7-1 loss on Saturday, Nov. 19 against No. 2/3 Cornell. On Tuesday, Nov. 22 against No. 4 Boston College, Babstock scored the game-tying goal with 10 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the team's into overtime where the Bobcats eventually pulled out the 2-1 upset victory. In the Nutmeg Classic Tournament Championship game on Saturday, Nov. 26 against Robert Morris, she scored the game's first goal and contributed assists on the team's following two goals, including the game-winning tally. On Friday, Nov. 25 against Connecticut, she assisted on Quinnipiac's third goal of the game.

Other nominees included: women's cross country's Andrea Szarkowicz (Watertown, Conn.); field hockey's Kimberly Cunniff (Walpole, Mass.); women's volleyball's Tracey Wright (Fair Lawn, N.J.); women's basketball's Felicia Barron (Springfield, Mass.) and women's rugby's Shannon Durkin (Oakland, Calif.).

Azotam posted incredible numbers throughout the month of November, leading the young team to a promising start. Azotam recorded four consecutive double-doubles to begin the season, which moved him into fourth place among active players in the Northeast Conference. He averaged 13.8 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in five games for the Bobcats, including individual career-highs in points (20) and rebounds (18). He led the conference in rebounds per game, ranked second in offensive rebounds per game and tied for fifth in blocks per game. Furthermore, his numbers on the glass are good enough for eighth place in all of NCAA Division I.

Due in large part to Azotam’s success on the boards, as a team the Bobcats are nationally ranked in several rebounding categories. QU leads the nation in rebounds per game (44.6) and rebounding margin (14.0) and ranks sixth in offensive rebounds per game.

Men's ice hockey sophomore Connor Jones (Montrose, British Columbia) was also nominated for the monthly award.