Four Honored as 2016 Eagles of the Year

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Four of Boston College's very best student-athletes have been named the school's Eagles of the Year, recognizing their achievement on and off their fields of play.

Alex Carpenter (women's hockey), Thatcher Demko (men's hockey), Raul Rios (sailing) and Liv Westphal (cross country/track and field) were presented as the 2016 Eagles of the Year at Friday night's Golden Eagle Awards at Conte Forum.

Presented by the Boston College Varsity Club, the Nathaniel J. Hasenfus '22 Eagle of the Year Award is considered the highest honor bestowed upon a Boston College student-athlete. It is awarded annually to the male and female student-athletes who are outstanding citizens, leaders, scholars and athletes.

Each recipient received a bronze eagle on an inscribed mahogany base. The award is named in honor of Dr. Nathaniel J. Hasenfus '22, the late beloved historian of Boston College Athletics and former president of the Varsity Club.

A host of other awards were also presented on Friday evening, including the men's and women's Scholar-Athlete Awards for each class. A full listing of all the awards, nominees and winners is available at bceagles.com.

ALEX CARPENTER, Women's hockey
Sr., North Reading, Mass.

Alex Carpenter closed her record-setting career at The Heights with a memorable senior season. On her way to a program-record and nation-leading 88 points this year - from 43 goals and 45 assists, also both BC single-season records - Carpenter helped lead the Eagles to one of the most bountiful seasons in NCAA history. The runner-up for the Patty Kazmaier Award as the national player of the year - which she won in 2015 - Carpenter set almost every Boston College career scoring mark, including points (278), goals (133) and assists (145).

Carpenter was one of the three captains that helped lead the women's hockey team to a record-setting season with its first-ever appearance in the NCAA national championship game. The Eagles set a program record with its 40-1-0 record, the second-most wins in a season in NCAA history. BC also won both the Hockey East regular-season title with a perfect 24-0-0 record - the first-ever perfect conference season in league history, the Hockey East Tournament title and the 2016 Beanpot.

She capped her season by earning her third career All-America honor and her second-straight first-team recognition, while she became just one of three players in conference history to earn Hockey East All-Star First Team honors in each of her four seasons. Also a member of the U.S. National Team and a 2014 Olympian, Carpenter scored the game-winning goal in overtime to defeat Canada, 1-0, in the gold-medal game at the 2016 IIHF World Championships in Canada in April to claim the American's third-straight world title.

THATCHER DEMKO, Men's hockey
Jr., San Diego, Calif.

Thatcher Demko backstopped the men's hockey team to its record 25^th Frozen Four in April, earning the Mike Richter Award as the nation's top collegiate goaltender while earning a spot among the Hobey Baker Hat Trick for the nation's best player. Demko, a second-round draft selection of the Vancouver Canucks, signed his first professional contract in April and is currently a member of Team USA at the IIHF World Championships in Russia.

Demko finished his stellar season leading the nation in shutouts (10), a total which set the school's single-season record. Additionally, he was fifth nationally in save percentage (.935) and winning percentage (.744) and seventh in goals against average (1.85). His 10 shutouts are the second most in college hockey history for a season, tying David McKee (Cornell - 2005) and Ryan Miller (Michigan State - 2001). Demko was two shutouts short of matching Greg Gardner's (Niagara) record of 12 set in 2000 for the all-time mark in a college hockey season, and two back of Corey Schneider's Boston College career record of 15.

The men's hockey team finished the season with an appearance in the national semifinals of the NCAA Championship, compiling a 28-8-5 overall record. The team shared the Hockey East regular-season title with a 14-2-2 mark, claiming its 14th conference crown. The Eagles also won the 64th Beanpot, topping Boston University, 1-0, in overtime.

RAUL RIOS, Sailing
Sr., Guaynabo, Puerto Rico

Raul Rios has defined the notion of student-athlete while at Boston College, representing the Eagles on the water, in the classroom and in international competitions. A finalist for the Northeast Intercollegiate Sailing Association's Sailor of the Year award this year, Rios is a four-time NEISA All-Conference first team honoree as a skipper and earned the conference's rookie of the year honors in 2013.

A native of Puerto Rico, Rios is a three-time Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ISCA) All-American so far with the 2016 honors yet to be awarded. Rios helped guide the Eagles' 2015 NEISA Team Race conference championship and has competed in five national championships so far, including a second-place finish at the 2015 ISCA Team Racing National Championship. He is expected to again lead the Eagles into this year's national championship event in June.

On international waters, he won a gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games in the Open Snipe event, where he captained a two-person boat to the win.

Now president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee this year, Rios has been involved in the organization since his freshman year. He became one of the sailing team's representatives to the group as a sophomore and was elected co-chair of community service as a junior. Last year, he organized the department's Pen Pal program - run in conjunction with Learning Resources for Student-Athletes - and organized the huge end of the year Pen Pal Picnic with hundreds of local elementary school children. He won the Moe Maloney Award in 2014, and has guided the sailing team to the Devlin S-AFE Ignatius Cup Championship in each of the last two years.

LIV WESTPHAL, Cross Country/Track & Field
Sr., Limoges, France

Liv Westphal will go down as one of the greatest distance runners in Boston College history, posting record-breaking performances on the cross country course and on the track.

Westphal has so far garnered five separate All-America accolades - two in cross country, two in the indoor 5000m and one in the outdoor 5000m. Additionally, she has six All-ACC honors so far in her career. She will run in the 2016 ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships next week, and has already qualified for the 2016 NCAA Regional at the end of May.

She was the first-ever Eagle to win the ACC Cross Country Championship in 2014, dominating her competition at the conference championship where she finished the 6K race in a course-record 19:43.8 - 13.3 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. She was named the ACC Cross Country Performer of the Year for her performance, and later added ACC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.

Returning this year to complete her track eligibility, Westphal has continued to add to her legacy. This past indoor season, she finished 10th in the 5000m event at the NCAA Indoor Track Championships, marking the third-straight season in which she earned All-America honors in the event.

Westphal already holds school records in four different events, more than any other competitor in program history.

Players Mentioned

Alex Carpenter

Thatcher Demko

Raul Rios

Liv Westphal

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