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Samantha Benoit, a women’s hockey defenseman at Norwich University, was named an outstanding senior athlete. She was among the first student-athletes to receive the newly renamed Coach Mariano Award, given annually to the best male and female athletic career achievements as determined by a vote of Norwich coaches and staff. Benoit became just the second defenseman and the 12th player overall to reach 100 career points. She helped lead Norwich to the 2018 NCAA Division III National Championship as a freshman and is a two-time AHCA first-team All-American (2019 and 2020). She was twice named New England Hockey Writers All-New England and NEHC first-team All-Conference. She was also named the 2019 NEHC Tournament Most Valuable Player after assisting on four goals in a 6-0 championship game win over Castleton University.

Hopkinton

Riley Bennett, a player on Norwich University’s women’s basketball team, won the school’s Looke Award, which goes to the senior who has distinguished himself or herself athletically and academically and led as a civilian. The award is named for longtime swimming and women’s soccer coach Roy Looke, the father of Steve Looke, a director in Norwich’s Center for Student Success. Bennett, a four-year women’s basketball starter, was on pace for 1,000 career points when the pandemic shortened her senior season, for which she was team captain. Bennett, a health science major with a 3.4 GPA, was a four-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She organized team attendance at the breast cancer awareness walk, volunteered for Special Olympics and served for two years on the mental health awareness group.