The Utica College athletic department announced its 2010 Richard “Dick” Miller Most Inspirational Award Winners at the Hall of Fame reception on Wednesday. Senior Jill Doherty (Wellesley, Mass./Kents Hill) of the women's hockey team and classmates Michael Bulger (IHC/Watertown, NY) of the men's lacrosse team and Cody Elliot (John F. Kennedy/Sloan) of the football team were the recipients of the award that has been presented to a deserving UC male and female student-athlete every year since 1987.
A panel of coaches and administrators voted for the best suitable athletes based on character, community involvement and athletic accomplishments. The UC senior student-athlete also had to best represent what Miller stood for: courage, perseverance, integrity, and the spirit of competition.
Doherty, a senior goalie, finished her career as the program's all-time leader in wins. She earned 35 victories in her four-year stay, and ranks second all-time at UC with ten career shutouts. She guided the Pioneers to four consecutive ECAC Women's West Conference Tournaments and she was an all-conference second team selection in her senior campaign. Doherty posted a 1.98 goals against average in 57 career starts. She totaled 1,510 career saves in the crease and tallied a .629 winning percentage.
Bulger, who finished his career ranked second on the College's all-time scoring list, had 58 total points in his senior campaign. The three-time all-conference selection led the team this past season in points, goals (38), assists (20), man-up goals (9), short-handed goals (4), shots (103), and shots on goal (70). In 14 games this season, he averaged 4.14 points per game on 2.71 goals and 1.43 assists. He scored five or more points in half of the games and also had four or more goals on five occasions. In his 58 game career, he was the second person in program-history to score more than 100 goals, totaling 123. In his career, Bulger had 179 total points and 56 assists, a shot percentage of .294, and four game-winning goals.
This past season, Elliot led the team and finished second in the Empire 8 Conference averaging six receptions per game. He also finished third in the conference in receiving yards per game (86.8 ypg) and led UC averaging 113 all-purpose yards per game. For his efforts he garnered an Empire 8 All-Conference Second Team selection. Elliot holds nearly every major receiving record at Utica College including receiving yards (2,119) and receptions (176) and he also holds records for all purpose yards (3,769) and kick return yards (1,196). In 2009 he broke school records for receiving yards in a single season (868), receptions (65) and receiving touchdowns (seven).
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