Howard, Klosterman named CDSWOY Grand Sports Women of the Year
SCHENECTADY, NY — Clare Howard, a senior from Taconic Hills High School, and Hallie Klosterman, a junior from Russell Sage College, received Grand honors at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Event held at the GE Theatre at Proctors on Monday evening, August 8, 2021.
Howard was named the Grand Scholastic Woman of the Year and Klosterman was named the Grand Collegiate Woman of the Year. The event also honored 10 other female student-athletes from the region, who made up the 2021 Class of the Capital District Sports Women of the Year. CDSWOY honors excellence in academics, athletics and community service.
The virtual guest speaker was Tara VanDerveer, the head coach of the Stanford University women’s basketball program. The Cardinal won the national championship this past season and Tara is the winningest women’s basketball college coach in history. Local entertainer Annie Scherer performed. Over 200 family, friends, administrators and coaches attended to support the newest CDSWOY honorees.
Academically, Clare Howard is a member of the National Honor Society and is a NYS Athletic Administrators Association Scholar-Athlete nominee. She ranks third in her senior class and won the 2020 RPI Medal for Math and Science. She also won the 2020 RIT Award for Innovation and Creativity. Clare was accepted to play cello with the NYS Empire State String Youth Orchestra. She was an NYS School Music Association Soloist in cello, flute, and piano.
Athletically, Clare earned varsity letters in five sports, including dual sports in the fall (cross country and soccer) and dual sports in the winter (alpine ski and swimming) and with her spring sport, track & field. In track & field, she set new school records in the pentathlon, steeplechase, 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, 1600 relay and the 3200 relay. She was a two-time state qualifier, three-time Patroon Conference 400 Hurdle Champion, and a three-time Patroon Conference First Team All Star. She was the MVP in 2018 and 2021, 2019 Coach Award recipient and member of the 2018 and 2019 conference title teams as well as the Section II title teams in 2017 and 2019. Clare earned three Section 2 title in 2021 and was named the Patroon Conference Track MVP. At the 2021 Colonie Relays, Clare was first in the 400 hurdles and set school and meet records while posting the fastest time in the State at 1:03.86. She was third in the heptathlon at the USATF Youth National Championships. In swimming, Clare set a new school record in the 400 free relay and was the 2021 captain. Her team won the 2018 Southern Division Championship. In skiing, Clare was named a 2021 Section II First Team All Star for Alpine Skiing and earned her team’s MVP award. She was co-captain of the high school ski team for two years and earned the Leadership Award in 2020. On weekends during the winter seasons, Clare competed for the Catamount Alpine Ski Racing Team. She qualified to compete in the NYS Ski Championships for three years and had to be one of the top 10 in Section 2 to qualify. Clare qualified for the USA Ski under 16 women’s finals and the under 19 women’s finals.
Clare’s community service includes volunteering to help run a youth track program and with the humane society as a dog walker. She was treasurer for her class for three years and Senior Class President. Clare also worked as a board representative for the Scholarship Committee for Dollars for Scholars, and a senior class representative for the school’s reopening committee during the Covid-19 closure.
Academically, Hallie Klosterman has been named to the Empire 8 President’s List and Dean’s List in each of her three years at Russell Sage. She was inducted into RSC’s Athletic Honor Society in 2021, and recorded a 4.0 undergraduate GPA in each of her three years. She was also named to the 2020-2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team and is a candidate for the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team. She was also named to the 2020-2021 United Soccer Coaches Player of Distinction NCAA Division III Team, as well as the 2020-2021 USC NCAA Division III Women Scholar All-East Region Team.
Athletically, Hallie led the Gators to the 2021 Empire 8 Women’s Soccer Championship, played in the spring. She was the tournament Most Valuable Player and was named the Women’s Soccer Gator of the Year. A two-time Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week, Hallie served as captain of the team this past season.
Hallie’s community service includes serving as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at Russell Sage. She provided service in a food pantry, volunteered for a pop tab fundraiser for donations, and worked with a bottles and cans drive to raise funds for local charities.
The other members of the CDSWOY Class of 2021:
