Troy Crema '17 is The Dartmouth's Male Athlete of the Year. Crema received 811 votes. Crema erupted during the 2016-17 season to lead the Big Green in nearly every offensive category, including goals, points and shots on goal. In Dartmouth’s regular season opener on Oct. 29, Crema scored the game-winning goal against then-No. 11 Michigan University with 49 seconds left in the final frame.
“I can’t thank my teammates enough for giving me confidence and opportunity to perform and have my best year statistically and be a leader on and off the ice,” Crema said.
Fabian Stocek ’17
Men’s Nordic captain Fabian Stocek ’17 won at least one race at each carnival race during the regular season and leaves Dartmouth a first-team All-American. However, his 2017 season did not get to off to such an auspicious start.
“I went back home to the Czech Republic at the end of December to try and qualify for U-23 Worlds, but I didn’t make it,” Stocek said. “It was upsetting since that was one of my goals for the season, but I was excited to focus on the season here in New England and focus on NCAAs.”
That focus paid off. Stocek went on a tear, winning a race each weekend until NCAAs. He took victories at the St. Lawrence Carnival, University of New Hampshire Carnival, the University of Vermont Carnival, the Dartmouth Winter Carnival, the Middlebury College Carnival and the Bates College Carnival.
“I didn’t really go for the streak until late February when I realized I was still doing that,” Stocek said.
At the NCAA championships in Jackson, New Hampshire, Stocek was 12th in the 10-kilometer classic race on the first day of competition but finished fifth in the men’s 20-kilometers in 46:04.7.
“I ended up being with the top crew, and it came down to a sprint finish, where I just didn’t have it at the finish,” Stocek said. “I wanted to accomplish at least top-10, so it was good.”
Wyatt Omsberg ’18
Hailing from Scarborough, Maine, Wyatt Omsberg ’18 burst onto the scene in his rookie year, starting in the majority of the games and winning Ivy League Rookie of the Week twice. This season, he spearheaded Dartmouth’s stifling defense that allowed only 12 goals throughout the entire regular season. In addition to this impeccable defense, the team also scored more goals than in previous years to finish 5-1-1 in the Ivy League and win a share of the Ivy League Title for the third consecutive year.
Omsberg was recognized for his strong defensive presence, accumulating several prestigious individual accolades including a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Third Team All-American selection, an NSCAA All-East Region selection, Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Ivy selection. While Omsberg was proud of these awards, he attributed the team’s success as the main factor.
“It’s nice to win these individual awards, but it’s more of a team function,” Omsberg said. “These awards are usually given when the team is doing well.”
Omsberg hopes that the team can clinch the title again and perhaps advance further in the NCAA tournament after the team fell in the second round to Syracuse University last year. Individually, Omsberg hopes to continue to show leadership and help his team in any way possible.
Troy Crema ’17
After a couple of injury-riddled years with Dartmouth men’s hockey, Troy Crema ’17 erupted during the 2016-17 season to lead the Big Green in nearly every offensive category, including goals, points and shots on goal. Crema, a Third Team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference selection, finished the season with 17 goals and 12 assists for 29 points. He attributed his success to the work he put in on the ice during the offseason.
“I trained a lot this summer and put a lot of hours in to try and make this senior season my best year possible,” Crema said.
Crema led Dartmouth hockey from the outset of this season. In the Big Green’s regular season opener on Oct. 29, Crema scored the game-winning goal against then-No. 11 Michigan University with 49 seconds left in the final frame.
“I can’t thank my teammates enough for giving me confidence and opportunity to perform and have my best year statistically and be a leader on and off the ice,” Crema said.
On April 8, Crema began his professional career by signing an amateur tryout contract with the American Hockey League Rochester Americans. Crema appeared in two games for the Americans.
“I’m going to try to play as far and as long as possible,” Crema said. “The dream is still to make it to the [National Hockey League], and I feel like I can do that. This year was a huge stepping stone to possibly getting there.”
Folarin Orimolade ’17
Folarin Orimolade ’17, a linebacker from Burtonsville, Maryland, led Dartmouth football in sacks, tackles, tackles-for-loss and forced fumbles. He ranks second in Big Green football history in career sacks with 23.5 during his storied, four-year career. Following his senior season, he was named a second-team Football Championship Subdivision All-American and Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. Orimolade said he is grateful for all those who have helped him so far in his career.
“It was a long road for me, but it was one that wasn’t completed on my own,” Orimolade said. “It was important for all those people who helped me — my parents, teammates, coaches and friends. The hard work was worth it.”
In addition to his success on the field, Orimolade has excelled in the classroom, where he has taken four classes multiple times, even during football season.
“I think I got to live Dartmouth to its full potential,” Orimolade said. “Dartmouth made me a better critical thinker. Going through the sports and athletic program made me a more well-rounded person and someone who is able to battle adversity.”
After the National Football League Draft ended on April 29, Orimolade signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent.
“It’s an honor to be able to sign a contract because many people don’t get that opportunity,” Orimolade said.
Since his signing, Orimolade attended the Rams Rookie Minicamp in Thousand Oaks, California. He will fight to earn a roster spot over the summer.
“I want to make every moment count and not take any steps back,” Orimolade said.
Beau Sulser ’16
Beau Sulser ’16 capped off his final year for the Big Green with a bang. The righty from Santa Ysabel, California led the Ivy League in ERA (1.40, sixth in the NCAA) and finished with the league’s best WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) of 0.80 (fourth in the NCAA), strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.4, second in the NCAA), fewest walks per nine innings (1.0, also 10th in the NCAA) and held opposing batters to an Ivy League-low of .201. His stellar efforts earned him Ivy League Pitcher of the Year, three Ivy League Player of the Week awards and first team All-Ivy honors. Sulser, who underwent Tommy John surgery following his sophomore year, credits the time off as well as the confidence instilled by head coach Bob Whalen to stick to pitching.
“This year I was really back to full strength — I gained a lot of velocity and refined my mechanics,” Sulser said. “Sitting out a year and just getting to watch was really helpful my junior year. I got to learn what pitches work and what people were having success with without having to actually do it.”
Sulser missed most of March due to forearm tightness but returned with a vengeance down the stretch against Ivy League rivals. He finished the season with a 6-1 record and recorded a career-high 52 strikeouts. Sulser looks to follow his older brother, Cole Sulser ’12, who also pitched for the Big Green, into professional baseball.
“It’s getting exciting,” Sulser said. “At the beginning of the year, it was more about ‘I need to do well to make [playing in the majors] a reality,’ and now it really is.”
