ITHACA, N.Y. – The Big Red women's hockey team announced its year-end award winners at its banquet at The Moakley House on Sunday afternoon, with multiple seniors earning some of the top awards.
 
The Bill Fuerst Jr. Big Red Player Award went to the team's three captains: Senior Lauriane Rougeau, senior Laura Fortino and junior Alyssa Gagliardi. Rougeau, a four-time Second Team All-America and a three-time ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Defenseman, finished the 2012-13 campaign with seven goals and 20 assists. She was the team's third-leading scorer, but her value on the blue line was immeasurable over her four-year Big Red career.
 
Likewise, Fortino – a three-time First Team All-American – finished her four-year Cornell stint with five goals and 16 assists this past season. Her partnership with Rougeau on the defensive end kept opposing offenses at bay shift after shift. Rougeau served as the team's captain last season while Fortino was an assistant captain.
 
Gagliardi, the lone junior to win the Bill Fuerst Jr. Big Red Player Award, was also an assistant captain and a defenseman in 2012-13. Her versatility, though, enabled her to spend multiple games this season as a center, taking faceoffs and playing on the top offensive line when the team was depleted with injuries. Gagliardi had five goals and 13 assists in 2012-13, and she has been named a captain again for her senior year.
 
Gagliardi also won the team's Cub Club Mentor award, given for a player's dedication to the team's Cub Club program.  The award was presented to Gagliardi by her Cub Club Little Sister.
 
The other senior to leave the banquet with an award was Erin Barley-Maloney. The North Carolina native walked away with the Unsung Hero award after a strong season that saw her score six goals and assist on 14 others. She had two goals on the power play and was an important piece of the Big Red's second offensive line.
 
Cornell's MVP award was given to junior forward Brianne Jenner. The award was not a surprising one considering Jenner's historic offensive season. She seet the school record with seven game-winning goals in 2012-13, and her 35 goals and 35 assists for 70 total points was the highest output by a Cornell player since Cyndy Schlaepfer's 75 points in 1977. A First-Team All-American as well as the ECAC Hockey and Ivy League Player of the Year, Jenner moved up to fifth on the Cornell all-time assists list, sixth on its points list and seventh on its goals list over the season.
 
The team also handed out its Most Improved Player award, this year given to junior defenseman Hayleigh Cudmore. Often undervalued with Fortino and Rougeau playing on the defensive top line, Cudmore is a stellar defenseman in her own right. She helped Cornell to the country's fourth-best team defense during the season as well as its second-best penalty kill. She also had her best offensive season ever, posting five goals and 19 assists, both career highs.
 
Finally, freshman Taylor Woods earned Rookie of the Year honors. A hard worker who is often the last player on the ice in practice, Woods started her Big Red career with a goal in her first game against Boston University. She finished the season with 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points, and her biggest moment of the year was a hat trick against St. Lawrence in the ECAC Hockey Tournament Semifinal at Lynah Rink that advanced the Big Red to the championship game.

The Wendell and Francelia Earle Academic Awards were given out to members of three different classes. Goaltender Katelyn Pippy was given the award for the sophomore class, goalie Lauren Slebodnick earned the honor from the juniors, and Rougeau claimed the award from the senior class.
 
Cornell will have two co-captains next season: Gagliardi and rising senior Jessica Campbell. Campbell was Cornell's second-leading goal scorer in 2012-13 with 16 goals.