Several former Golden Knight Athletes were recognized during the 2023 Alumni Reunion Weekend.

Bob Empie '68, a hockey player from 1965-68, played in 71 games, tallying 149 points on 70 goals and 79 assists, was awarded the Golden Knight Award along with 5 other Clarkson Alums.  

The Clarkson Alumni Association Board of Governors announced the establishment of the "Golden Knight Award" in 1962 to recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves as Clarkson's best and most successful alumni.

The Golden Knight is Clarkson's most prestigious alumni award. The Golden Knight is given to alumni at their 25th reunion or subsequent years. The ideal candidate demonstrates a unique combination of career accomplishment, service to Clarkson, and service to their community. The awards committee will also consider outstanding individual accomplishments in any of the above categories as worthy of a Golden Knight award. Alumni who have been tapped as Golden Knights are presented with a unique Golden Knight trophy and citation outlining their accomplishments. Current year recipient citations and photographs are displayed in the Alumni Gateway for the following academic year.

Empie, a 2008 Clarkson Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee, has also been the recipient of the Arnold H. Barben Award in 1994. The award is presented to a hockey alumnus who has demonstrated outstanding professional achievement, has contributed to the betterment of his community, and has worked unselfishly for his alma mater.

Kristen Larsen '09 was awarded the Woodstock Award during Alumni Weekend. The Woodstock Award recognizes young alumni and is given at their 5-20th reunion years. The ideal candidate demonstrates a unique combination of career accomplishment, service to Clarkson, and service to their community. The awards committee will also consider outstanding individual accomplishments in any of the above categories as worthy of a Woodstock Award. Each recipient is presented with a specially designed award. Current year recipient citations and photographs are displayed in the Alumni Gateway for the following academic year.

Kristen was a member of the Women's Swim team from 2005 to 2009 and still holds a team record for the 400 Medley Relay.   She held Clarkson records in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.21) and 200 breaststroke (2:29.32) and was part of three school records in freestyle relays. Larsen was a finalist for NASA's National Biomedical Research Institute Internship and named a two time ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-American.

Larsen continues to work in athletics, and has been featured recently with the following articles.

A Conversation with Alum Kristen Larsen

Notable Alumna Women: Kristen Larsen