FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

February 19, 2014

Seven student-athletes from five schools receive academic distinction

SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference is pleased to announce seven Fall 2013 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winners in the sports of men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball.

The student-athletes receiving the individual honors are Stonehill College junior Bryan Wilcox (men’s cross country), Bentley University junior Tara Dooley (women’s cross country), Stonehill senior Devin Ingersoll (field hockey), Stonehill senior James Lanier (football), Southern New Hampshire University sophomore Jonathan Lupinelli (men’s soccer), The College of Saint Rose senior Sydney Bond (women’s soccer) and Franklin Pierce University senior Natasha Ray (volleyball).

All seven also received Northeast-10 Fall 2013 Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognition earlier this month, while Ray received the conference’s Sport Excellence honor in volleyball for the second straight year.

The Northeast-10’s Sport Excellence program recognizes student-athletes that have excelled both on the field and in the classroom. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have completed at least two consecutive semesters of enrollment at their current institution, two total years of athletic eligibility, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of a 3.30.

Wilcox, an Accounting major with a 3.65 GPA, served as team captain this past fall and received Second Team All-Conference honors at the 2013 Northeast-10 Men’s Cross Country Championship, which his Skyhawks won for the third straight year. The Pleasantville, Conn. native was part of a squad that also won the East Region title and competed at the NCAA Championship in Spokane, Wash.

Dooley, who carries a 3.88 GPA as an Accountancy major, finished first overall this year at the NCAA East Regional before finishing fourth in the nation at the NCAA Championships, on her way to being named the Northeast-10 Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year. Dooley hails from Lee, Mass.

Ingersoll, a native of Londonderry, N.H., totaled five goals and 11 assists for 21 points this past fall as a member of the Skyhawks, which earned an NCAA Tournament berth and finished the year ranked fifth in Division II. An Environmental Science major with a 3.84 GPA, the Northeast-10 First Team selection is also a two-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Second Team All-American and has posted a 4.0 GPA each of the last three semesters.

Lanier, a Criminology major with a 3.51 GPA, started at cornerback this season for a Stonehill football program that earned a spot in the Northeast-10 Championship game. The Westhampton, N.J. native totaled 56 tackles this past season and was a National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award candidate, a William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist and a 2012 Capital One Academic All-District pick.

Lupinelli, a member of the 2013 national champion So. New Hampshire men’s soccer team, carries a 3.79 GPA as an International Business major. A native of Mont de Marsan, France, the sophomore had a goal and eight assists while starting every game on the backline for the Penmen, the nation’s top defense. Lupinelli was also a 2013 Northeast-10 Third Team selection and Capital One Academic All-District choice.

Bond registered 12 goals and six assists for 30 points this past fall, helping lead the Golden Knights to the third round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament. In her four-year career, Saint Rose went an astounding 87-6-6 (.909) and won a national title in 2011. The Deer Park, N.Y. native was also a 2013 Capital One Academic All-American, a three-time Northeast-10 First Team pick and the 2013 Daktronics East Region Player of the Year. A Criminal Justice major, Bond has a 3.56 GPA.

Ray, a member of a Ravens team that earned a NCAA Volleyball Tournament berth, is a Mass Communications major with a 3.90 GPA. On the court this past fall, she averaged 2.55 kills and 2.57 digs per set en route to earning Northeast-10 Second Team honors. Ray is a native of Colorado Springs, Colo.

For past Sport Excellence winners, please click here.

The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

Northeast-10 Conference Fall 2013 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Winners
Men’s Cross Country – Bryan Wilcox, Stonehill
Women’s Cross Country – Tara Dooley, Bentley
Field Hockey – Devin Ingersoll, Stonehill
Football – James Lanier, Stonehill
Men’s Soccer – Jonathan Lupinelli, Southern New Hampshire
Women’s Soccer – Sydney Bond, Saint Rose
Volleyball – Natasha Ray, Franklin Pierce 

– #NE10 –