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South Easton, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference has announced the 2008-2009 Institutional Scholar-Athlete Honorees that have been chosen by their respective institutions. A male and female winner will be selected from the pool of 30 honorees, 15 men and 15 women, in a vote by the Faculty Athletic Representative Council (FAR) as the 2008-2009 Northeast-10 Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year. The winners will be announced Monday, June 1 at the NE-10 Awards Banquet in Mystic, Conn.

The honorees include Chris Carrozza and Jeanette Johnathan (American International), Robert Younker and Heather Gostyla (Assumption), Doug Logan and Alex Hitchcock (Bentley), Coursen Schneider and Brittany Ester (Franklin Pierce), Ricky Chidsey and Kelsey Ryan (Le Moyne), Ruben Sanca and Sarah Brassard (UMass Lowell), Adam Wilding and Caitlin Hall (Merrimack), Jason Zurita and Brigid Brady (New Haven), Jonathan Jones and Natalija Subotic (Pace), Anthony Galluzzo and Laura Nason (Saint Anselm), Matt Alexander and Mary Lynn Denholm (Saint Michael’s), Pat Cullen and Kailey Egbert (Saint Rose), Craig Toulouse and Maria Zenoni (Southern Connecticut), Matt Delaney and Julie Kraus (Southern New Hampshire) and Matt Meagher and Jenny Gardynski (Stonehill).

American International College:

Chris Carrozza (Methuen, Mass.) is a physical therapy major with a 3.67 grade point average (GPA) has appeared in 65 career games at midfield as a member of the men’s soccer team. Named captain his senior year, Carrozza scored a career-high two goals with two assists as a sophomore and assisted on a career-high three goals this past season. He was also named to the Northeast-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll the previous three years.

Jeanette Johnathan (Central Islip, N.Y.) is a biology major with a 3.70 GPA and was a three-year starter for the women’s basketball team. She averaged a career-best 6.4 points per game and dished out a career-high 95 assists her senior year while shooting 82.4 percent from the free throw line. Johnathan finished her career with 616 points, 220 rebounds, 269 assists and 104 steals. She was named to the NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll the previous three years.

Assumption College:

Robert Younker (Waltham, Mass.) is an accounting major with a 3.53 GPA and was a member of the golf team at Assumption. Younker earned all-conference honors three times in his career and served as one of the captains for three seasons while posting a 78.50 career average in 69 rounds. He posted three straight seasons of sub-80 medal scores and finished in the top five 12 times, the top 10 16 times and the top twenty 25 times in his career. Younker has appeared on the Dean’s List four times and was recently named the Assumption College Armand Desautels A.A. Male Student-Athlete of the Year.

Heather Gostyla (Bloomfield, Conn.) is a biology major with a 3.20 GPA and was a member of the cross country and Track & Field teams at Assumption. Gostyla served as captain for all three sports this past season and served as the treasurer for the Student-Athelte Advisory Committee. In cross country, top performances include a second place finishes at the Worcester City Championships (20:57) and in the Williams College Invitational (20:37). In track she ran the half-mile and finished with a career-best time of 1:51.14 at the Smith College Invitational in 2008. Gostyla ran the 1,500-meter for the first time in her career this season with a best time of 5:09.86 at the Stonehill College Invitational. She has earned student-athlete honor roll six times in her career and has appeared on the Dean’s List three times. Gostyla was recently named the Assumption College Armand Desautels A.A. Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

Bentley University

Doug Logan (Beaverton, Ore.) is a philosophy major with a 3.77 GPA and was a member of the men’s lacrosse team at Bentley. A two-year captain, Logan was named to the All-Northeast-10 First Team for the first time in his career this season. During his collegiate career, Logan was named to the NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll three times and was named to Bentley’s Dean List twice and President’s list five times.

Alex Hitchcock (Abington, Mass.) is a corporate finance and accounting major with a GPA of 3.63 and was a member of the softball team at Bentley. This year, Hitchcock became the first player in the team’s history to receive All-Northeast-10 First Team honors in successive seasons. She finished her career with a .329 batting average and as Bentley’s all-time leader in hits (129), total bases (226), games (169), games started (169), at-bats (513) and assists (476). She was named to the Bentley Dean’s List five times and the President’s list seven times. Hitchcock was the 2009 recipient of the Edward J Powers Scholar Athlete Award as Bentley’s outstanding senior scholar-athlete.

Franklin Pierce University:

Coursen Schneider (Stony Point, N.Y.) is a biology major with a 3.70 GPA and was a member of the ice hockey team at Franklin Pierce. Schneider played in 17 games this past season and scored six goals, including two on the power play, and added three assists for nine points. He finished his career sixth in program history in goals (22), ninth in points (47) and power play goals (9) and 10th in assists (25). Schneider was named to the NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll three times and was also named to the All-Academic team twice. He is also enrolled in the University’s honors program and is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society and the Alpha Chi National Honor Society.

Brittany Ester (Toms River, N.J.) is a psychology major with a 3.89 GPA and was a two-year starter on the women’s soccer team at Franklin Pierce. Ester earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District and NE-10 All-Academic honors this year, along with being named to the All-Northeast-10 Third Team. In 2007, she set an NCAA Division II record by not allowing a goal in six NCAA Tournament matches to lead the team to their seventh appearance in the national championship game. Ester was recently named the Richard Burns Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society and earned a perfect 4.0 GPA for the fall semester (2008).

Le Moyne College:

Ricky Chidsey (Liverpool, N.Y.) is a biology major with a 3.22 GPA and was a member of the men’s swimming & diving team at Le Moyne. Chidsey, a two-time NE-10 Athlete of the Year (2006-2007 and 2008-2009), capped his collegiate career by earning First Team All-America honors at this year’s NCAA Championships. He finished eighth overall in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:48.82 and also received Honorable Mention All-American honors in the 100-yard backstroke after finishing in 12th place with a time of 50.34. Chidsey was named to the Dean’s List in the spring 2008 semester and was the recipient of the Le Moyne Male Senior Athlete Award.


Kelsey Ryan (Warsaw, N.Y.) is a political science major with a 3.91 GPA and was a member of the women’s cross country team at Le Moyne. Ryan registered four top-10 finishes in all eight meets this past season. She closed out her career with a 10th- place finish at the Northeast-10 Championships and a ninth-place performance at the NCAA East Regional to earn All-Northeast-10 Second Team honors and First Team All-Region accolades, respectively. Ryan was named Academic All-American the previous three years and earned NE-10 All-Academic First team honors in 2006, 2007 and 2008. She was named to the Dean’s list in all seven semesters thus far and was the recipient of Le Moyne’s Female Senior Athlete Award.

UMass Lowell:

Ruben Sanca (Boston, Mass.) is a finance major with a GPA of 3.30 and was a member of the men’s cross country and track & field Teams at UMass Lowell. In cross country, Sanca helped lead the River Hawks to the Northeast-10 and NCAA East Region Championships, winning both individual titles and was named NE-10 and NCAA East Region Athlete of the Year in the process. He also helped the team to its second New England Championship in three years as he placed second by only one second in a field of 316 runners from Division I, II and III. During the indoor track season, Sanca qualified for three events for the NCAA Championships, including the 5,000-meters, distance medley relay and the mile. He was also named the Athlete of the Year by the NE-10 and USTFCCCA. Sanca earned NE-10 All-Academic honors the previous two years and was named to the Dean’s List four of his seven completed semesters. He was recently the recipient of the David Boutin Award for leadership and excellence in athletics, academics and service.

Sarah Brassard (Oxford, Mass.) is an exercise physiology major with a 3.80 GPA and was a member of the women’s cross country and track & field teams at UMass Lowell. Brassard helped lead the River Hawks to the Northeast-10 and NCAA East Region titles, while earning First Team honors in both events. She was the team’s top runner at the NCAA Championships, placing 81st among 189 runners. During the indoor track season, Brassard was part of the Distance Medley Relay team that qualified for the NCAA Championships with a school record time of 11:46.96, which ranked third in the country during the regular season. She also won the mile at the NE-10 indoor championship with a time of 5:11.02 and won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NE-10 outdoor championship in 11:08.14. Brassard earned Northeast-10 All-Academic honors three straight seasons and was on the Dean’s List in all seven semesters thus far. She was recently named the recipient of the Laurie A. Mann Award for leadership and excellence in athletics, academics and service.

Merrimack:

Adam Wilding (Lewiston, Maine) is a civil engineering major with a 3.57 GPA and was a member of the men’s tennis team at Merrimack. Wilding served two years as team captain and helped lead the team to a school record 13 victories, their first-ever Northeast-10 Championship appearance and their second-straight NCAA appearance this past season. Wilding finished his senior season with a 13-8 overall record in singles action and was 9-3 in doubles play. He earned All-Northeast-10 Third Team honors for his efforts in singles play and earned second team honors in doubles. Wilding was on the Dean’s List all four years at Merrimack and was the recipient of the 2009 Baroni Family DaVinci Award (Civil Engineering Dept.) and the Merrimack College Male Scholar Athlete Award.

Caitlin Hall (Westminster, Mass.) is a health science major with a 3.86 GPA and was a member of the women’s soccer team at Merrimack. Hall is a three-time All-Northeast-10 selection as she earned Second Team honors this past season. She helped guide the Warriors to the Northeast-10 Quarterfinals and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Hall finished her career with 20 goals scored. This past fall she earned ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-American honors and was named to the Northeast-10 All-Academic team for the third straight season. Hall was the recipient of the 2009 Merrimack College Female Scholar-Athlete Award and is the first student ever to earn a scholarship to Boston College’s nursing graduate program.

University of New Haven:

Jason Zurita (Bethpage, N.Y.) is an electrical engineering major with a 3.85 GPA and was a member of the men’s soccer team at New Haven. Zurita appeared in 16 games in the backfield for the Chargers in his final season. He received Northeast-10 All-Academic Team recognition this past fall and earned East Coast Conference (ECC) Fall-Scholar Athlete honors a year ago. Zurita was the ECC’s Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year nominee in 2007. He is a four-time Dean’s List member and as the recipient of the Tagliatela College of Engineering Award for outstanding student in Electrical engineering (2008-09).

Brigid Brady (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) is a political science major with a 3.52 GPA and was a member of the women’s lacrosse team at New Haven. Brady helped lead the Chargers to the team’s first ever Northeast-10 Championship and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. She has earned all-conference honors in each of her four seasons with the Chargers after being named to the All-Northeast-10 Second Team this past season. Brady was an All-ECC First Team selection in 2008 and a was recognized as a Second Team member in 2006 & 2007. She finished her career as the program’s all-time leader in goals and points. In the classroom, Brady is a four-time Dean’s List member and earned ECC Scholar Athlete Honor Roll honors in 2007.

Pace University:

Jonathan Jones (Dover, N.H.) is a public administration major with a 3.35 GPA and was a member of the football team at Pace. Jones was named to the All-Northeast-10 Second Team for the second straight season after totaling 69 tackles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery in his final season of collegiate play. He finished his career tied for second with 15 interceptions in Pace history and still holds the school record for most interceptions in one game with four which he achieved in 2007. Jones also earned Northeast-10 All-Academic honors this past season and was named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2008 semester.

Natalija Subotic (Bradenton, Fla.) is an international management major with a 3.83 GPA and was a member of the women’s tennis team at Pace. This past season, Subotic posted a 9-1 overall record at the number one singles spot, earning All-Northeast-10 Second Team honors. She finished her career with a 49-5 record in singles play which ranks her 11th best all-time at Pace for most singles victories in a career. During the course of her collegiate career, Subotic was named the NE-10 Freshman of the Year in 2006 and Player of the Year in 2008. She was named to the Dean’s List each semester from fall 2005 through spring 2009 and is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society.

Saint Anselm:

Anthony Galluzzo (Londonderry, N.H.) is a business major with a 3.50 GPA and was a member of the men’s soccer team at Saint Anselm. Galluzzo, a four year member of the soccer team, appeared in 14 games in his final collegiate season. He is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society and was named to the Dean’s List in all seven semesters thus far. He recently received the 2009 Male Student-Athlete of the Year award and was the first recipient of the Heritage Property Investment Trust Scholarship.

Laura Nason (Shelton, Conn.) is a psychology major with a 3.60 GPA and was a member of the women’s tennis team at Saint Anselm. Nason, a four year member of the tennis team, finished her senior season with an 8-4 record at number one singles. She is a member of a number of academic organizations including, Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society, Pi Gamme Mu International Honor Society of Social Sciences and Delta Epsilon Sigma National Scholastic Honor Society. Nason was on the Dean’s List seven semesters thus far and was named to the NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll the previous three years.

Saint Michael’s:

Matthew Alexander (Richmond, Vt.) is a biology major with a 3.85 GPA and was a member of the men’s cross country team at Saint Michael’s. Alexander is a two year captain and a four year member of the cross country team. During his collegiate career, Alexander has qualified for the NCAA Championships all four seasons. He is a multiple NE-10 All-Academic and NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection, and is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi National Honor Societies. Alexander recently received the 2009 Roger F. Keleher ’15 Award which is given annually to Saint Michael’s College’s outstanding scholar-athlete.

Mary Lynn Denholm (Sparks, Md.) is a psychology major with a 3.62 GPA and was a member of the women’s cross country team at Saint Michael’s. Denholm is a four-year letter-winner for the cross country team, and one of the top runners in the program’s 30-year history. She became the first female in school history to win the Vermont State Intercollegiate Championship in October and earned All-Northeast-10 Second Team honors this past season. Denholm also set a meet record in winning the Golden Knight Joust in September. A three-time NE-10 All-Academic selection and NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll scholar as well, she is a member of the Psi Chi National Honor Society.

Saint Rose:

Pat Cullen (Hyde Park, N.Y.) is a computer science major with a 3.59 GPA and was a member of the men’s cross country and track & field teams at Saint Rose. In the fall, Cullen helped lead the Golden Knights to their best finish ever at the Northeast-10 Championships. The team finished fifth overall as Cullen was the first Saint Rose runner to cross the finish line with a time of 26:43 good enough for 23rd place. He currently holds the school record in the 10,000-meters and the one mile along with the 4x800 yard relay team. Cullen was named to the 2008 USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic team.

Kailey Egbert (Camp Hill, Pa.) is a biology major with a 3.61 GPA and was a member of the women’s soccer team at Saint Rose. Egbert finished her senior season with seven goals and four assists as she helped lead the Golden Knights to their second-straight NE-10 Championship as the team advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II semifinals. She finished her career finishing among the school’s top-15 in all three major scoring categories with 67 points, 25 goals and 17 assists. She earned All-Northeast-10 honors for the third straight season after being named to the second team this year. Egbert is the recipient of the 2009 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Southern Connecticut:

Craig Toulouse (Whitefield, Maine) is an exercise science major with a 3.76 GPA and was a member of the football team at Southern Connecticut. Toulouse appeared in 11 games at fullback in his final year of collegiate action and rushed for 115 yards on 18 attempts and scored two touchdowns. He received All-Northeast-10 honors during his sophomore and junior seasons and was a 2008 Preseason All-America selection. Toulouse was named to the NE-10 All-Academic and the NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll twice in his career. He was also named the 2009 Male Scholar Athlete Award winner at Southern Connecticut.

Maria Zenoni (Santo Domingo, D.R.) is an exercise science major with a 3.82 GPA and was a member of the women’s swimming & diving team at Southern Connecticut. In her final year of competition, Zenoni earned All-America Honorable Mention honors after finishing 13th overall in the 400-yard IM at this year’s NCAA Championships. Earlier in the season she took home two first-place finishes at the Northeast-10 Championships winning the 200-yard breaststroke and the 400-yard IM. During her career, Zenoni is a seven-time NE-10 champion and a two-time Metropolitan conference champion. She was named to the NE-10 All-Academic team and Commissioner’s Honor Roll twice in her career and was recently named the 2009 Female Scholar Athlete Award winner at Southern Connecticut.

Southern New Hampshire:

Matt Delaney (Wallasey, England) is a business major with a 3.71 GPA and was a member of the men’s soccer team at Southern New Hampshire. Delaney is a three-time All-Northeast-10 and NSCAA All-Region selection during his three-year career. He started in all 61 games in which he appeared and finished his career with 14 goals and four assists for 32 points. Delaney helped anchor a defense that allowed just nine goals all season as the Penmen went on to win the Northeast-10 Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Academically, he was named to the President’s List each semester and is a two-time NE-10 All-Academic selection. He was recently named the 2009 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Southern New Hampshire.

Julie Kraus (Derry, N.H.) is a business major with a 3.99 GPA and was a member of the women’s lacrosse team at Southern New Hampshire. Kraus finished her senior season leading the team in ground balls and caused turnovers, while recording eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points. She became the team’s first All-American last season, and was also the NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. Kraus is a three-time All-Northeast-10 selection after being named to the All-Northeast-10 First Team this season. She was recently named the Southern New Hampshire Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the third straight season.

Stonehill:

Matt Meagher (Mansfield, Mass.) is a biology major with a 3.68 GPA and was a member of the men’s cross country and track & field teams at Stonehill. In his senior year of collegiate competition, Meagher earned All-Northeast-10 honors for the second straight season in cross country. He recently earned All-New England Honors after finishing third in the 10,000-meters at the New England Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Meagher has qualified for the NCAA Championships the past three years and was named All-Region the previous two. He was also named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic teams in 2007 and 2008 and was the recipient of the 2009 Edward E. Martin Scholar-Athlete Award.

Jenny Gardynski (Everett, Mass.) is a communication major with a 3.52 GPA and was a member of the women’s cross country and track & field teams at Stonehill. Gardynski is a two-year captain for both cross country and track & field. She recently qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and is ranked 15th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. She shattered her own school record at the New England Championships with a time 10:53.24, while earning All-New England honors in the process. This is the fourth straight her that she has qualified for the NCAA championships in either cross country or track & field. In her four year career, Gardynski is a three-time All-Northeast-10 and All- Region selection. She recently received the 2009 Edward E. Martin Scholar-Athlete Award.

With 15 member institutions the Northeast-10 is the second largest NCAA Division II athletic conference in the nation. Its 23 championship sports provide athletic opportunities for over 5,500 student-athletes, the largest such program of any Division II conference.

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