FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
[Click Here For Full Release]
South Easton, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Lowell
senior Ruben Sanca (Boston, Mass.) and
Merrimack College senior Caitlin Hall (Westminster,
Mass.) were named the 2008-2009 Northeast-10
Outstanding Scholar-Athletes of the Year as selected by the
Northeast-10 Faculty Athletic Representative Council (FAR). Both
student-athletes were honored Monday evening at the
conference’s end of the year awards banquet in Mystic,
Conn.
Sanca put together an impressive year as he was named the
Northeast-10 Cross Country and Indoor Track & Field Athlete of
the Year. In cross country, Sanca helped lead the River Hawks to
the Northeast-10 and NCAA East Region Championships, winning both
individual titles. For his efforts he was named the NCAA Division
II 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 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 also received athlete of the year
honors from the USTFCCCA.
“This is quite an accomplishment for Ruben and caps what has
been an extraordinary four years,” said UMass Lowell Athletic
Director Dana Skinner. “Ruben has been an outstanding student
and athlete, a leader on campus and a role model in every way. We
are proud to have him as a representative of UMass
Lowell.”
Sanca excelled not only athletically, but academically as well. He
graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance with a grade
point average of 3.30. He earned NE-10 All-Academic honors for the
second straight year in cross country and was named to the
Dean’s List four times during his time at UMass Lowell. In
May, Sanca was the recipient of the David Boutin Award for
leadership and excellence in athletics, academics and service. At
commencement he was one of ten graduating students that received
Chancellors Medal.
Hall capped off her four-year career as a member of the Merrimack
women’s soccer team in fine fashion. She earned
All-Northeast-10 honors for the third straight season after earning
second team honors this year. She earned NSCAA All-East Region and
NEWISA All-New England honors as well. Hall helped lead the
Warriors to the Northeast-10 quarterfinals and an appearance in the
NCAA Division II Tournament. She finished her career with 20 goals
scored.
In the classroom, Hall was just as successful as she graduated with
a bachelor’s degree in health science with a minor in
business administration. She compiled a 3.86 GPA and was named to
the Dean’s List each semester while at Merrimack. As a result
of her combined academic and athletic achievements she was named to
the Northeast-10 All-Academic team for the third straight year.
In addition, Hall earned ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-American honors
this year being named to the District I Second Team for the second
time in her career and third time she received Academic
All-American honors. Hall was also this year’s recipient of
the 2009 Merrimack College Female Scholar-Athlete Award. She also
became the first student ever to earn a scholarship to Boston
College’s nursing graduate program.
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.
-NE-10-
