FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Second Stonehill Student-Athlete to Earn NE10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
EASTON, Mass. – Stonehill volleyball graduate Rachel Dunlavy has been named the Northeast-10 Conference's Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference announced on Wednesday.
Dunlavy, who graduated in December with a 3.98 cumulative grade point average and a Bachelor's Degree in economics, is just the second NE10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Stonehill and its first female recipient. Men's cross country and track & field student-athlete John Monahan, '00 is the College's first NE10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, receiving the very first Male Scholar-Athlete Award following the 1999-2000 academic year.
"I'm very grateful to have received the Northeast-10 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, thank you to the selection committee for selecting me to represent the Conference with this award," said Dunlavy. "I would first like to thank my parents for providing me with every opportunity to excel in academics and athletics throughout my career. Thank you as well to the Stonehill athletic staff, my professors, coaches and teammates for believing in me not only as an athlete, but as a student and pushing me to be the best version of myself. All of you have played an important role in my success on and off the court and I am so grateful for all the opportunities Stonehill and the NE10 have provided me over the last four years."
Dunlavy, who received Stonehill's Edward E. Martin Female Senior Scholar-Athlete Award, was a four-year letterwinner for the Stonehill volleyball team, serving as team captain as a junior and senior. She received the NE10's Elite 24 Award for having the highest cumulative GPA at the 2019 NE10 Volleyball Championships and is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District I first team and NE10 Academic All-Conference selection. Dunlavy has earned the Fred C. Petti Female Scholar-Athlete Award for having the highest GPA among all female student-athletes at Stonehill three times, received the Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award twice, and the St. Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Students, medal for having the highest GPA on the team two years. She has been inducted to Omicron Delta Epsilon and Lambda Epsilon Sigma honor societies and earned NE10 Academic Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll status all seven semesters, with a perfect 4.0 GPA six of her seven semesters.
"As the first Stonehill female athlete to receive this award, Rachel has made College history," said Stonehill President, Fr. John Denning, C.S.C. "Educating the whole person permeates our athletic program. Our academic and athletic divisions work closely to ensure that student-athletes excel on both fronts while developing their leadership skills as well as the art of teamwork and the importance of initiative—all of which are critical in life. In what she has achieved at Stonehill, Rachel embodies these values and I congratulate for her hard work and for the example that she sets for others."
Dunlavy appeared in 98 matches over her career, and the two-time NE10 Libero of the Week finished her career ranked seventh in program history with her 1,181 career digs, with her 447 digs in 2019 ranking fifth on the program's single-season list. She ranked seventh in the NE10 with her 4.52 digs per set last fall and fifth in the NE10 with her 4.25 digs per set in 2018. Dunlavy totaled 12 20-plus dig games and two 30-plus dig games over her career, posting a career-high 31 digs against Adelphi University on November 2, 2019.
"Rachel is so deserving of this extraordinary award," said Stonehill volleyball head coach Craig Martin. "She has put so much time and effort into her education as well as her sport and it is so exciting to see her recognized as the NE10 Female Scholar-Athlete. Having maintained such high grades her entire academic career and then to have one of her best individual seasons as well as one of the best team seasons in her athletic career really show her level of commitment and leadership. The entire volleyball program along with the entire Stonehill athletic program is so happy and excited for her to take home such a prestigious award."
Dunlavy, also Stonehill's nominee for the NE10 Woman of the Year award, is currently employed as a data scientist at Alteryx in her native Michigan. During her academic career, she completed internships at VDC Research, Meridian Health and Digitas. Dunlavy was an economics tutor at Harvard University, economics teaching assistant at Stonehill for two years and business administration TA during her final semester at the College. She served on Stonehill's MVP Planning Committee and Leadership Development Program for two years and volunteered her time with the volleyball team's Team IMPACT teammate and Ace's Girls initiative, at My Brother's Keeper, Hope House and with the Special Olympics basketball tournament held annually on campus.
"Congratulations to Rachel on such a well-deserved NE10 Scholar-Athlete of The Year award," said Dean O'Keefe, '94, Director of Athletics at Stonehill. "NCAA Division II, the NE10 and Stonehill strive to foster an environment that provides student-athletes the opportunity to excel athletically, as well as academically, and I couldn't think of someone who embraces this philosophy more than Rachel. Her impressive career, coupled with her amazing academic accomplishments are a shining example of what it means to be a successful NCAA student-athlete."
-Release provided by Stonehill athletic communications staff-
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 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 NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
