FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2016
NE-10 Honors 79 Fall Student-Athletes With Academic All-Conference Laurels
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference released its Academic All-Conference teams and Sport Excellence Award winners for the 2015 fall season on Wednesday.
For a full list of honorees, please see below.
In total, there were 79 fall student-athletes to receive Academic All-Conference plaudits, while a single Sport Excellence Award winner was chosen from each of the following seven fall sports: men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer, as well as volleyball.
Of the 79 honored, Adelphi led the way with 10 Academic All-Conference choices, while Merrimack, Southern New Hampshire and Stonehill each had eight. Each of the conference’s 15 member institutions, as well as associate member LIU Post, had at least one honoree.
Adelphi also had the most Sport Excellence Award winners with three followed by Stonehill with two, while American International and Southern New Hampshire had one apiece. To be eligible for the award, 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.
The most Academic All-Conference selections came from the sport of women’s soccer with 17 honorees. Field Hockey was next with 13 selections, while football and men’s soccer each had 11 recipients.
American International sophomore Mitchell Byrne was selected as the Men’s Cross Country Sport Excellence Award winner. Byrne, majoring in business with a 3.83 GPA, finished fourth at the NCAA Division II East Region Championships this fall and also turned in a sixth place finish at the NE-10 Championships. He is a two-time all-conference first team member and was named to the East Region first team this fall.
As for the women’s cross country award winner, the honor went to Stonehill junior Aisha McAdams. A communications major with a 3.54 GPA, McAdams was a part of Stonehill’s NE-10 and East Region champion squad and posted two top-5 finishes this fall, including second at the NE-10 Championships. She is a four-time Commisioner’s Honor Roll selection, three-time all-conference first-teamer and competed at the NCAA Championships in each of the past three seasons.
Adelphi senior Molly Cuevas was the Sport Excellence Award winner for the sport of field hockey. Cuevas, who posted a 3.707 GPA as a sport management major, led the country in assists per game this season and totaled 42 points on 14 goals and 14 assists. She is a three-time first team all-conference selection and has been recognized as an All-American by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) three times. This is the third Academic All-Conference nod for Cuevas as well.
Taking the academic honor for the sport of football was Stonehill senior Anthony Masucci. Masucci earned a 3.59 GPA as a finance major and was a CoSIDA Academic All-America selection this fall. He started all 11 games for the Skyhawks as a defensive back and racked up 63 tackles and an interception, landing second team all-conference laurels. Masucci, a regular on the Commisioner’s Honor Roll, landed Academic All-Conference honors for the second straight year.
Southern New Hampshire’s Jonathan Lupinelli earned the honor for the sport of men’s soccer. Lupinelli, a marketing major who posted an undergraduate GPA of 3.83 and graduate GPA of 3.97, helped the Penmen to the NE-10 title and dished out eight assist, earning first team all-conference plaudits. A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, Lupinelli garnered Academic All-Conference honors for the third time and the Sport Excellence Award for the second time in his career.
Taking the Sport Excellence Award for women’s soccer was Adelphi’s Taylor Groth. Groth, a psychology major with a 3.933 GPA, was a key piece to the Panthers’ NE-10 Championship season as a defender, starting in all 23 contests and claiming the NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year award. She is a two-time all-conference choice and has been honored as an Academic All-American by CoSIDA twice. This is Groth’s third Academic All-Conference selection.
Adelphi junior Mandy Stanislovaitis collected the Sport Excellence Award for the sport of volleyball. Stanislovaitis, an exercise science major with a 3.96 GPA, was second in the conference with 3.72 kills per set and added 2.03 digs per set and 25 service aces while starting all 32 matches for Adelphi. She earned first team all-conference recognition while helping to lead the Panthers to their second straight NE-10 title.
To be eligible for selection to the Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference Teams, a student-athlete must have met or exceeded the following minimum requirements: 1) participated in at least half of the team's competitions and been either a starter or significant contributor; 2) achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale); and 3) completed at least one academic year at his/her current institution.
Fall 2015 Academic All-Conference
Men's Cross Country (8)
Mitchell Byrne, American International
Eric Alatalo, Bentley
Jon Holmes, Franklin Pierce
Evan Vadenais, Merrimack
Devin Rose, New Haven
Dean Bhatt, Southern Connecticut
Michael Bisbee, Southern New Hampshire*
Tyler McLaren, Southern New Hampshire
Women's Cross Country (9)
Cecelia Capozzoli, Adelphi
Rachel Avard, Assumption
Julia Morena, Bentley
Kerry Phelan, Merrimack
Emily Meinertz, Saint Anselm
Brianna McKinley, Saint Michael’s
Caylee Richardson, Southern Connecticut
Stacey Wojcik, Southern New Hampshire*
Aisha McAdams, Stonehill
Field Hockey (13)
Rachel Colvin, Adelphi
Molly Cuevas, Adelphi^*
Kelsey Howard, Bentley^
Chelsey Burnell, Franklin Pierce
Carly Canavan, Franklin Pierce
Lindsay Dobecki, Merrimack
Meagan Halligan, Saint Anselm
Rose Mooney, Saint Anselm
Megan Deschaine, Saint Michael’s*
Kelsie Miller, Saint Michael’s^*
Sarah Morse, Stonehill
Elizabeth Thornton, Stonehill*
Maggie Travers, Stonehill*
Football (11)
Alex Shain, Assumption
Bryan Hardy, Bentley*
Sam McDonald, Bentley
Paul Norris, Bentley*
Sean Binckes, LIU Post*
Stephen Camarro, Merrimack
DeeJay White, New Haven
Luiz Ribeiro, Pace
Ryne Griesenauer, Southern Connecticut
Matt Foltz, Stonehill
Anthony Masucci, Stonehill*
Men's Soccer (11)
Caelan Hueber, Adelphi
David Magee, Franklin Pierce
Jaime Cortes Torres, Merrimack
Julio Leon Garcia, Merrimack*
J.P. DiTommaso, New Haven^
Oscar Johanneson, New Haven
Orri Gustafsson, Southern New Hampshire
Jonathan Lupinelli, Southern New Hampshire^*
Sebastian Stezewski, Southern New Hampshire*
Nick Zucco, Southern New Hampshire
RJ Aprile, Stonehill
Women's Soccer (17)
Taylor Groth, Adelphi^*
Melissa Rubin, Adelphi*
Taylor Salmon, Adelphi*
Romina Bell, American International*
Amanda Arnold, Assumption
Kelly Ristoff, Le Moyne*
Megan Gada, Merrimack*
Jenna Savi, Merrimack^*
Ashley Dawson, New Haven
Drew Ribadeneyra, Pace
Rachel Gillies, Saint Anselm
Cassie Quattropani, Saint Anselm*
Elisa Galbiati, Saint Rose
Michaela Phillips, Saint Rose^*
Caroline Staudle, Southern Connecticut
Alexa Poulin, Southern New Hampshire
Claire O'Brien, Stonehill*
Volleyball (10)
Sierra Crook, Adelphi
Megan Manierski, Adelphi
Mandy Stanislovaitis, Adelphi
Jaci Buscher, Bentley^*
Natalie Casson, Le Moyne
Kristen Lee, New Haven*
Macey Danker, Pace
Natalie Moore, Saint Michael’s
Maryellen Devic, Saint Rose*
Kelly Gunneson, Southern Connecticut^
* - 2014 Academic All-Conference
^ - 2013 Academic All-Conference
Sport Excellence Award winners in bold italics
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
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 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 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.