FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2016
106 NE-10 Student-Athletes Earn Academic All-Conference Honors
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference Academic All-Conference teams and Sport Excellence Award winners for the 2016 spring season have been released, the conference office announced on Friday.
For a full list of honorees, please see below.
In total, a record 106 spring student-athletes collected NE-10 Academic All-Conference accolades. Additionally, one Sport Excellence Award winner was chosen from the following 10 sports: baseball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s outdoor track & field, softball, as well as men’s and women’s tennis.
Each of the league’s 15 member institutions had at least one Academic All-Conference choice. Adelphi had the most student-athletes recognized with 22, followed by Stonehill’s 14 and Bentley’s 10. Le Moyne had nine honorees, while Franklin Pierce, Merrimack, Pace and Southern New Hampshire each had seven apiece. The sport of women’s lacrosse had the most selections with 18, while women’s outdoor track & field was right behind with 17, softball had 14 and baseball had 13.
Three schools had multiple Sport Excellence Award winners, as Le Moyne led the way with three. Adelphi and Merrimack both had a pair of award winners, while American International, Franklin Pierce and Stonehill each had one.
Franklin Pierce pitcher Tanner Bird was selected as the NE-10 Sport Excellence Award winner for the sport of baseball. Bird, who racked up a 3.62 GPA as a marketing major, was twice named an All-American this spring, earning second team laurels from the Conference Commissioners Association (CCA) and third team honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). A first team all-conference choice, the right-hander went 8-1 with a 1.55 ERA to go along with 71 strikeouts and three saves for the NCAA East Regional Champion Ravens.
One of three repeat winners of the Sport Excellence Award this year, Le Moyne’s Aidan Fuller once again took the honor for men’s golf. Fuller put together a 3.766 GPA as an accounting major while picking up Academic All-Conference accolades for the third straight year. A CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team selection, he led the Dolphins to four tournament victories and an NCAA Championship appearance with a career-best 74.2 scoring average.
Merrimack’s Alessandra Ricigliano was recognized as the Sport Excellence Award recipient for women’s golf. Posting a 3.916 GPA while studying criminology, Ricigliano claimed the individual title while also helping the Warriors to their second straight team title at this year’s NE-10 Championships. She averaged 81.7 strokes per round and earned medalist honors twice.
Logan Thomas of the National Champion Le Moyne men’s lacrosse team was also honored with Sport Excellence recognition. Thomas posted a 3.637 GPA as a criminology and criminal justice major while helping the Dolphins to their fifth national title and a perfect 20-0 season. A first team all-conference choice and third team United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-American, Thomas scored 47 goals this season, the second most in program history, while adding 17 assists for 64 points on the year.
Fellow Dolphin Maggie Monnat received the accolade for the sport of women’s lacrosse for the second year in a row. The 2015-16 NE-10 Woman of the Year registered a 3.95 GPA while majoring in biology, earning Academic All-Conference laurels for the third straight season. A second team all-conference selection this year, Monnat claimed CoSIDA Academic All-America and Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) All-America accolades while tallying 86 points on 47 goals and 39 assists.
American International’s Kemani Hume was tabbed as the Sport Excellence Award winner in men’s outdoor track & field. A psychology major with a 3.74 GPA, Hume was a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and was a part of AIC’s National Champion Distance Medley Relay team in the winter. This spring, Hume helped the Yellow Jackets take first place in the 4x800-meter relay with a new school record time, as AIC won the men’s title at the NE-10 Championships.
In women’s outdoor track & field, Merrimack National Champion Carly Muscaro claimed the honor for the second straight year while also winning the Sport Excellence Award during the indoor season. A criminology major with a 3.868 GPA, Muscaro took the 400-meter dash national title at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Muscaro was a first team All-American in both the 200- and 400-meter dash events and repeated as NE-10 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year.
Adelphi’s Brenna Martini was selected as the Sport Excellence Award winner for the sport of softball. Martini earned a 3.767 GPA while studying physical and health education, as she led the Panthers to the College World Series for the second straight season. The NE-10 and CCA East Region Player of the Year hit .408 with 14 homers and 61 RBI this season, claiming CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in addition to All-America plaudits from the CCA and National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
Fellow Panther Matteo Cannavera was recognized with the honor in the sport of men’s tennis. A finance major with a 3.783 GPA, Cannavera was selected as the NE-10 Player of the Year for the second straight season this spring. Cannavera helped the Panthers reach the NE-10 Championship Match after going 8-3 overall at top flight singles, including a perfect 5-0 mark in conference play.
In women’s tennis, Stonehill’s Analise Kump was awarded the Sport Excellence honor, as she earns Academic All-Conference recognition for the third year in a row. Kump, who earned a 3.86 GPA while studying international relations, went 12-4 overall at singles this season, including 9-1 in NE-10 competition, helping the Skyhawks reach the finals of the NE-10 Championship. She was a second team all-conference selection at No. 2 singles and doubles, as well as a CoSIDA Academic All-District choice.
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.
Spring 2016 Academic All-Conference
Baseball (13)
Robert Vani, Adelphi *
Chris Starcun, American International
Tanner Bird, Franklin Pierce
Justin Brock, Franklin Pierce *
Brett Charbonneau, Le Moyne ^
Damian Powers, Le Moyne
Robert Petrillo, New Haven *
John Kukura, Pace
Dylan Mouzakes, Pace *
Joe Pokrentwoski, Saint Rose
Phillip Zdanowski, Saint Rose *
Ryan Gendron, Southern New Hampshire *
Jake Walkinshaw, Southern New Hampshire
Men’s Golf (5)
Tye Morrison, Adelphi *
Tim Carroll, Assumption
Brett Chatfield, Bentley
Cal Meyers, Bentley
Aidan Fuller, Le Moyne *^#
Women’s Golf (5)
Lucy Stevens, Adelphi
Anna Haynes, Franklin Pierce
Alessandra Ricigliano, Merrimack
Jessica Wagner, Merrimack
Aimee Cawlina, Southern New Hampshire *
Men’s Lacrosse (10)
John English, Adelphi
Max Adler, Bentley *
Daniel Shaughnessy, Bentley
Nick Bradshaw, Franklin Pierce
Logan Thomas, Le Moyne
Tom McLaughlin, Merrimack
Brandon Donnellan, Pace *
Joshua Kreitler, Pace
Jake Stokes, Saint Anselm *
Dan Johnson, Saint Michael’s
Women’s Lacrosse (18)
Taylor Hayes, Adelphi *
Jacqueline Jahelka, Adelphi *
Emily Keesling, Adelphi
Rachel O'Brien, Adelphi
Riley Brennan, American International
Meredith Hart, Bentley
Kelsey Howard, Bentley
Lauren Beville, Franklin Pierce *^
Claire Monnat, Le Moyne ^
Maggie Monnat, Le Moyne *^#
Alyssa Gianotti, New Haven ^
Hannah Johnson, New Haven
Najmah James, Pace
Caitlin Villareal, Saint Anselm ^
Alexa Allen, Southern New Hampshire *^
Nicole Kennedy, Southern New Hampshire
Kelly Healey, Stonehill
Elizabeth Vetter, Stonehill
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field (11)
Sean Grady, Adelphi
Anthony Seara, Adelphi
Kemani Hume, American International
Nik Haas, Bentley *
Sean Nee, Bentley
Jon Holmes, Franklin Pierce *
Devin Rose, New Haven *^
Dean Bhatt, Southern Connecticut *
Jason Dimmick, Stonehill
Mark Hamalian, Stonehill
Dillon Neumann, Stonehill
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field (17)
Mary Camarano, Adelphi
Cecelia Capozzoli, Adelphi
Nicole Elarde, Adelphi
Emily Hagarty, Adelphi
Angela Mongitore, Adelphi
Dana Bramble, American International
Rachel Avard, Assumption *
Gwen Sawyer, Assumption
Olyvia Leahy, Bentley
Nadine Hyde, Franklin Pierce *^
Bethany Labossier, Merrimack
Carly Muscaro, Merrimack *#
Adriana Carrasco, Southern Connecticut
Kathryn Heacox, Southern Connecticut
Caylee Richardson, Southern Connecticut
Aisha McAdams, Stonehill
Trisha Pierson, Stonehill *^
Softball (14)
Nicole Camera, Adelphi
Krista King, Adelphi
Lindsay Mapes, Adelphi *
Brenna Martini, Adelphi
Courtney Case, Le Moyne *
Alexis Eastman, Le Moyne
Kirsten Trotta, Le Moyne
Julie Devlin, New Haven
Ashley Lew, Pace
Caitlin McCann, Pace
Mo Hannan, Southern New Hampshire *#
Sarah Ropiak, Stonehill *
Megan Ruonavaara, Stonehill *^
Alison Sumski, Stonehill
Men’s Tennis (6)
Sander Brenner, Adelphi *
Matteo Cannavera, Adelphi
Mikhail Belov, Merrimack
Xavier Aubron, Southern New Hampshire
Thomas Bellio, Stonehill
Nikolay Lisichenok, Stonehill
Women’s Tennis (7)
Rebecca Fakas, Adelphi
Aubrey Lovejoy, Assumption *#
Susan Stowe, Bentley
Grace Messina, Merrimack *
Jessica Perkins, Saint Anselm
Victoria Barbetta, Stonehill
Analise Kump, Stonehill *^
* - 2015 Academic All-Conference
^ - 2014 Academic All-Conference
Sport Excellence Award winners in bold italics
# - Former Sport Excellence Award winner
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.
