FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pace with League-High Three Student-Athletes Earning Sport Excellence Awards.
MANSFIELD, Mass. - The Northeast-10 Conference released its Sport Excellence Award winners for the 2019-20 winter season on Wednesday afternoon, as seven student-athletes were honored for their remarkable achievements in athletics and in the classroom.
Of the 77 student-athletes that were named to the Academic All-Conference teams on Apr. 15, seven were voted - one from each respective sport - as the top selections among the group.
To be qualified for Academic All-Conference and Sport Excellence honors, a student-athlete must have started at least half or played in two-thirds of all contests while making significant contributions and maintaining a 3.3 GPA (on a 4.0 scale).
One of the league's most prestigious awards, the Sport Excellence Award winners come from five different schools. Pace led all NE10 institutions with three selections, including a sweep of men's and women's basketball with Peyton Wejnert and Jackie DelliSanti - a pair of NE10 First Team All-Conference members. For men's swimming, Filip Turecky took home Sport Excellence honors, completing the Setters' trio of award recipients.
Franklin Pierce's Hugo Arlabosse, the NE10 Men's Track Athlete of the Year, and Southern Connecticut's Avery Fornaciari, the NE10 Women's Swimmer of the Year, were named Sport Excellence Award winners to represent their respective institutions. Rounding out the elite group was Stonehill's Matthew Schoen, the NE10 Goaltender of the Year, and Southern New Hampshire's Ashley Elder for women's indoor track & field.
For more information on each Sport Excellence Award winner, please see below.
| SPORT EXCELLENCE AWARD | SPORT | GPA | MAJOR | NOTES |
| Peyton Wejnert | Men's Basketball | 3.89 | Finance | Led the NE10 with 23.5 points per game...Ranked third in the conference with 9.2 rebounds per outing...Poured in 30 or more points in seven games, including a career-best 40-point performance in a win over Saint Rose on Dec. 4...Tallied 13 double-doubles...Scored 12 or more points in all 28 games played...Shot 52.6 percent from the field...Posted eight games of shooting 60 percent or better from the field...Named CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year...Selected to CoSIDA's Academic All-District Team...Voted to the NE10's All-Conference First Team...Named to both the D2CCA and NABC All-Region Squads...Tabbed the NE10's Player of the Week on three occasions. |
| Jackie DelliSanti | Women's Basketball | 3.66 | History & Adolescent Education | Ranked fourth in the NE10 in points per game (16.8)...Ranked sixth in the conference in rebounds per contest (8.5)...Racked up 12 double-doubles...Scored in double figures in all but one game, including a career-high 31 points against Mercy on Nov. 9...Grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds on three occasions vs. Adelphi (12/10), at Saint Michael's (1/25), vs. SCSU (2/11)...Dished out a career-high seven assists at Adelphi on Feb. 19...Named to the NE10's All-Conference First Team...Selected to the D2CCA's All-Region Second Team...Named to CoSIDA's Academic All-District Team...Selected as the NE10's Player of the Week on Jan. 6. |
| Matthew Schoen | Ice Hockey | 3.67 | Finance | Named NE10 Goaltender of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player of the NE10 Championship game, leading Stonehill to the league title...Led the league with a .933 save percentage and ranked third in goals against average (2.62). |
| Hugo Arlabosse | Men's Indoor Track & Field | 3.78 | Mass Comm. | New England champion: 800 meters...NE10 champion: 800 meters...2nd at NE10 Championships in Distance Medley Relay...4th at NE10 Championships in 4x800-meter relay...NCAA Championships automatic qualifier in 800 meters...NE10 Track Athlete of the Year...USTFCCCA All-East Region performer in the distance medley relay and the 800 meters...All-New England performer by winning the 800 meters...2x selection as NE10 Track Athlete of the Week. |
| Ashley Elder | Women's Indoor Track & Field | 4.0 | Criminal Justice | Competed in seven events during the indoor season...Recorded five wins in the shot put, including at the NE10 Championships (13.96m)...Also won the weight throw at the NE10 Championships (15.25m)...Qualified for the NCAA National Championships in the shot put for the second consecutive season...Best throw of the season was 15.07m at Southern Maine on Dec. 14, the sixth best throw in the nation...USTFCCCA Indoor All-Region weight throw. |
| Filip Turecky | Men's Swimming | 3.89 | Applied Psychology & Human Relations | Won a pair of NE10 Championships in the 200-back (1:52.03) and the 100-back (51.59)...Also placed ninth in the 50-free with a time of 21.53...Earned the Elite 24 Award at the NE10 Championships for the highest individual GPA...Named the NE10's Swimmer of the Week on Nov. 12...Selected to the NE10's Academic Honor Roll following the fall semester. |
| Avery Fornaciari | Women's Swimming | 3.49 | Psychology | Won a combined five individual and relay championships while guiding the Owls to their third NE10 title in four years and 13th all-time. Fornaciari qualified for the NCAA Championships but had competition cut short due to the cancellation of the event. Fornaciari qualified for the 200 Yard Butterfly event with a time of 2:03.31 at the NE10 Championship. Fornaciari won the NE10 championship in that event, as well as Gold in the 100 Butterfly, 500 Freestyle, 400 Medley Relay and 200 Medley Relay, while also winning silver in the 800 Freestyle Relay. 2019-20 NE10 Women's Swimmer of the Year...Fall Academic Honor Roll. |
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 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, 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.
