FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Derek Ivey and Grace Henderson Excel in Classroom; Earn Elite 24 Honor.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Despite no formal season of competition for fall or winter sports in the Northeast-10 Conference, the league will continue to recognize its top scholar student-athletes by way of the Elite 24 Award – beginning with Stonehill football's Derek Ivey and Pace field hockey's Grace Henderson.
The Elite 24 Award honors the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals site at each NE10 Championship. No fall or winter championships were played in 2020-21, but the Elite 24 winners have been determined by comparing the GPA of all NE10 student-athletes on a sport-by-sport basis.
Ivey, a senior offensive lineman, becomes the first Stonehill player to receive the Elite 24 Award for football. He won the honor by earning a 3.941 GPA as an economics major. Ivey started all 10 games during the most recent 2019 season at right tackle. As a junior, Ivey was named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference Team and the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team.
Henderson, a junior goalkeeper, is the first Pace player to receive the Elite 24 Award in field hockey. She earns the recognition after posting a remarkable 4.0 GPA as a health science major. Henderson started all 18 games in goal for the Setters in the 2019 season, finishing fourth in the league in saves (144). As a sophomore, she was named a National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Scholar of Distinction. As a freshman, Henderson was voted the NE10 Rookie of the Year.
The league office will announce the rest of the fall winners for the 2020-21 Elite 24 Awards this week, ending Friday, March 19. Winter winners will be released next week (March 23-26).
ABOUT THE NE10
Beginning its 40th anniversary season, 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.
