FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Adelphi with League-Best Four Sport Excellence Winners.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference announced its Sport Excellence Award winners for the 2021 spring season on Tuesday afternoon – honoring 10 student-athletes for their outstanding performances in athletics and in the classroom during the league's return to formal competition during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the 113 student-athletes named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference teams last week, the Sport Excellence Award honors one top individual from each of the Conference's 10 sponsored spring sports – a list that includes men's golf, women's golf and women's tennis (normally played in the fall) in 2021.
One of the league's most prestigious awards, the Sport Excellence Award winners came from seven different schools this spring. Adelphi led all NE10 institutions with four selections - including Alison Johnson from women's lacrosse, the Conference's Woman of the Year.
Gabrielle Buissereth (outdoor women's track & field), Ally Muller (softball) and Barbie Quagliardi (women's tennis) joined Johnson as Adelphi's Sport Excellence winners.
Bentley's Ellis Yoder (men's golf), the NE10 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and Stonehill's Michel-Ange Siaba (men's outdoor track & field), the NE10 Man of the Year, were also selected as Sport Excellence winners.
Assumption's Samantha Leary (women's golf), Le Moyne's Jared Howard (men's tennis), Pace's Daniel Lewis (men's lacrosse) and Southern Connecticut's Anthony Zambito (baseball) joined the list of honorees for their remarkable accomplishments during the spring season.
To be eligible 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 grade-point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale.
For more information on each Sport Excellence honoree, please see below.
BASEBALL
Name: Anthony Zambito
School: Southern Connecticut
GPA: 3.707
Major: Business
Notes: Zambito played second base for the Owls, batting .485 (32-for-66), which was second-best in the NE10…He scored 20 runs, stole 16 bases, tallied four doubles and collected eight RBI…Ended the season on a 16-game hitting streak...NE10 Southwest Division Player of the Year…NE10 First Team…NCBWA All-East Region Second Team…D2CCA All-East Region Second Team…NE10 Fall and Spring Academic Honor Roll.
MEN'S GOLF
Name: Ellis Yoder
School: Bentley
GPA: 3.91
Major: Data Innovation
Notes: Yoder earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in a four-year span…His Bachelor's was earned in computer information systems, with a 3.968 GPA…77.1 stroke average in 14 rounds, with a low round of 72…NE10 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year…Two-time Third Team All-Conference selection…NE10 Elite 24 Award winner on two occasions.
WOMEN'S GOLF
Name: Samantha Leary
School: Assumption
GPA: 3.918
Major: English and Elementary Education
Notes: Leary had three top-five finishes in Assumption's three tournaments this past spring…Finished fourth and earned a place on the All-Championship Team at the NE10 Women's Golf Championship in April...Two-time winner of the NE10 Elite 24 Award.
MEN'S LACROSSE
Name: Daniel Lewis
School: Pace
GPA: 3.52
Major: Corporate Finance
Notes: Lewis earned his graduate degree with a 3.52 GPA…Ranked second in the country with 36 caused turnovers…Recorded at least one caused turnover in each game he played this past spring…USILA National Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-American…USILA Regional Defensive Player of the Year…NE10 Defensive Player of the Year and All-Conference First Team…Tabbed First Team All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine.
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Name: Alison Johnson
School: Adelphi
GPA: 4.0
Major: Sociology/Education
Notes: Johnson earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in her graduate work…Collected 27 assists in only 11 games, the second-most among NE10 players…Concluded her collegiate career with 261 assists, tied for second-most in Division II history…NE10 Woman of the Year…NE10 Elite 24 Award winner…NE10 Fall and Spring Academic Honor Roll…Two-time winner of the NE10 Sport Excellence Award.
MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Name: Michel-Ange Siaba
School: Stonehill
GPA: 3.86
Major: Criminology
Notes: Siaba was USTFCCCA All-East Region for long jump…Six top-three finishes in long jump and triple jump this past spring…NE10 Man of the Year…Fulbright Scholarship semifinalist…NE10 Fall and Spring Academic Honor Roll…Fr. Gartland, CSC Stonehill Male Senior Student-Athlete Award.
WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Name: Gabrielle Buissereth
School: Adelphi
GPA: 3.46
Major: Nursing
Notes: Buissereth helped Adelphi to a program-best third-place finish at the NE10 Outdoor Track & Field Championship…Won the 400-meter dash (56.21) and the 4x400 relay (3:55.12) in the NE10 Championship…Took home gold in the 400 in three of six meets this past spring…NE10 Female Track Athlete of the Year…NE10 Most Outstanding Female Track Athlete of the Meet…USTFCCCA Outdoor All-Region…NE10 Fall and Spring Academic Honor Roll.
MEN'S TENNIS
Name: Jared Howard
School: Le Moyne
GPA: 3.694
Major: Computer Science
Notes: Howard went 10-0 in singles action, including 8-0 at No. 1 singles and 2-0 at No. 2 singles…Teamed with his brother, James, to go 7-3 in doubles action (6-0 in conference play)…NE10 Player of the Year…NE10 First Team at No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles…NE10 Elite 24 Award winner.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Name: Barbie Quagliardi
School: Adelphi
GPA: 3.987
Major: Finance
Notes: Quagliardi posted an 8-2 record at No. 2 singles…No. 25-ranked doubles player in Division II, who has not lost a doubles match since Oct. 13, 2019…Finished the season with a perfect 11-0 record at No. 1 doubles…NE10 All-Conference First Team at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles…NE10 Fall and Spring Academic Honor Roll.
SOFTBALL
Name: Ally Muller
School: Adelphi
GPA: 3.979
Major: Psychology
Notes: Muller concluded her senior year with a 17-5 record in the circle, while boasting a career-best 1.28 ERA and 178 strikeouts…She ranks among the top 10 single-season leaders in ERA and strikeouts in Adelphi history…Made 13 consecutive appearances that spanned 86.2 innings without allowing a run…Her 13 shutouts led all NE10 pitchers…Ranked in the top 25 of Division II in complete games, ERA, strikeouts and strikeouts per seven innings…NE10 Southwest Division Pitcher of the Year…NFCA Second Team All-America…D2CCA All-America Honorable Mention…NFCA and D2CCA All-Region First Team…NE10 All-Conference First Team…Three-time winner of the NE10 Elite 24 Award.
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.
