FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Five Different Institutions Represented.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference is proud to reward excellence in both academic and athletic settings, as the league announces its 10 winners of the Sport Excellence Award from the 2022 spring season.
Among the 130 student-athletes named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference teams two weeks ago, the Sport Excellence Award honors one top individual from each of the league's 10 spring sports. Five different institutions were represented in the announcement on Thursday morning.
Among the winners of the Sport Excellence Award – one of the Conference's most prestigious honors – were five student-athletes that won NE10 Player of the Year recognition this season: Adelphi's Matt Alifano (Baseball Southwest Division Player of the Year), Claire Fon (Softball Pitcher of the Year) and Joseph Duchnowski (Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year), as well as Southern New Hampshire's Ashley Corcoran (Track Athlete of the Year) and Stonehill's Lydia Rudden (Women's Lacrosse Attacker of the Year).
Adelphi's Barbie Quagliardi (women's tennis), American International's Callum Elson (men's outdoor track & field), Le Moyne's Tyler Birdd (men's golf) and Kacper Piekarek (men's tennis), and Southern New Hampshire's Anna Casagrande (women's golf) round-out the list of Sport Excellence honorees.
Each Sport Excellence winner was an All-Conference selection, with six student-athletes earning All-America recognition.
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: Matt Alifano
School: Adelphi
GPA: 3.329
Major: Physical Education
Notes: Alifano became the first Adelphi player since 2009 to hit .400 in a season...Recorded a .401 batting average with nine home runs and 46 RBI...Led the NE10 in batting average, hits, doubles, walks, and on-base percentage at the conclusion of the regular season...ABCA Third Team All-American...D2CCA Third Team All-American...NCBWA All-America Honorable Mention...NE10 Southwest Division Player of the Year...D2CCA and NCBWA East Region Player of the Year...All-Region First Team from ABCA, D2CCA and NCBWA.
SOFTBALL
Name: Claire Fon
School: Adelphi
GPA: 3.921
Major: Psychology
Notes: Finished the season with a 1.12 ERA, leading all NE10 pitchers and ranking 11th nationally in that category...Ranked first in the NE10 with 24 wins and fourth in strikeouts (176)...Limited the opposition to a .201 batting average against...Threw a perfect game against St. Thomas Aquinas on March 22...NE10 Pitcher of the Year...D2CCA East Region Pitcher of the Year...NFCA Second Team All-American...D2CCA Third Team All-American...CoSIDA Academic All-District...Most Outstanding Player in the NE10 Softball Championship...Six-time honoree on NE10 Academic Honor Roll.
MEN'S LACROSSE
Name: Joseph Duchnowski
School: Adelphi
GPA: 3.688
Major: Management
Notes: Duchnowski became the second individual in program history to earn NE10 Player of the Year honors...Led the team in goals and points with 38 and 52, respectively, after starting and playing in 15 games...Averaged 2.53 goals per game and recorded at least one point in every contest except one...Finished with a hat trick or more in seven games...USILA First Team All-American...USA Lacrosse Magazine Second Team All-American...USILA North Region Offensive Player of the Year...USILA All-Region First Team...CoSIDA Academic All-District.
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Name: Lydia Rudden
School: Stonehill
GPA: 3.86
Major: Philosophy
Notes: Scored 119 points on the season with 42 goals and a program-record 77 assists...Ranked second nationally in assists...Accounted for just the third 100-point season in Stonehill's history and the 16th in NE10 history...Led all NE10 players in scoring by 27 points and assists by 31, contributing to Stonehill's explosive offensive attack (17.05 goals per game), which ranked sixth in all of Division II...IWLCA Division II First Team All-American...IWLCA North Region and NE10 First Team...NE10 Attacker of the Year...CoSIDA Academic All-District...Two-time IWLCA DII Offensive Player of the Week...Helped Stonehill win its 12th NE10 regular season title and 10th NE10 tournament title...Rudden has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll in every semester of her college career.
MEN'S TENNIS
Name: Kacper Piekarek
School: Le Moyne
GPA: 3.799
Major: Economics
Notes: Piekarek went 20-3 in singles action, including 17-2 in dual matches, as the Dolphins won the NE10 Championship for the second-straight season and advanced to the NCAA Round of 16...Finished the season on a 16-match winning streak...Named the NE10's Elite 24 Award winner at the Men's Tennis Championship.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Name: Barbie Quagliardi
School: Adelphi
GPA: 3.99
Major: Finance
Notes: Tallied an 11-5 singles record and 15-6 doubles record...Teamed with No. 1 doubles partner Caterina Federici for a 12-5 record, earning them the No. 4 national ranking among the ITA Division II National Top 50...Finalist for the NE10 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year...Adelphi Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year...NE10 Third Team All-Conference...NE10 Elite 24 Award winner at the Women's Tennis Championship...NE10 All-Championship Team member...Wins second Sport Excellence Award of her career.
MEN'S GOLF
Name: Tyler Birdd
School: Le Moyne
GPA: 3.874
Major: Biochemistry
Notes: Registered a 74.9 scoring average over 23 rounds at 10 events...Finished par or better in three rounds...Birdd placed in the top-five at four events...He tied for third at the NE10 Men's Golf Championship, earning a place on the All-Championship Team...Placed fourth in a field of 116 at the NCAA Regional Preview...GCAA Division II PING All-Region...NE10 All-Conference Second Team.
WOMEN'S GOLF
Name: Anna Casagrande
School: SNHU
GPA: 3.76
Major: Accounting & Finance
Notes: Turned in five top-10 performances and finished in the top-five on three occasions...Placed second at the NE10 Championship with a +4 (148)...NE10 First Team All-Conference selection.
MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Name: Callum Elson
School: AIC
GPA: 3.90
Major: MBA
Notes: NCAA Champion in the 1500m at the Outdoor Track & Field Championship...Also won an NCAA title in the 1 mile run at the Indoor Track & Field Championship...Two-time All-American and NE10 champion in both indoor and outdoor track & field...In cross country, Elson finished second at both the NE10 Championship and NCAA Regional.
WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Name: Ashley Corcoran
School: SNHU
GPA: 4.00
Major: MBA
Notes: Finished 10th in the steeplechase at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship after winning the event at both the NE10 and New England Championships...Set program record for 3000m steeplechase at UConn in April with a time of 10:23.96...Won the 1500m and finished second in the 5000m at the NE10 Championship, helping the Penmen to their first-ever league championship...USTFCCCA All-America Second Team...USTFCCCA East Region and NE10 Track Athlete of the Year...NE10 Most Valuable Athlete at the Outdoor Track & Field Championship...Also the Sport Excellence Award winner in indoor track following 2021-22 season.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 13 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.
