Senior award winners (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix) |
Kelly and Campbell named Fr. Gartland Student-Athlete Award recipients
Pierson and Masucci selected as Martin Scholar-Athlete Award winner
Kump and Smith receive Fr. McCarthy Leadership Awards
Corvino earns McDonough Spirit Award
Underclassman and team awards also presented in first awards night to include entire student-athlete body
2016 Student-Athlete Awards Night Photo Gallery
2016 Martin Award recipients Anthony Masucci and Trisha Pierson. (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix) |
2016 Edward E. Martin Scholar-Athlete Awards
The Edward E. Martin Scholar-Athlete awards are presented annually to senior student-athletes who have combined academic success, with a minimum 3.20 cumulative grade point average, with athletic achievement. This year's recipients were seniors Trisha Pierson (East Hanover, New Jersey/Hanover Park) of the track and field program and Anthony Masucci (East Haven, Connecticut/Notre Dame-West Haven), from the football program.
Pierson, an accounting and economics dual major with a 3.98 cumulative grade point average, is also a five-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) All-East Region thrower at Stonehill. She is enrolled in the College's Moreau Honors Program and has earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in five of her seven semesters at the College to date. Pierson earned CoSIDA Academic All-America third team honors as a junior and is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, having been voted to the NE-10 Academic All-Conference teams for indoor and outdoor track & field five times. She earned NE-10 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Honors for the indoor season her junior year and has received Dean's List, NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll status every semester.
Pierson is a two-time NE-10 Champion for the discus throw, having also earned All-New England status twice. She holds school records for both the indoor and outdoor shot put as well as the discus and has been a regular point earner for three-straight Northeast-10 Indoor Championships as well as the 2014 NE-10 Outdoor Championship winning teams.
Pierson is a three-time recipient of the St. Thomas Aquinas Medal for having the highest cumulative grade point average on the women's track & field team, while also collecting the Fred C. Petti Academic Award for having the highest yearly GPA among all Stonehill women's student-athletes each of her first three years. She was awarded the Economics Departmental Award for being the top ranking senior in the major and the Edmond N. Moriarty, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Recipient for being the top ranking business major at the College and is also a member of Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma, Omicron Delta Epsilon and Lambda Epsilon Sigma national honor societies.
Masucci, a finance major with a 3.59 cumulative grade point average, finished his career as one of 17 student-athletes in the history of the football program to finish with over 200 career tackles. He was voted as the football program's second CoSIDA Academic All-American in program history with second team honors last fall and is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District first team honoree. Masucci received the Nils. V. "Swede" Nelson Scholar-Athlete Award from the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston and is a two-time Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference selection, earning the NE-10 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award for football as well this fall. He was a National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy and National Scholar-Athlete semifinalist and has been named to the NFF's Hampshire Honor Society this spring.
Masucci appeared in all 42 games of his four year football career at Stonehill, starting each of the final 22 games of his career. He helped lead the Skyhawks to a share of the 2013 NE-10 regular season championship and finished his career with 203 tackles (101 solo), including ten for a loss of 54 yards, five interceptions and ten pass breakups.
Masucci has been named to the NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll every semester, is a Dean's List student and is a member of the Financial Management Association National Honor Society.
2016 Gartland Award recipients Erika Kelly and Brian Campbell (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix) |
2016 Fr. William Gartland, C.S.C., Awards
The Father William Gartland Awards are presented annually to one male and one female student-athlete who have achieved excellence on the playing field over the course of their career. The award winners are recognized on the basis of athletic accomplishments, citizenship and character and personality. This year's Fr. Gartland Award recipients are seniors Erika Kelly (Watertown, Massachusetts/Watertown) of the field hockey program and Brian Campbell (Franklin, Massachusetts/Mount Saint Charles Academy) from the baseball team.
Kelly enjoyed a record shattering career at Stonehill, leaving as its most decorated student-athlete in program history. Kelly is the first three time first team All-American in program history and was also named the Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II Player of the Year this past season – the first such honoree in the nearly 20 year history of the Stonehill field hockey program. She is also the first NFHCA North Region Player of the Year in Stonehill history, earning the honors as both a junior and senior, while also being selected as a first team All-Northeast-10 member three times, as well as the Conference's Player of the Year this past fall.
Kelly led Stonehill to back to back Northeast-10 Tournament Championships and three NCAA Tournament bids over her career, reaching the national semifinals each of the last two seasons. She rewrote the record books at Stonehill and in the Northeast-10, while also etching her name on the all-time scoring lists for all of NCAA Division II, leaving Stonehill as one of just five 200-point scorers in NCAA Division II history, finishing third all-time with her program-record 217 points, while her program and Northeast-10 record 98 career goals rank second in Division II history. Kelly led the country in scoring twice over her career, including her sophomore season when she scored a program and Northeast-10 record 38 goals to go with two assists for a program record and NE-10 record matching 78 points.
Campbell has been an impact student-athlete at Stonehill throughout his four-year career on the baseball team, helping lead Stonehill to within reach of a third straight NE-10 Tournament appearance after reaching the championship round and its third NCAA Tournament bid in program history last season. He has left his mark at Stonehill as one of the best hitters in the program's long history, owning a .330 career batting average with 213 hits, including 43 doubles, eight home runs and 91 runs batted in over his 173 career games played. This season, Brian leads the team, which is in contention for a second-straight NCAA Tournament bid, with a .341 average, 11 doubles, four home runs and 29 RBI.
Campbell is a two-time All-Northeast-10 Conference selection to date, earning second team honors as a junior, as well as NE-10 All-Rookie Team status as a freshman. He has collected summer All-America honors each of the last two years while honing his skills with the Martha's Vineyard Sharks of the Futures League, with first team honors last summer.
Fr. McCarthy Leadership Award recipients Analise Kump and Carter Smith (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix) |
2016 Fr. John McCarthy, C.S.C., Leadership Awards
The Father John McCarthy, C.S.C., Leadership Awards are presented annually in memory of one of Stonehill's most beloved figures to one senior male and female student-athlete in good academic standing and citizenship on the basis of their exemplary leadership attributes. This year's honorees are seniors Analise Kump (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) of the women's tennis program and Carter Smith (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington) from the men's basketball team.
Kump has been a key four year member of the Stonehill women's tennis team, serving as captain her senior year. She has been a part of three teams which have reached the Northeast-10 Conference Championship match, earning Most Outstanding Player honors in leading the Skyhawks to the title in 2014, and three NCAA Tournament bids. Kump is a five-time All-Northeast-10 performer and two-time NE-10 Academic All-Conference member. She has been presented with the St. Thomas Aquinas Medal three times for having the highest cumulative grade point average on the team.
Smith is a four-year letterwinner and three year starter on the men's basketball program, serving as captain his senior season. He earned third team All-Northeast-10 honors this season after being an honorable mention All-Conference pick as a junior, leading the Skyhawks to back to back NCAA Tournament appearances his final two seasons. Smith's leadership showed through at the NCAA East Regional this March when he earned Most Outstanding Player honors in leading the Skyhawks to a third regional championship in the last ten years. Smith produced both the game-tying and game-winning baskets in overtime wins against Southern New Hampshire University and Saint Anselm College in the regional semifinals and finals as the program advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Frisco, Texas.
Members of the McDonough family and SAAC chair Megan Ruonavaara present Cara Corvino, '17 the McDonough Spirit Award. (PHOTO BY Lewis Glass/SportsPix) |
2016 Matthew McDonough Spirit Award
Stonehill junior Cara Corvino (Dorset, Vermont/Burr and Burton Academy), a member of the women's lacrosse program, received the 2016 Matthew McDonough '99 Spirit Award, which is presented annually by the Stonehill Student-Athlete Advisory Committee to the student who embodies the contagious spirit and outstanding character of Matt McDonough, '99, for whom the award commemorates. McDonough was a commendable student-athlete and fan of Stonehill athletics, who passed away tragically after graduation. His memory remains etched upon the Stonehill campus and will continue to be remembered in the future as the ideal student-athlete, participating on the Stonehill football team and was an avid fan and attendee of all fellow sports competitions. His dedication and pride toward the community will always be highly regarded and this award memorializes his honorable character and service toward the Stonehill community.
2016 Community Leadership Awards, presented by Northwestern Mutual
In conjunction with the new relationship with event title sponsor, Northwestern Mutual, Stonehill presented for the first time this spring, the Community Leadership Award. This year's recipient was a team as well as an individual, with the volleyball team as well as football senior Nick Chiocco (Mansfield, Massachusetts/Mansfield) being selected as the inaugural honorees.
The volleyball team was recognized for its highly successful "Ace's Girls" program which recently completed its fourth year. The free, eight week, program has run every spring semester since 2012, mentoring, educating and empowering young girls in topics of both physical and mental well-being, while introducing them to fundamental volleyball skills. The team has also been active with Team IMPACT, "Be the Match," and the Special Olympics.
Chiocco, the first Stonehill football student-athlete named to the Allstate, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team®, has an impressive list of charitable and community service endeavors to his credit. His annual Home Run Derby to benefit the Hearts for Hope Foundation, in memory of Fallon Finnegan a classmate at Mansfield High School who passed away from cystic fibrosis in 2010 at the age of 16, has raised $10,000 over the three years of its existence. He also helped plan, execute and host a charity benefit concert for Sabrina Kelly, the daughter of Stonehill criminology instructor Pamela Kelly, which raised $3,000 for medical expenses and was held just days before Sabrina's passing from cystic fibrosis in April. Chiocco has also volunteered his time with the Special Olympics of Massachusetts and Team IMPACT, while also participating in Relay for Life for six straight years and the 33rd Annual Massachusetts Shriners All-Star Game following his senior year of high school. He represented the College by joining the other Good Works Team® members at the Allstate® Sugar Bowl® in New Orleans in January.
Other Awards Presented:
Athletic Director's Award: Megan Ruonavaara (Rocky Hill, Connecticut/Rocky Hill)
"Cindy Mac" Team Spirit Award, as selected by a vote of each of Stonehill's 20 varsity teams
Women's Lacrosse
Rookies of the Year
Women's: Courtney Daggett (Attleboro, Massachusetts/Attleboro), Track & Field
Men's: William Palmer (Cranston, Rhode Island/Boston Bandits), Ice Hockey
Breakout Sophomore Awards
Women's: Victoria Barbetta (Wesley Chapel, Florida/Saddlebrook Prep), Tennis
Men's: Adam Branco (Naugatuck, Connecticut/Naugatuck), Soccer
Breakout Junior Awards
Women's: Nicole Borofski (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Plymouth North), Cross Country/Track & Field
Men's: Ryan Logan (Fredericktown, Ohio/Fredericktown), Basketball
With 20 intercollegiate sports, Stonehill boasts one of the top athletic and academic programs in the country. In addition to winning its fifth Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup following the 2014-15 academic year, the Skyhawks have received the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement each of the first five years of the program's existence of honoring institutions with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90-percent or better. Stonehill has earned a 96% Academic Success Ranking (ASR) by the NCAA two straight years, which considers the academic success rate of the institution based on the graduation rate of student-athletes, good for fifth among all NCAA Division II institutions, with 12 Skyhawk teams receiving a perfect rating of 100%. In addition, the Skyhawks are ranked third in the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Power Rankings for Division II used to assess the academic and athletic standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs. Stonehill has also been selected as the host of the 2016 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships at W.B. Mason Stadium.
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