Skyhawks rank third among NE10 institutions with eight selections
NE10 Announces Spring 2018 Academic All-Conference Teams
Lisichenok |
Bellio |
Barbetta |
O'Donnell |
Hersom |
Fernandes |
Healey |
Demeule |
EASTON, Mass. (August 17, 2018) – Stonehill College has placed eight of its spring student-athletes on the Northeast-10 Conference Academic All-Conference teams for their performances on the field of play as well as the classroom, the league recently announced.
Stonehill's eight student-athletes is fourth highest in the conference for the spring programs, as Adelphi University had 15 spread across the ten teams for the highest in the conference, while Le Moyne College and Merrimack College tied for second with 13 apiece. Among the Skyhawks' eight included men's tennis seniors Nikolay Lisichenok (Danvers, Massachusetts/Danvers) and Thomas Bellio (Saint Joseph, Michigan/Saint Joseph), women's tennis seniors Victoria Barbetta (Wesley Chapel, Florida/Saddlebrook Prep) and Colleen O'Donnell (Waterville, Maine/Waterville), women's track & field senior Abby Hersom (Rockland, Maine/Oceanside) and junior Krista Fernandes (Taunton, Massachusetts/Coyle and Cassidy), women's lacrosse senior Kelly Healey (Westwood, Massachusetts/Westwood), and men's track & field junior Alex Demeule (Merrimac, Massachusetts/Pentucket Regional).
To be eligible for selection to the NE10 Academic All-Conference Teams a student-athlete must have met or exceeded the following minimum requirements: participated in at least half of the team's competitions and been either a starter or significant contributor, achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade point average, and completed at least one academic year at his/her institution.
Bellio finished his four years at Stonehill with a degree in neuroscience and competed in No. 1 singles and doubles for the Skyhawks. Along with his three Google Cloud Academic All-District™ I Men's At Large First Team selections, the senior was named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference teams twice and was named the Edward E. Martin Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The Saint Joseph, Michigan native also earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete honors, while being named to the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll all eight semesters at the College to date. He was inducted into the Nu Rho Psi National Honor Society, received the College's Neuroscience Award as the department's "Student of the Year," participated in Stonehill's Summer undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program. Bellio reached the finals of the USTA/ITA East Regional B-Doubles bracket as a freshman and was tabbed to the NE10 All-Rookie Team. He finished his career with a combined record of 88-54, including 56-38 in doubles play.
Teammate and classmate to Bellio, Lisichenok graduated in May with a degree in computer science and finance dual major and earned his third Academic All-Conference nod this season along with his second Google Cloud Academic All-District™ I Men's At Large First Team. He is also a two-time All-NE10 performer on the court with a combined record of 79-67 over his career, including 37-33 in NE10 matches, posting a 48-33 doubles mark. Lisichenok received the departmental "Student of the Year" honors from both the finance and computer science programs at the College this fall and is a member of Lambda Epsilon Sigma and Beta Gamma Sigma honor societies. He also received St. Thomas Aquinas Medal, Patron Saint of Students, medal for having the highest cumulative grade point average on the men's tennis team three-straight years. He has received the Division II ADA Academic Achievement Award and named to the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll all eight semesters to date.
From the women's tennis team, Barbetta wrapped up her career with a marketing degree from Stonehill and has been named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference teams twice. She was a key component to the squad which reached the NCAA Tournament all four years of her career, winning the NE10 Tournament her freshman year and back-to-back NE10 Regular Season Championships. The senior has posted a combined record of 108-61 in singles and doubles, while being tabbed on the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll for all eight semesters. The Wesley Chapel, Florida native is a two-time All-NE10 performer, while leading the Skyhawks to their first national ranking since 2011 and reached the semifinals of the USTA/ITA East Regional with freshman Isabelle Porter (Jupiter, Florida/ William T. Dwyer), marking the deepest ITA regional run in program history. The two-year captain is a Dean's Scholarship recipient at the College and earned a Certificate of Fashion Business at University of Arts in London's College of Fashion during the summer of 2015.
O'Donnell, of women's tennis, was also selected to the NE10 Academic All-Conference team for the second time in her career after graduating with a degree in biology. She wrapped up her career with an overall record of 67-13. A native of Waterville, Maine, O'Donnell was named to the NE10 All-Conference first team her freshman year for #6 singles and #3 doubles and her junior year for #6 singles. Her freshman year, O'Donnell was tabbed for the NE10 All-Tournament Team and was voted onto the NE10 All-Rookie Team. The senior was named to the NE10 Commissioner's and Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
Senior Abby Hersom (Rockland, Maine/Oceanside), who graduated in May with a degree in healthcare administration and a cumulative grade-point average of 3.93, collects her third NE10 Academic All-Conference honor in her career. She most recently was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District™ first team for the first time in her career after participating in cross country and track & field for all eight semesters as a Skyhawk. At the 2018 NE10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Hersom garnered her third-career NE10 All-Conference honor with her third-place performance in the 10,000-meter run helping the Skyhawks to their fourth NE10 outdoor title in program history. At Stonehill, Hersom earned the Healthcare Administration Departmental Award and was a member of Lambda Epsilon Sigma and Upsilon Phi Delta. The senior collected three St. Thomas Aquinas medals throughout her career as she had the highest GPA on her team and was named to the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and Athletic Director's Honor Roll for all eight semesters.
Junior Krista Fernandes (Taunton, Massachusetts/Coyle and Cassidy) was also added to the list of 14 Skyhawk women's cross country and track & field student-athletes to be named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District™ first team. Fernandes averaged a 3.76 GPA over three years majoring in Psychology and mirrors Hersom with her third NE10 Academic All-Conference honor. The Taunton, Massachusetts native was named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-East Region Team in the 400-meter hurdles, while she collected two NE10 All-Conference honors in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4x400-meter relay during outdoor season. Fernandes has also been tabbed on the NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll while wearing the Purple and White.
Healey, who majored in biology and was a member of Sigma Zeta National Honor Society, has been named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference team for the second time in her career. The senior wrapped up her four years with the women's lacrosse program with 39 goals and two assists, converting 13-of-21 free position tries. She also earned NE10 All-Conference second team honors twice in her career, and was the first freshman to earn All-America honors since 2009 when she was selected to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association (IWLCA) third team in 2015. She was also a NE10 All-Rookie Team pick her freshman year and an IWLCA All-North Region honoree. She was also named to the NE10 Commissioner's and Athletic Director's Honor Roll all eight semesters. She was part of the Skyhawk defense that finished ranked sixth in the NE10 with a 12.76 goals against average. She started 70 of 73 games over her Stonehill career between midfield and defense, finishing with 108 draw controls, 82 ground balls, and 30 caused turnovers.
A finance major, Demeule has totaled four NE10 Academic All-Conference honors over his three years at Stonehill. Demeule earned his first NCAA All-America honor this past indoor season as he helped the 4000-meter distance medley relay team finish fifth with a school record time at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships. As a Skyhawk, he has combined for three USTFCCCA All-East Region honors and two NE10 All-Conference accolades. The Merrimac, Massachusetts native has also been tabbed on the USTFCCCA All-Academic team three times. The junior earned a spot on the Google Cloud Academic All-District™ First Team in late May and then was selected for the Google Cloud Academic All-America® third team in June. As a sophomore, Demeule received the Division II ADA Achievement Award. He has also been tabbed on the NE10 Commissioner's and Athletic Director's Honor Roll multiple semesters.
With 21 intercollegiate sports, Stonehill boasts one of the top athletic and academic programs in the country. Stonehill has finished in the top three of the Northeast-10 Conference Presidents' Cup standings for overall athletic performance 14 straight years, following a third place finish in 2017-18. The Skyhawks have received the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement each of the first seven years of the program's existence of honoring institutions with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90-percent or better. Stonehill has earned a 97% Academic Success Ranking (ASR) by the NCAA, which considers the academic success rate of the institution based on the graduation rate of student-athletes, good for fourth among all NCAA Division II institutions, with ten 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.
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