Frost, McBride & Borges earn Martin Scholar-Athlete Awards
Reilly and Thomas collect Fr. Gartland Awards
Kelly and Borges named Fr. McCarthy Leadership Award recipients
Cruikshank honored with McDonough Spirit Award

Stonehill senior student-athlete award recipients (l-r) Corey Thomas and Kelsey Reilly (Gartland), Caroline McBride and Paige Frost (Martin), Erin Kelly (McCarthy) and Dana Borges (Martin & McCarthy). (PHOTO BY Emily J. Reynolds)

 

SENIOR STUDENT-ATHLETE AWARD DINNER PHOTO GALLERY

EASTON, Mass. (May 2, 2013) – Stonehill College held its 17^th annual Senior Student-Athlete Dinner at the Joseph W. Martin Institute Auditorium on the College campus on Monday night. 94 student-athletes and student athletic support staff members received their senior gifts, while the athletic department also announces its major senior awards.

In addition, the athletic department made a special presentation to outgoing College President Rev. Mark T. Cregan, C.S.C., and the keynote speaker for the evening was Paula Sullivan, Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation. 

Frost	McBride
	Borges

2013 Edward E. Martin Scholar-Athlete Awards

Seniors Paige Frost (Brigantine, N.J./Holy Spirit), Caroline McBride (North Reading, Mass./North Reading) and Dana Borges (Taunton, Mass./Coyle & Cassidy) received the Edward E. Martin Scholar-Athlete Awards given to the top male and female scholar-athletes from the senior class.

Frost is a six-time All-Northeast-10 Conference performer with Stonehill’s NE-10 Champion women’s tennis program. She earned first team All-NE-10 honors at No. 4 singles and second team honors at No. 1 doubles this season and has achieved a 3.68 cumulative grade point average as an accounting major at the College. Frost received the NE-10 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award for women’s tennis as a junior and is a two time NE-10 Academic All-Conference selection. She has received the Saint Thomas Aquinas, Patron Saint of Students, Medal all three years she has been eligible for having the highest cumulative GPA on the team.

Frost, who along with freshman Kirsti Toegemann (Narragansett, R.I./The Lincoln School) form the sixth-ranked doubles team in the East Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), finished her career with a combined record of 127-32 (.799) in singles and doubles play over her four years, posting a 72-13 (.847) career mark in singles play and a 55-19 (.743) doubles clip. She posted a 44-2 (.957) singles record in NE-10 play over her career to go with a 27-4 (.871) doubles mark in Conference matches.

McBride is a two-time Northeast-10 Conference 10,000-meter run champion and has helped lead the Stonehill cross-country team to four-straight NE-10 and NCAA Division II East Regional titles over her career. She has earned a 3.61 cumulative grade point average as an American History major at the College, collecting Capital One Academic All-District I honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) as a junior. McBride received the NE-10 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award for cross country last fall and is a four-time NE-10 Academic All-Conference selection, receiving the honors for indoor track & field twice and outdoor track and cross country once each.

McBride is an eight-time All-Northeast-10 performer in cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field, including her two 10,000-meter outdoor track and field championships. She is a combined nine-time All-East Region honoree for cross country and indoor and outdoor track, also earning All-New England honors the first time with a second place finish in the 10,000-meter run at the 2012 New England Outdoor Track & Field Championships. McBride posted first team All-NE-10 and All-Region performances this past fall in leading the Skyhawks to the NE-10 and East Region cross country titles, placing fourth at the regional and fifth at the Conference Championship meet.

Borges earned All-Northeast-10 first team honors for ice hockey this past winter and was named a semifinalist for the 13^th Annual Joe Concannon Award by The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston. He has earned a 3.72 cumulative grade point average while majoring in criminology at the College. Borges earned Capital One Academic All-District I At Large team honors as a junior and has received the Northeast-10 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award as a junior and senior as well as NE-10 Academic All-Conference honors three straight years. He is also a three-time recipient of the Saint Thomas Aquinas Medal for having the highest cumulative GPA on the team.

Borges, who helped lead Stonehill to the NE-10 Championship game in 2012, led the Conference with in scoring with 37 points as well as assists with 22, while adding 15 goals during his senior season, ranking eighth nationally in Division II and III hockey for scoring and 13^th in assists. He collected NE-10 All-Rookie Team honors as a freshman and finished his career with 29 goals and 58 assists for 87 points in 100 games played.

Senior All-Americans Kelsey Reilly (Hingham, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) and Corey Thomas (Brookline, Mass./BC High) received the Fr. William Gartland, C.S.C., Awards as the top male and female senior student-athletes at Stonehill.

Reilly is a three-time first team All-Northeast-10 Conference performer for Stonehill’s nationally-ranked women’s lacrosse program who has earned All-America honors as a sophomore and junior, including consensus All-America accolades following her sophomore season. The 2013 NE-10 Midfielder of the Year leads the Conference with 105 draw controls, marking the second-straight year she has surpassed 100 draws after collecting a program-record 120 as a junior. Reilly became the 14^th 200-point scorer in program history this season and has totaled 142 goals and 64 assists for 206 points to go with 299 draw controls, 186 ground balls and 109 caused turnovers in 72 career games played.

Reilly, a two-time All-North Region honoree, has led Stonehill to the semifinal round of the NE-10 Tournament with 37 goals and 16 assists for 53 points to go with her 105 draw controls, team-high 22 caused turnovers and 36 ground balls. The Skyhawks have appeared in the NE-10 semifinals all four seasons Reilly has been at Stonehill, reaching the NE-10 Championship game in 2010 and earning an NCAA Tournament bid.

Thomas is an eight time All-America performer with the Stonehill track and field program, winning the 2011 NCAA Division II indoor national championship for the high jump during his sophomore year. He has earned All-America honors for the indoor high jump all four years at the College to go with a pair of outdoor All-America high jump performances and two All-America efforts in the 60-meter high hurdles at the indoor championships. Thomas has collected NE-10 Indoor Athlete of the Year honors three times over his career, including this past winter when he led the Skyhawks to their first NE-10 Indoor Track & Field Championship.

The three-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) East Region Field Athlete of the Year has won four New England Championships, earning 13 All-New England and 14 All-Northeast-10 Conference honors, six USTFCCCA All-Region and won ten Northeast-10 titles (six hurdles and four high jump). Thomas holds the school record in all five events he competes in at Stonehill, clearing a record 7-feet, 3-inches for the indoor high jump and finishing the 60-meter hurdles in 7.88-seconds at the 2013 New England Indoor Championships. Thomas cleared an outdoor high jump record 7-1.5, has run the 110-meter hurdles in a record time of 14.31-seconds and also holds the 55-meter hurdles record of 7.45-seconds set at the 2010 New England Indoor Championships.

Kelly

Borges

2013 Fr. John McCarthy, C.S.C., Leadership Awards

Senior Erin Kelly (Tinley Park, Ill./Marist) and Borges received Fr. John McCarthy, C.S.C., Leadership Awards for their efforts over their career for their respective programs.

Kelly, a captain for the Stonehill volleyball this past season, is a two-time All-Northeast-10 Conference performer over her career. She earned All-East Region honorable mention honors as a junior in helping lead the Skyhawks to their first NCAA Tournament appearance and a second place finish in the NE-10 standings. Kelly has earned a 3.78 cumulative grade point average while majoring in communication at the College, collecting NE-10 Academic All-Conference status each of the last two seasons and the St. Thomas Aquinas medal for having the highest cumulative GPA on the team the last two years.

Kelly finished her career with 1,360 digs in 400 sets (3.40 digs/set) played over her four year career to go with 525 assists and 174 service aces. She is a member of both the Lambda Pi Eta and Lambda Epsilon Sigma National Honor Societies, received the Vice President’s Award at Stonehill and completed an internship with the TLC television show “What Not to Wear” during the summer of 2012.

Borges, in addition to his accolades listed above, served as team captain for the Stonehill ice hockey this season and assistant captain his junior year. He has completed internships with the Public Defender’s Office in Brockton, Mass., as well as the Department of Defense in Boston Borges is an active member of the community around Stonehill, participating in many community programs such as the Special Olympics and Team IMPACT and is part of the College’s LifeSkills program. 

Cruikshank

2013 Matthew McDonough Spirit Award

Stonehill senior Lauren Cruikshank (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) received the Matthew McDonough Spirit Award, given annually by the 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.

Cruikshank has been the selected recipient of this year’s award, having followed in the steps of McDonough with her utmost enthusiasm and pride in supporting Stonehill sports teams. Although she does not participate in a varsity sport at Stonehill, many who don’t know her might think she does, based on her close friendships with players on almost every team. On that note, Cruikshank is a Stonehill athlete who is always supportive of every team and in attendance at as many games as possible as a loyal fan to cheer on her fellow student athletes.

Cruikshank’s genuine interest in Stonehill athletics is astonishing, she never failing to ask when the next game is so she can come cheer the Skyhawks on. Not only is she an eager fan at soccer games, but she also attends as many softball, volleyball, basketball or other games and matches as she can. What makes Cruikshank stand out as deserving of this award is her loyalty and dedication to her Skyhawk spirit, attending games decked out in purple with immense pride.

Stonehill captured the Northeast-10 Conference Presidents’ Cup for the third-straight year and fourth time overall at the conclusion of the 2011-12 academic year, Stonehill finished ranked 68^th in the final Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings which recognizes overall athletic achievement in NCAA championships. Stonehill has received the NCAA Division II Presidents’ Award for Academic Achievement each of the first two years if the program’s existence of honoring programs with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90-percent or better. The athletics program is also ranked sixth in the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Power Rankings used to assess the academic and athletic standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs, marking a fourth straight top ten placement.

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