Northeast Conference - 2008-09 Northeast Conference Scholar-Athletes

2008-09 Northeast Conference Scholar-Athletes

Award Recipients Excel On The Playing Field & In The Classroom

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For the fifth straight year, the Northeast Conference will recognize outstanding scholar-athletes during league basketball telecasts.

One Scholar-Athlete honoree will be chosen from each participating institution during NEC-televised men’s and women’s basketball games throughout the 2008-09 season.

2008-09 NEC Scholar-Athletes

Kevin Walsh • Monmouth • Football	February 28, 2009
Walsh, a senior defensive tackle, was named the 2008 NEC Defensive Player of the Year and a third team Associated Press All-American. He finished the year with 38 tackles and six sacks. A four-time member of the NEC Academic Honor Roll, Walsh became Monmouth’s only two-time NACDA Academic All-Star while earning ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District II honors for the second straight season. A Business Administration major, Walsh carries a 3.31 grade point average.
Derek Rammelkamp • Wagner • Cross Country	February 28, 2009
The 2007 NEC Cross Country Rookie of the Year, Rammelkamp picked up where he left off this season, playing a key role in Wagner's program-best fifth place finish at the NEC Championships. He finished 29th in the event with a time of 28:04, then led Wagner to a 25th place finish at the 2008 NCAA Division I Regional Championships and a 16th place finish at the 2008 ECAC/IC4A Championships. Rammelkamp, a sophomore, is majoring in Chemistry. His grade point average is 3.98.
Brooke Panepinto • Robert Morris • Softball	February 28, 2009
Named a 2008 ESPN The Magazine District II Academic All-American, Panepinto hit .355, slugged .600 and ranked third in the NEC with nine home runs in 2008. She was selected as a first team all-conference outfielder a year ago. Heading into her senior campaign, she sports a career batting average of .352, the highest in program history. Panepinto is a Marketing major. She maintains a 3.58 grade point average.
CJ Cover • Mount St. Mary's • Soccer	February 28, 2009
This past fall Cover helped Mount St. Mary's qualify for its first NEC Tournament and reach the NEC Championship match for the first time since 1999. He anchored the Mount defensive unit, starting all 20 games. In his career, the senior defender played 65 matches, including 58 starts. An Accounting major, Cover carries a 3.80 grade point average.
Yan Klukowski • CCSU • Soccer	February 28, 2009
A two-year captain for the Blue Devils, Klukowski earned third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors this season and is a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection. On the pitch, the senior midfielder was a four-time All-Northeast Conference selection and the 2005 NEC Rookie of the Year. In 2008, he ranked in the top-10 in the conference in goals, assists and points. One of 48 players named to the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Watch List, the Wiltshire, England native was also awarded three all-region honors during his career at CCSU. Klukowski is an Exercise Science major with a 3.46 grade point average.
Brianna Rooney • Quinnipiac • Basketball	February 28, 2009
Rooney was named the 2007-08 NEC Defensive Player of the Year when the Bobcats won a share of their first ever NEC regular season crown. The all-time Division I steals leader for Quinnipiac, Rooney is the current league leader in steals and assist-to-turnover ratio, and ranks among the top-10 in free throw percentage. Rooney is pursuing a double major of Psychology and Education. Her grade point average stands at 3.53.
Jukka Lehto • Long Island • Soccer	February 21, 2009
A native of Lahti, Finland, Lehto paced the Blackbirds in scoring for the second straight season, registering five goals, four assists and 14 points. He was named second team All-NEC, then was chosen to the NSCAA/adidas All-North Atlantic Region third team. The senior closed out a productive four-year career with 19 goals and 43 points. An NEC Academic Honor Roll member, Lehto is a Business Management/Marketing major. He maintains a 3.60 grade point average.
Bryn Doyle • Quinnipiac • Baseball	February 21, 2009
In addition to hitting over .300 in each of the past two seasons, Doyle also earned the highest gradepoint average among Quinnipiac male athletes in both years. In 2008, he led the Bobcats with a .414 on-base percentage (ninth in the NEC) and 22 walks, while hitting .308. Doyle, a senior infielder, majors in Finance. His grade point average stands at 3.71.
Alaina Gibson • Robert Morris • Volleyball	February 12, 2009
Gibson was recently named the NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women's volleyball. A second team all-NEC award winner this past season and two-time conference all-star, she helped lead the Colonials to a perfect 8-0 record in league play and the NEC regular season title in 2008. Gibson led the league with 4.14 digs per game and closed out her career with a school record 1,884 digs. She is the only player in Robert Morris annals to finish in the top-10 in the school’s single season record book for digs in each of her four seasons. A two-time ESPN The Magazine District II Academic All-American, Gibson is a Human Resources Management major with a 3.92 grade point average.
Erin Herd • CCSU • Soccer	February 12, 2009
Herd recently won the NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for women’s soccer after helping lead CCSU to the NEC title for the fifth time in seven years. The senior keeper was voted NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player, went 8-3-4 in goal for CCSU and posted a 0.72 goals against average to rank second on the circuit. She also led the conference with an .857 save percentage and eight shutouts en-route to first team all-NEC honors. Herd, who hails from Coffs Harbour, Australia, was also selected to participate in the NEWISA Senior Bowl at the conclusion of the season. A Biomolecular Sciences major and member of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District third team, Herd has posted a 3.41 grade point average.
Eva Mayr • Fairleigh Dickinson • Golf/Fencing	February 12, 2009
A two-sport athlete, Mayr earned distinction as the first player in league history to receive NEC Golfer of the Year and NEC Rookie of the Year accolades in the same season in 2007. She earned all-NEC honors as the 2008 NEC Tournament with a three-round score of 234, finishing fourth. This past fall, the Schwendi, Germany native claimed NEC Golfer of the Week honors after placing second at the Yale Intercollegiate Invitational with an 18-hole 72. Mayr, a junior, also fences and placed 34th in epee at the NIWFA Christmas Invitational in December. Mayr maintains a 3.97 grade point average as a Management major.
Katie Marshall • Sacred Heart • Swimming	February 12, 2009
Marshall has qualfied for 2009 ECAC Swimming Championships in 100 and 200 yard butterfly. At last year's ECAC event, she finished 10th in 200 yard butterfly following a third place finish at the NEC Championships. She also earned a fourth place finish in the 100 butterfly at the 2008 NEC meet. Marshall, a sophomore, has set six school records during the 2008-09 season. A Psychology major from Cumberland, RI, she sports a 3.40 grade point average.
Alexandra Tomlinson • Wagner • Swimming/Water Polo	February 7, 2009
Tomlinson is the captain of both the Wagner women’s swimming and water polo teams. This past November, she was named the NEC Swimmer of the Week for her performance in the Frank Elm Super Splash at Rutgers. She currently ranks first in the conference in the 1,650 freestyle, third in the 500 and 1,000 freestyle and fifth in the 200 freestyle. In water polo, Tomlinson sits sixth on Wagners career scorers list with 98 goals. The senior was named a Second-Team ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American last year and carries a 3.97 grade point average as a Nursing major.
Kurt Hoffman • Saint Francis (PA) • Basketball	February 7, 2009
A starter at forward for the Red Flash, Hoffman currently leads the team in field goal percentage. The Saint Francis SAAC President, Hoffman is a member of both Kappa Mu Epsilon, a mathematics honor society, and Delta Epsilon Sigma, a National Honor Society. Hoffman has participated as a member of the Math Engineering and Computer Science Relay 4 Life team and spent two summers of research and development for the Saint Francis Renewable Energy Center. The junior has also served as a guest speaker for Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) at Johnstown High School. Sporting a 3.78 grade point average, Hoffman majors in Mathematics.
Jamie Baumert • CCSU • Volleyball	February 7, 2009
Baumert, a junior middle blocker, is a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection. She has earned All-NEC honors in each of her three seasons in New Britain, including NEC Rookie of the Year in 2006 and second team accolades in 2008 when she led the league with 1.20 blocks per game and ranked ninth on the circuit in hitting percentage. The Elkhorn, NE product posted an NEC single-match high of 13 blocks against Sacred Heart on October 30. Baumert is majoring in Elementary Education and has compiled a 3.82 grade point average.
Adam Lawrence • Robert Morris • Football	February 7, 2009
A two-year starter at outside linebacker, Lawrence was tabbed the 2008 NEC Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The junior finished second on the Colonials and seventh in the NEC with 83 tackles this past season, including 30 solo stops. Lawrence also paced Robert Morris with 3.5 sacks (tenth in NEC) and six quarterback hurries, forced a fumble and recovered another. His 170 career tackles ranks first among active Colonials and 19th in school history. Named to the ESPN The Magazine District II Academic All-America team, the Big Run, PA native sports a near perfect 3.98 grade point average as an Environmental Science major.
Matthew Jones • Sacred Heart • Soccer	February 5, 2009
The NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men's soccer, Jones earned the third all-conference honor of his career this past fall when he was voted a first team all-star after posting a 1.08 goals against average and four shutouts. He started every game in net for Sacred Heart from the moment he stepped on campus four years ago, ending his career with 71 matches, 30 wins, 21 shutouts and over 6,500 minutes played. The Stoke-on-Trent, England native has registered a 3.63 grade point average majoring in Business.
Nicole Adams • Quinnipiac • Tennis	February 5, 2009
Adams, a senior, earned the NEC Scholar-Athlete Award for women’s tennis last year after helping lead the Bobcats to their fifth straight NEC championship. She was also selected to the all-NEC second team in both singles and doubles after winning 20 matches in 2007-08. Adams majors in International Business and currently carries a 3.85 grade point average.
Leah Westbrooks • Mount St. Mary's • Basketball	January 31, 2009
Hailing from Dublin, Irleand, Westbrooks is the third international women's basketball player to compete at Mount St. Mary's, She is the team's second leading scorer and top rebounder with over 10 points and nearly seven boards per outing. In the season opener against Colgate, the 6'0" sophomore forward recorded a career-high 19 points in a 60-39 win. Over the summer, Westbrooks served as the team captain for the Ireland U20 team at the European Championships. She is a Fine Arts major with a 3.57 grade point average.
Adam Farnsworth • Wagner • Football	January 31, 2009
Farnsworth earned the starting quarerback spot in 2008 following a stellar spring practice after transferring from the University of Iowa. He completed 56 percent of his passes for 925 yards and six touchdowns on the year, all team-highs. Fransworth threw for a season-high 207 yards on 25-32 passing and two TDs in leading the Seahawks to a 21-14 victory at Marist on September 19th. Majoring in International Affairs, the North Ogden, UT native carries a 3.79 grade point average.
Casey Stokes • Wagner • Basketball	January 25, 2009
A former walk-on, Stokes earned a scholarship and is a three-year captain for the Seahawks. The senior ranks among league leaders this season in steals, three pointers and assists. In her career, Stokes has moved into the top-10 all-time at Wagner in made three point shots. An NEC Academic Honor Roll member each year, she is a Sociology major with a minor in Spanish. Her grade point average is currently 3.75.
Alisa Apo • Sacred Heart • Basketball	January 25, 2009
The 2007-08 NEC Rookie of the Year, Apo currently ranks in the NEC top-10 in scoring, assists, free throw percentage, three-point percentage, made three-pointers and assist-to-turnover ratio. The sophomore guard is a two-time Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week in 2008-09. Apo has yet to declare a major. She maintains a 3.73 grade point average.
Liliana Rodriguez • St. Francis (NY) • Volleyball	January 24, 2009
This past volleyball season, Rodriguez finished fifth in the Northeast Conference with 3.81 digs per game and ranks among the top-10 all-time at St. Francis (NY) with 791 career digs. Rodriguez, who is a sophomore libero, hails from Linden, NJ and is a Management major. She currently carries a 3.57 grade point average.
Erin Reifsteck • Saint Francis (PA) • Field Hockey	January 24, 2009
An ESPN The Magazine Third Team Academic All-American a year ago, Reifsteck was tabbed to the All-NEC second team in field hockey as a senior in 2008. She finished the year second in the nation in saves per game (8.83) and 25th in save percentage (.740), and ended her career as the Red Flash's all-time leader in saves (515), goals against average (3.68) and save percentage (.713). A three-year team captain and member of the 2007 NEC All-Tournament team, Reifsteck served as President of the Saint Francis SAAC in 2008. She sports a near-perfect 3.99 grade point average as a Psychology major.
Amy Johnson • Long Island • Soccer/Bowling	January 19, 2009
Johnson anchored a strong Long Island defensive effort this past fall as the Blackbirds captured the NEC regular season women's soccer championship with a perfect 9-0 mark and finished a program-best 16-4-1 overall. A senior goalkeeper, she ranked first in the conference with a 0.69 goals against average, allowing just eight goals on the year. Johnson is a member of Phi Theta Kappa honors society and was selected to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I second team this past fall. A Sports Sciences major, she has compiled a 3.96 grade point average.
Javier Gonzalez • St. Francis (NY) • Soccer	January 19, 2009
One of the top defenders in the Northeast Conference, Gonzalez helped engineer an impressive turnaround for the Terriers this past fall. After winning just four games a year ago, St. Francis (NY) finished with an 11-4-3 mark in 2008. On the offensive end, Gonzalez pitched in with a goal and a assist. The junior defender hails from Caracas, Venezuela and is a Management major. His grade point average is 3.64.
Rachel Derrico • Fairleigh Dickinson • Soccer	January 19, 2009
Derrico started 13 games in between the pipes for the Knights in 2008, recording a 1.35 goals against average. She won six games, posted four shutouts and led the team with 46 saves as Fairleigh Dickinson qualified for the NEC Tournament for the first time since 2004. Derrico, a senior, is majoring in Communcations. Her grade point average is currently 3.82.
Alessandra DeTata • Monmouth • Soccer	January 19, 2009
A junior midfielder, DeTata was selected to the all-NEC first team at year's end after tying for the team lead with five assists. She also ranked third on the Hawks - who finished with 14 wins on the year - in goals (five) and points (15) to lead the NEC's top scoring offense. A five-time member of the Monmouth Dean's List and two-time NEC Academic Honor Roll recipient, DeTata carries a 3.74 grade point average majoring in Business Administration.
Tayvon Jackson • Mount St. Mary's • Basketball	January 15, 2009
A key contributor off the bench for defending champion Mount St. Mary's, the 6'7" sophomore forward pulled down a career-high six rebounds against Long Island last season. Jackson is pursuing a double major of Mathematics and Computer Science and maintains a 3.25 grade point average.
Blaire Porter • Long Island • Softball	January 15, 2009
Porter was named NEC Pitcher of the Year in 2008 after leading the Blackbirds to their third straight conference title. She finished the year with a 20-10 record and led the NEC with a 1.01 ERA and a school-record 208 strikeouts. The junior hurler was also tabbed to the NFCA/Louisville Slugger All-Mid Atlantic Region First Team at year's end. Off the field, she was awarded a Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship, given to undergraduates who demonstrate exceptional promise, outstanding leadership skills and commitment to the common good. Porter is a history major with a 3.30 grade point average.
Lisa-Marie Curti • Fairleigh Dickinson • Basketball	December 8, 2008
Curti, a sophomore defender, started 17 games this season for the Knights, who finished with a 5-4 record in league play and reached the NEC Tournament semifinals. She recorded four points on the year with a goal and two assists. Curti made an immediate impact for the Knights as a rookie in 2007, starting 18 games and logging over 1500 minutes. Tge Richmond Hill, Ontario product is majoring in Communications. She maintains a 3.97 grade-point average.
Molly Passarella • Monmouth • Field Hockey	December 8, 2008
Named to the all-Northeast Conference first-team midfield as a senior, Passarella scored four goals, including a game-winner in league play, to go along with two assists for the Hawks. She also ranked eighth in the conference with 2.06 shots per game. Passarella was tabbed as a second-team NEC and Mid-Atlantic region all-star as a junior in 2007. A Mathematics major, Passarella carries a 3.90 grade point average.
Matt Megerdichian • St. Francis (NY) • Track & Field	December 6, 2008
Megerdichian won the javelin throw at the 2008 Northeast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a 201' 7" toss. The school record holder in the event, he went on to compete at NCAA Eastern Regionals for the second consecutive year. He also placed fourth in the hammer throw at the 2008 NEC meet. A junior, Megerdichian has compiled a 3.42 grade point average majoring in Information Technology.
Scott Lewis • Saint Francis (PA) • Football	December 6, 2008
The 2007 Northeast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year, Lewis put together a strong sophomore campaign this past season and is currently tied for second in the nation with 12.91 tackles per game. His 142 tackles broke the single-season school record, and for the second straight season ranked first in the NEC. Lewis has been tabbed as a first team all-NEC linebacker in each of his two seasons. A History/Secondary Education major, he currently maintains a 3.54 grade point average.
Vinnie Berry • Mount St. Mary's • Soccer	December 4, 2008
Berry helped the Mount make its first NEC Tournament appearance since 1999 and reach its third NEC championship match this past season.· Named to the all-NEC first-team in November, Berry became the second player in program history to earn all-conference recognition three straight years. A senior midfielder, he posted one goal and five assists for seven points in 2008 and wrapped his career with seven goals and 11 assists for 25 points. Berry majors in Business with a concentration in Finance. His grade point average stands at 3.43.
Steve Tedesco • Sacred Heart • Football	December 4, 2008
Tedesco estabished new school records in 2008 for career receptions, career receiving yards, career touchdown receptions and receptions in a season en-route to first team all-NEC honors for the second year in a row. The junior wide receiver also led the NEC with 77 receptions, 891 receiving yards and ten receiving touchdowns this past season. Tedesco, who was recently named a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection for the second straight year, is a History major. His grade point average is 3.38.