July 3, 2012

Northeast-10 Names Nine Spring Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Winners

For Immediate Release

July 3, 2012

South Easton, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference has announced its Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award winners for the 2012 spring season’s nine different sports.

Bentley University and the University of Massachusetts Lowell both had two representatives honored.

For Bentley, Matt Michel (golf) and Amy Varsell (women’s outdoor track & field) were the two Falcons’ recipients, while UMass Lowell’s Elyssa Boris (softball) and Angus MacDonald (outdoor men’s track & field) were among the pair of River Hawks to earn the award.

Also receiving recognition was Southern New Hampshire University’s Tim Flight (baseball), Le Moyne College’s Josh Klepfer (men’s lacrosse), Adelphi University’s Erica Devito (women’s lacrosse), Merrimack College’s Petar Golijanin (men’s tennis), and Stonehill College’s Paige Frost (women’s tennis).

Michel, a junior, was an Academic All-America At-Large Third Team selection and Northeast-10 First Team choice this past season. He led the way for Bentley by posting a 75.5 stroke average, but missed out on the NCAA Division II East/Atlantic Super Regional due to illness.

Varsell had an outstanding year in which she claimed her third and fourth career All-America awards. The junior was named the Northeast-10 Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and the USTFCCCA Division II East Region Women's Track Athlete of the Year. She also had two top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships and was fourth at the East Regional.

Boris, a Capital One Academic All-America selection, helped the River Hawks reach the NCAA Tournament as a senior after hitting .391 with eight home runs and 44 RBI. A Northeast-10 First Team selection, Boris was also stellar on the mound for the River Hawks, compiling a 20-9 record with a 3.12 ERA in 195.1 innings.

As for MacDonald, a graduate student and 10-time All-American, he was an indoor All-American in the 1500 meters and distance medley relay as well as an outdoor All-American in the 1500 meters. He has also helped lead the River Hawks to two NCAA Division II East Regional Championships.

Flight, a junior, was named the Northeast-10 Pitcher of the Year before being selected by the New York Yankees in the 2012 MLB Draft. He also helped lead the Penmen to their first-ever NCAA Division II College World Series appearance, finishing the season 9-1 with a 1.31 ERA while recording 140 strikeouts in 102.2 innings. The lefthander is currently pitching for the Staten Island Yankees of the New York-Penn League.

Klepfer, who started all 18 games in the backfield this past season for the Dolphins, helped lead Le Moyne to the Northeast-10 Championship and an NCAA appearance. He was also named to the 2012 Northeast-10 Second Team.

Devito, who was a finalist for the Northeast-10 Woman of the Year Award, was named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-American First Team after totaling 103 points on 63 goals and 39 assists. The senior also helped lead the Panthers to the first round of the NCAA Tournament and a Northeast-10 Championship victory over Le Moyne.

Golijanin, a junior, played a key role in leading the Warriors to their first-ever Northeast-10 Championship and fifth straight trip to NCAAs. For his efforts, he was named to First Team All-Conference at No. 3 singles.

Frost, a junior, helped the Skyhawks reach the Northeast-10 Championship match and an NCAA bid. She was named Second Team All-Conference at No. 3 singles this year.

For the complete list of scholar-athlete award winners for the 2012 spring season, please see below.

The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 5,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

2012 Spring Scholar-Athlete Award Winners
Baseball - Timothy Flight, So. New Hampshire
Golf – Matt Michel, Bentley
Men’s Lacrosse - Josh Klepfer, Le Moyne
Women’s Lacrosse - Erica Devito, Adelphi
Softball - Elyssa Boris, UMass Lowell
Men’s Tennis - Petar Golijanin, Merrimack
Women’s Tennis - Paige Frost, Stonehill
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field - Angus MacDonald, UMass Lowell
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field - Amy Varsell, Bentley

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