UMass Lowell Honors 17 on National Student-Athlete Day

Senior Julie Brodie (Chelmsford, MA) highlighted six repeats as 17 student-athletes were honored on National Student-Athlete Day Friday, Apr. 11, at UMass Lowell.

The ceremonial luncheon took place at Coburn Hall on the University’s South Campus. Student-athletes were accompanied by both their coaches as well as their professors of choice.

The annual ceremony honored UML student-athletes who earned the top grade point averages on each team for the fall 2007 semester, along with the top freshman male and female.

Brodie represented the softball team for the third consecutive year while senior Bryan Koenig (Reading, MA) earned the honor for the men’s track and field team for the second time in three years.

Additionally, four sophomores – Mike Clem (Charlton, MA) and Elizabeth Garlo (Russell, MA) of the soccer teams; Jenna Banks (North Attleboro, MA) of the women’s cross country team, and Nichole Rondeau (Dracut, MA) of the volleyball team – were the representatives for their respective teams after winning freshman honors last year.

More impressive, Banks and Clem were among five student-athletes – three of whom competed in the fall – who received perfect 4.00 grade point averages in the fall 2007. Joining them were sophomore Frank Stegnar (Toronto, ONT) of the hockey team and freshmen Hannah May (Hardwick, MA) of the softball team and Jennifer Carr (Tewksbury, MA) of the cross country/track and field teams, who were the top two female freshman honorees.

Majoring in health education and nursing, Brodie capped the fall semester with a 3.925 grade point average. She led the softball team to a 30-22 clip in 2007 which included NE-10 Tournament championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Northeast Region semifinal.

The honor is one of several academic-related plaudits received by Brodie, who was named to both the NE-10 All-Academic First Team and the ESPN The Magazine District 1 Academic First Team in 2007. Brodie is currently hitting .275 with 18 runs for the River Hawks, who are currently 9-9 entering Tuesday’s twin bill at Saint Michael’s.

Koenig, who was also cited in 2006, majors in both criminal justice and political science and has maintained a 3.880. He highlighted the indoor season leading the 4X200 meter relay team to first place in 1:34.45 at the Dartmouth Relays in January.

Koenig and Banks were among six cross country and track and field athletes to be honored. Banks and sophomore Jeremiah Karanja (Lowell, MA) represented the cross country teams.

Along with achieving a 4.0 in nursing last fall, Banks highlighted the cross country season by placing 63rd among 222 runners (20:00) at the UMass Dartmouth Shriners Invitational, in which UML placed sixth.

A chemistry major who earned a 3.594, Karanja appeared in only three meets due to an injury, and impressed in the Amherst College Invitational, placing 28th among 72 runners with a time of 17:43.60.

Junior Sarah Brassard (Oxford, MA) represented the women’s track and field team and freshman Nicholas John (Seekonk, MA), of the men’s track and field team, was named among the top freshmen.

May and Carr, who both achieved 4.0 averages in the fall, joined John as the top freshman grade point averages. An exercise physiology major, May has started in 17 games this season with a .236 average and 10 runs.

Carr highlighted the indoor track and field season by helping UML’s distance medley relay team to third place (13:16.83) as she ran the 400 meter dash in 1:06.40.

The honor marks Brassard’s second academic award of the year as she was named to the 2007 Northeast-10 Conference Women’s Cross Country All-Academic First Team. John, an exercise physiology major, appeared in two meets during the cross country season.

An exercise physiology major, Clem helped the men’s soccer team to a 12-4-4 record and to the NCAA Tournament second round. A defender, he appeared in 18 of 20 matches with seven starts.

Representing the women’s soccer team is sophomore Elizabeth Garlo (Russell, MA), who achieved a 3.914 in nursing while redshirting the year due to an injury.

Rondeau, who registered a 3.925 in mechanical engineering, enjoyed a solid season as the volleyball team’s primary setter. She posted averages of 8.12 assists and 2.09 digs per game, appearing in all 33 matches, for the 12-21 River Hawks.

Junior Missy Seeley (East Hampstead, NH) is among six student-athletes earning NSAD honors for the first time. A defensive midfielder on the field hockey team, Seeley started all 22 matches and helped lead the River Hawks (19-3) to their fifth straight NE-10 Tournament crown as well as their third regular season title and NCAA Championship match appearance in five years.

A plastics engineering major, Seeley earned a 3.587 last fall and was named to both the NE-10 All-Academic Team and the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II National Academic Squad.

Stegnar, who earned a 4.00 average in the College of Management last fall, appeared in 27 games this season in which he scored one goal and assisted on four others. UML (16-17-4) highlighted the year by capturing the Florida College Classic and advancing to the Hockey East Tournament quarterfinal with the No. 7 seed.

Senior Liron Asher (Givataim, Israel) and sophomore Ali Kanaan (Montreal, QUE) were tabbed from the women and men’s basketball team. A fine arts/graphic design major, Asher earned a 3.880 in the classroom and helped the River Hawks to a 13-14 clip with averages of 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Kanaan, a criminal justice major who earned a 3.50 average last fall, helped lead the men’s basketball team to a 12-17 clip, which included a bid in the NE-10 Tournament quarterfinal. A starter in 26 of 29 games, Kanaan posted average of 5.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots per game.

Representing the golf team is junior Tom Thiesing (Grafton, MA), who posted a 3.020 in mechanical engineering. Over the fall, Thiesing carded an average of 81.50 and highlighted the season by capturing the putting skills contest at the New England Intercollegiate Golf Association (NEIGA) Championship, where he helped UML to seventh place out of 42 Division I, II and III teams.

Sophomore Luke Wallace (Yorktown Heights, NY) achieved a 3.433 in psychology to lead the baseball team. Wallace is currently hitting .261 with 16 runs, 15 RBI and nine stolen bases in 11 attempts for UML (11-14).

2008 National Student-Athlete Day Honorees
	Baseball Luke Wallace Psychology Semester: 3.433 Overall: 3.149		Ice Hockey Frank Stegnar Management Semester: 4.000 Overall: 3.668 Prof. John Hamer
	W-Basketball Liron Asher Graphic Design Semester: 3.833 Overall: 3.173 Prof. Michael Roundy		W-Soccer Elizabeth Garlo Nursing Semester: 3.914 Overall: 3.853 Prof. Celeste Tremblay
	M-Basketball Ali Kanaan Criminal Justice Semester: 3.500 Overall: 3.208		M-Soccer Michael Clem Exercise Physiology Semester: 4.000 Overall: 3.857 Prof. Claire Chamberlain
	W-Cross Country Sarah Brassard Exercise Physiology Semester: 3.725 Overall: 3.782 Prof. Thomas Wilson		Softball Julie Brodie Health Education Semester: 3.925 Overall: 3.896 Prof. Nicole Champagne
	M-Cross Country Jeremiah Karanja Chemistry Semester: 3.594 Overall: 3.312 Prof. Edwin Jahngen		W-Track Jenna Banks Nursing Semester: 4.000 Overall: 4.000 Prof. Thomas Wilson
	Field Hockey Missy Seeley Plastics Engineering Semester: 3.673 Overall: 3.587 Prof. Robert Malloy		M-Track Bryan Koenig - Criminal Justice & Political Science Semester: 3.880 Overall: 3.625 Prof. Kristen Scully
	Golf Tom Thiesing Mechanical Engineering Semster: 3.020 Overall: 2.993		Volleyball Nichole Rondeau Mechanical Engineering Semester: 3.925 Overall: 3.824 Prof. Robert Parkins

2008 Freshman Honorees
W-Track Jennifer Carr Mechanical Engineering Semester: 4.000 Prof. David Kazmer	M-Track Nicholas John Exercise Physiology Semester: 3.756 Prof. Theodore Namm	Softball Hannah May Exercise Physiology Semester: 4.000 Prof. Theodore Namm

Faculty Athletic Representative Bob Gamache, Michael Clem (Soccer), Professor Claire Chamberlain, Interim Provost Don Pierson

Faculty Athletic Representative Bob Gamache, Jenna Banks (Track), Professor Tom Wilson, Interim Provost Don Pierson

Julie Brodie (Softball - 3 time winner), Bryan Koenig (Track - 2 time winner)