June 30, 2010
View NE-10 Release
Six UMass Lowell student-athletes - including five members of the UMass Lowell women's and men's track and field teams - were cited to the Northeast-10 Conference Spring All-Academic Teams, the Conference announced.
All five of UMass Lowell's track and field recipients - seniors Jacqui Barrett (Woburn, MA), Haley Catarius (Marshfield, MA) and Sharikka Finley-Moise (Lexington, MA) and graduate Ruben Sanca (Boston, MA) and junior Angus MacDonald (Methuen, MA) - repeated the honors from last year.
For Catarius, Finley-Moise and Sanca, it marked the third year receiving the distinction while Barrett and MacDonald received the award for the second straight year. Luke Wallace (Yorktown Heights, NY), a graduate student who recently capped his career on the baseball team, was cited for the firs time.
The distinction also completes a "triple" of sorts for Catarius and MacDonald, who were named to both the 2009-10 NE-10 Cross Country and Indoor Track and Field All-Academic Teams while Barrett and Finley-Moise were also named to the 2010 indoor track and field academic teams.
To be eligible for the academic all-conference teams, a student-athlete must have played in at least half of the team's competitions as a significant contributor; achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale); and completed at least one academic year at his/her institution.
After a magnificent indoor season, the UMass Lowell track and field teams enjoyed a tremendous outdoor campaign which saw Barrett capture the NCAA title in the shot put; and Sanca earn All-American honors in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
Along with a plethora of athletic honors this season, Barrett and compiled her share of academic plaudits as well. Last week, Barrett became UMass Lowell's first Academic All-American since 1997 when she was named to the ESPN The Magazine College Division Track and Field Academic All-America Team.
She highlighted the year by becoming UMass Lowell's third female NCAA Champion when she captured the shot put with a school-record throw of 50 feet, 8.25 inches. The title was one of four majors on the year for Barrett as she won the New England Championship as well as the NE-10 indoor and outdoor titles.
A psychology major, Barrett graduated with a 3.54 grade point average and was named the co-recipient of UMass Lowell's Lester H. Cushing Award for Female Athlete of the Year (shared with women's soccer senior Jamie Gillis) at the 2010 Excellence Awards Night on May 11.
Catarius, an environmental science major who graduated with a 3.46 grade point average, enjoyed another stellar outdoor season which saw her place 10th at the NCAA Championship in the 800 meters in 2:11.63. She also ran a leg on UMass Lowell's 4X400 meter relay team which captured the New England Championship in 3:47.80.
Catarius was the recipient of UMass Lowell's highest honor, the Laurie Mann Award for excellence in athletics, academics, community service and leadership, at the 2010 Excellence Awards Night.
A psychology major, Finley-Moise led UMass Lowell's women's contingent on the All-Academic teams with a 3.85 grade point average. She enjoyed a solid senior year, highlighted by placing third in the 4X100 meter relay at the New England Championship to earn All-New England honors.
Sanca, who completed his eligibility this spring, has maintained a 3.51 in UMass Lowell's MBA program. He earned All-American honors in both the 5,000 meters (fifth, 14:14.36) and the 10,000 meters (fifth, 30:21.26) at the NCAA Championship May 27-29.
He also captured the New England championship in the 5,000 meters (14:23.93) and earned All-New England status in the 1,500 meters (sixth, 3:50.10).
A mathematics major with a 3.41 cumulative average, MacDonald has made the most of his junior year, earning All-American honors at both the NCAA Cross Country Championship (placing 37th overall, 26th among scoring runners) as well as the indoor mile (4:15.04) and distance medley relay (10:15.51). The spring saw him earn All-New England honors in both the 5,000 meters (second, 14:41.10) and the 1,500 meters (fifth, 3:49.45).
Additionally, MacDonald was named the recipient of the NE-10 Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award for both cross country and indoor track and field; and UMass Lowell's Lester H. Cushing Award for Male Athlete of the Year.
Wallace enjoyed a stellar senior year which saw him bat .281 with a team-high 39 runs, 20 RBI, 16 stolen bases and five home runs en route to NE-10 Third Team All-Conference honors. He ranked among NE-10 leaders in nine categories, including stolen bases (tied for sixth), triples (three, tied for eighth), home runs (tied for ninth) and runs scored (tied for 10th).
Wallace has maintained a 3.70 in community social psychology.
