Laurie Mann Award: Candace Greene Interview WATCH
Female Lester Cushing Award: Elisabeth Monty Interview WATCH
Female Lester Cushing Award: Taelour Murphy Interview WATCH
River Hawk Award: Doug Carr Interview WATCH
Jon Hellstedt Award: Josh Holmstrom Interview WATCH
David J. Boutin Award: Keith Lewis Interview WATCH
Moment of the Year Winner: Robert Allen Interview WATCH
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LOWELL, Mass. (May 12, 2014) – Seven UMass Lowell student-athletes were honored for excellence on the playing field, in the locker room, in the classroom and in the community Monday night at the Athletic Department's Annual Senior Salute dinner at the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center.
 
The evening, which spotlighted individual excellence, also served to highlight not just success, but the sacrifices made by student-athletes as the university began the transition into Division I.  River Hawk teams and individuals were not eligible for post season or NCAA national tournaments.
 
"That's the one thing that was taken away from our student-athletes; you're not allowed to compete for championships," said UMass Lowell Director of Athletics Dana Skinner.  "That was a hard reality for our student-athletes here."
 
But Skinner, a former student-athlete and coach, praised their resilience and leadership. 
 
"To watch them in practice, in competition with the spirit they demonstrated, the energy, the commitment to improve and get better and the willingness to accept this role for the university during this four year transition so that future student-athletes have the opportunity to compete at the highest level, you really have to applaud the student-athletes," said Skinner.  "They were terrific all year long."
 
The Athletic Director, in his 27^th year at the university and nearly two decades leading the Athletic Department, described it as a "transformational moment," an opportunity that few ever get. Fifteen of the university's sixteen sports are transitioning into Division I, ice hockey made the move in the early 1980s.  Men's and women's Lacrosse will be added during the next school year.
 
The goaltender for the Hockey East Tournament Champion River Hawks and two sprinters from the Women's Track and Field Team earned the Lester H. Cushing Award as the University's top athletes.  Sophomore Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce, Mich.) was honored as the outstanding male athlete.  Senior Elisabeth Monty (Charlton, Mass.) and junior Taelour Murphy (Salisbury, Mass.) shared the women's award.
 
For Hellebuyck, it has been a postseason of honors.  He earned the Hockey East Tournament Most Valuable Player Award, for the second straight season, after turning in back-to-back shutouts in the semifinal and championship games.  He was also honored as an All-American, the conference's First-Team All-Star goalie and was the recipient of the Mike Richter Award as the nation's best netminder.  Hellebuyck led the country with a 1.79 goal against average and a .941 save percentage.
 
Monty and Murphy launched a relentless assault on the UMass Lowell Track and Field Record Book.  Monty's name appears next to five individual track records, two of which were set during the most recent indoor season. Murphy's moniker is attached to four individual records, all set this year.  Both are part of two relay team records.
 
Track athletes were also honored with the David Boutin and Laurie Mann Awards which are presented to the top male and female student-athletes based on athletic and academic excellence as well as service to the university and/or surrounding community.
 
Senior Keith Lewis (Nashua, N. H.) earned the Boutin Award, and senior Candace Greene (Annapolis, Md.) was honored with the Mann Award.  Lewis, a multi event competitor, scored points in four different events at the America East Outdoor Championships, and was active in student government and in a variety of fundraising projects. 
 
Greene, a throws specialist, won the America East shot put championship in both the indoor and outdoor seasons.  She was active in student government and in various charitable events on and off the campus.
 
The University also spotlighted the contributions and achievements both on and off the ice by Hockey senior captain Josh Holmstrom (Colorado Springs, Colo.)  Holmstrom was named the recipient of the Jon Hellstedt Spirit of Service Award given to the student-athlete who effectively uses sport to strengthen communities and improve lives.  The award is not given annually, but rather on those occasions when it has been earned.
 
During his four years in River Hawk colors, Holmstrom took part in various community reading programs and charity drives, but may have made his greatest contributions working with Team Impact and the Byrne Family children as they dealt with the effects of a life threatening illness.  Holmstrom was a frequent visitor to the family home and gave freely of his time to be with Dan, Andrew and Carolyn Byrne, and make them feel part of the university's hockey program.
 
Senior Doug Carr (Hanover, Mass.) was also recognized for his leadership contributions to the hockey program.  Carr was named the winner of the River Hawk Award.
 
The Men's Golf and Women's Soccer teams were honored for their work in the classroom.  Each earned the Bob Griffin Academic Award.  Golf carried an overall grade point average of 3.26.  Women's Soccer had the highest score recording a 3.28 GPA.
 
UMass Lowell senior distance runner Ben Pare (Methuen, Mass.) was named the recipient of the Scholar Athlete Award.
 
The award is given on an annual basis, at the university's commencement, to the graduating student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average for their collegiate career.  Pare, a biology major, topped the charts with a 3.96 GPA.  He clinched the honor with a 4.00 GPA in his final semester. 
 
"He's an A-1 kid academically and all around," said UMass Lowell track and field head coach Gary Gardner.  "He never misses anything; he goes above and beyond the call."
 
Pare, the National Student-Athlete Day award winner from the track and field team, earned a spot on the Honor Roll each semester at the university after transferring from Boston College during his freshman year.  A single "A-" kept Pare from a perfect mark in the classroom.
 
The next challenge facing Pare is medical school.  He hopes eventually to become a doctor.