Feb. 9, 2009

UMass Lowell seniors Ruben Sanca (Boston, MA) and Missy Seeley (East Hampstead, NH) were each named to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Academic Teams – their third straight appearances – the Conference announced Friday.

Sanca, the NE-10 Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year, and Seeley, the Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Year, were among nine UMass Lowell student-athletes cited to the teams.

Seniors Jason DeDonato (Nashua, NH) and Sarah Brassard (Oxford, MA) were named to the cross country all-academic teams for the second successive year while juniors Ryan Richards (Holden, MA) and Jamie Gillis (North Billerica, MA) of the men and women’s soccer teams also earned the honor for the second straight year.

Joining them were senior Jamie Wangia (Lowell, MA) and junior Rudy Kocandrle (Northboro, MA) of the men’s soccer team; and sophomore Elizabeth Carr (Randolph, MA) of the cross country team, each earning their first honors.

The NE-10 All-Academic Teams honored student-athletes, sophomores and older, who achieved a minimum grade point average of 3.30. The teams were voted upon by the Conference’s sports information directors.

Sanca, a business administration major with a 3.32 grade point average, enjoyed a spectacular cross country season in which he was also named the NCAA East Region Athlete of the Year and, along with DeDonato, guided UMass Lowell to both the NE-10 and NCAA East Region championships.

Perhaps more impressive, Sanca and DeDonato also led the River Hawks to the New England Championship, which pits Division I, II and III school against one another, for the second time in three years. UMass Lowell is the sole Division II or III school to win the coveted title since the race began in 1912.

A health education major, DeDonato maintains a 3.39 average and was named to both the NE-10 Second Team and the NCAA East Region Team.

Brassard and Carr also enjoyed stellar cross country seasons, helping lead the River Hawks to both the NE-10 and NCAA East Region titles. At the NCAAs, UMass Lowell placed 22nd in its fifth straight appearance.

Along the way, Brassard placed third at the NE-10 Championship for first team honors while Carr placed 25th in the field of 139 runners. Brassard also earned NCAA East Region all-star status, placing fourth while Carr placed 80th out of 166 runners. Brassard has earned a 3.79 average in exercise physiology while Carr has maintained a 3.99 in mechanical engineering.

A defensive midfielder, Seeley backstopped the field hockey team (20-5, 17-1 NE-10) to its third NE-10 regular season title and its fourth appearance in the NCAA Championship match in six years.

Though known for her defense, Seeley contributed six goals and 13 assists (25 points) and earned a plethora of honors, including NFHCA Division II First Team All-America status and NE-10 First Team honors for the second straight year.

Perhaps more impressive, she made the NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad a fourth straight year. Seeley has maintained a 3.60 average in plastics engineering.

Richards, Kocandrle and Wangia led the men’s soccer team (14-4-4) to one of its best seasons in school history, capturing the NE-10 regular season co-championship and earning the No. 1 seed for the Tournament.

The River Hawks, seeded No. 4 in the NCAA Tournament East Regional, defeated No. 5 Molloy (3-2) and No. 1 Southern New Hampshire (2-1) before suffering a 1-0 loss at No. 2 Dowling in the final minute of double overtime in the East Region final/Tournament quarterfinal.

Richards, a goalkeeper, and Kocandrle, a defender, both earned NE-10 Second Team honors and led a defense which limited foes to 1.10 goals per game and seven shutouts this season. A chemistry major, Richards has maintained a 3.86 while Kocandrle has earned a 3.41 in civil engineering.

Wangia, a first team NE-10 all-star and second team All-NSCAA East Region standout, was among the top scorers in the conference with eight goals – the majority off headers and set plays – and six assists (22 points). Wangia has maintained a 3.52 in business management and has also drawn interest from the New England Revolution as well as several United Soccer Leagues (USL) First Division clubs.

The honor is the latest for Gillis, who enjoyed a plaudit-filled year highlighted with the title of NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Year as well as second team NSCAA East Region honors. She ranked third among NE-10 goalkeepers in goals against average (0.98) and shutouts (seven).

Gillis led UMass Lowell to an 8-5-5 clip this season (6-3-5 NE-10/seventh) and to the NE-10 Tournament semifinal. An exercise physiology major, Gillis has achieved a 3.41.