MANCHESTER, N.H.
– Seniors Alena Mukdaprakorn
(Hartford, Conn.) and Chris Tsonis (Dartmouth,
Mass.) have been named the 2012-13 Female and Male Athletes of the
Year at Southern New Hampshire University. The announcement
was made during the University's 48th annual awards ceremony
held recently at the Center of New Hampshire Radisson in downtown
Manchester.
Seniors Daniela
Abruzzese (Parsippany, N.J.) and Jordan
Branco (Norton, Mass.) were named SNHU's
Scholar-Athletes of the Year, while juniors Tesia
Stanasek (Blackstone, Mass.) and Mike
Stys (Hooksett, N.H.) garnered the Unsung Hero
Award. Junior Samantha Whittier (Sutton,
Mass.) and graduate student Mark Painchaud
(Concord, N.H.) each received the Sportsmanship Award.
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A four-year standout for the women's tennis program,
Mukdaprakorn capped her career in 2012-13 by being named
Northeast-10 Player of the Year for the second straight season,
compiling a 12-0 mark at No. 1 singles. Over her career,
Mukdaprakorn has compiled a 76-21 singles record, including a 48-1
mark in NE-10 competition, while in doubles play she is 81-21 and
50-0 in league matches. SNHU's all-time leader in
singles and doubles triumphs, Mukdaprakorn was NE-10 First Team in
singles and doubles play in each of her four seasons. Over
her four seasons, the Penmen posted a 73-20 (.785) record, four
Northeast-10 regular season titles, three NE-10 tournament crowns,
and made four trips to the NCAA Tournament.
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Tsonis wrapped up his brilliant career with the SNHU men's
soccer program in 2012, leading the NE-10 with 16 goals and four
assists for 36 points as the Penmen finished 19-4 and advanced to
the NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in four seasons.
The Daktronics East Region Co-Player of the Year, Tsonis had seven
game-winning goals on the season and finished eighth nationally in
total goals scored while serving as team co-captain. He
wrapped up his career ninth in the storied history of Penmen soccer
with 40 career goals. Over his four seasons the Penmen were
63-15-9 (.776), four time NCAA tournament participants and three
time NCAA quarterfinalists.
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A four-year standout for the SNHU
women's soccer team, Abruzzese, a stalwart defender, has been
a three-time Northeast-10 Third Team All-Conference selection in
her career. In 2012, she also garnered NSCAA Third Team
All-Region accolades, and was also named a Capital One Academic
All-American, just one of 13 SNHU student-athletes to ever receive
the honor. She helped anchor a defense that allowed just 16
goals all season and posted eight shutouts. Abruzzese was
named the Most Outstanding Player of the Northeast-10 Championship
after leading the Penmen to three straight shutouts as they claimed
their first NE-10 Tournament title. A Business Administration
major, Abruzzese has compiled a 3.821 grade point average in her
time at SNHU.
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Branco, who was named the Male Scholar
Athlete of the Year for the second straight year, recently wrapped
a standout three-year career with the Penmen men's soccer
program. In 2012 he finished with six goals and a team-high
nine assists for 21 points en route to NSCAA Third Team All-Region
and Northeast-10 Second Team All-Conference honors. Branco
was also named a Capital One Academic All-American for the second
time in his career, just the second Penmen student-athlete to ever
receive the honor twice. Over his three-year career, Branco
was a two-time Northeast-10 All-Conference selection and totaled 17
goals and 18 assists for 52 points in 59 career contests.
Branco graduated in December and wrapped up his SNHU career with a
3.773 grade point average as a Communication major.
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Stanasek, an outfielder for the
softball team, has been one of the reasons why the softball team
has won a program-record 29 games and earned the Northeast-10
Northeast Division regular season championship. She ranks
second on the team in runs batted in with 22 while belting a pair
of home runs on the season. Stanasek is also tied for fourth
on the team in runs scored with 20, while in the field, she has not
committed an error in 35 chances this season.
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Stys, who practiced with the men's basketball team last
season but was unable to play due to transfer regulations, was
named a captain for the Penmen before ever playing in a game and
was a big part of why SNHU finished 19-11, captured the
program's first-ever NE-10 Tournament title and earned an
NCAA berth for the first time since 2005. One of two players
to start all 30 games, Stys led a balanced Penmen scoring attack
with his 12.0 points per game average, while making a team-high 55
three pointers and also averaging 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per
game. He reached double figures in scoring 20 times,
including a career-best 20 points in a midseason win over Saint
Rose.
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In her third year as a member of the SNHU women's soccer
program, Whittier, a goalkeeper, came up big down the stretch in
goal as the Penmen captured their first Northeast-10 tournament
title and advanced to the NCAAs for the third time in program
history. She did not allow a goal in SNHU's four
postseason contests, and made a career-best seven saves in a 1-0
NE-10 semifinal win over five-time defending NE-10 champion Saint
Rose. In eight games this season, Whittier posted a 0.27
goals against average and five shutouts. Off the field,
Whittier is a member of the SNHU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
and serves as the Northeast-10 Conference representative to the
NCAA Division II SAAC.
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Painchaud, who spent five years as a member of the Penmen
men's soccer program, is a two-time recipient of the
Sportsmanship Award as he also won the award two seasons ago.
A former walk-on, Painchaud served as a co-captain for SNHU this
season, a season that saw it capture the program's first NCAA
regional title in a decade and its fourth Northeast-10 tournament
title. In 2012 Painchaud saw action in three games in goal,
including a pair of starts, while over his career he played in 10
games with five starts, posting a pair of shutouts and compiling a
0.80 goals-against average.
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Most Valuable Players were also named each of SNHU's
varsity sports:
Baseball – Brendan O'Brien
(East Bridgewater, Mass.)
Women's Basketball – Sloane Sorrell
(Berwick, Maine)
Men's Basketball – CJ Marriro
(Boston, Mass.)
Cheerleading – Rebecca Ahern
(Windham, N.H.)
Women's Cross Country – Maddie Hayes
(Newington, Conn.)
Golf – Scott Underhill (Bedford,
N.H.)
Ice Hockey – Tyler Holske
(Attleboro, Mass.)
Women's Lacrosse – Ellie Morin
(Scarborough, Maine)
Men's Lacrosse – Matt Langill
(Billerica, Mass.)
Women's Soccer – Emily Mongeau
(Westborough, Mass.)
Men's Soccer – Ruben Resendes (Fall
River, Mass.)
Softball – Ali Maloof (Norwood,
Mass.)
Women's Tennis – Mukdaprakorn
Men's Tennis – Mitch Dobek
(Westfield, Mass.)
Volleyball – Emma Houlihan
(Shoreham, N.Y.)