VIDEOS: FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR | MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR | FEMALE SENIOR SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR | MALE SENIOR SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR | FEMALE UNSUNG HERO AWARD | MALE UNSUNG HERO AWARD | FEMALE PENMEN PRIDE AWARD | MALE PENMEN PRIDE AWARD | JIM ATHERTON AWARD
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Graduate student Ashley Corcoran (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) and junior Nick Schwartz (Massapequa, N.Y.) received female and male Athlete of the Year honors, respectively, to highlight nine major awards that were handed out over the course of the past week by the Southern New Hampshire University Department of Athletics & Recreation.
The Athlete of the Year award, which was unveiled Friday, is given to a student-athlete whose outstanding play brought about both regional and national recognition for that player and for Southern New Hampshire University.
Corcoran, who won the award for the second straight year, has put together a truly elite 2022-23, helping her teams win the triple crown with NE10 Championships in cross country, as well indoor and outdoor track & field. Cross country also captured the NCAA East Region Championship and advanced to the NCAA National Championships. In cross country, Corcoran, individually, ran to both NE10 and NCAA East Region titles, as two of her four victories out of the seven meets she ran at. She was named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) East All-Region and NE10 All-Conference First Team.
During the indoor season, Corcoran earned USTFCCCA East All-Region honors and was also chosen as the Most Valuable Athlete and Most Outstanding Track Athlete at the NE10 Championships, as she claimed three individual titles. She qualified for the NCAA National Championships in the mile.
In the outdoor season, Corcoran, again was the Most Valuable Athlete and Most Outstanding Track Athlete at the NE10 Championships, as she collected three more individual crowns. She qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third time during the academic year, earning a spot in the field of the 3000-meter steeplechase.
Corcoran also gets it done in the classroom, as she has so far earned NE10 Sport Excellence Awards and NE10 Academic All-Conference nods this season in both cross country and indoor track & field.
Schwartz is in the midst of an all-time season and is a huge reason baseball is in its third consecutive NCAA East Super-Regional. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) East Region and NE10 Northeast Division Player of the Year, as well as both an NCBWA East All-Region and NE10 All-Conference First Team selection, Schwartz is batting .400 with 12 home runs, 64 RBI and 60 runs scored, while getting on base at a .493 clip and slugging .733 for a 1.226 OPS. He leads the NE10 in RBI, slugging percentage, total bases (132) and doubles (20), while ranking second in batting, on-base percentage and runs scored, third in hits and home runs, and eighth in walks. In SNHU's single-season program record book, Schwartz ranks second in batting, RBI and doubles, fourth in home runs and ninth in hits.
The Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, passed down Thursday, is given to a student-athlete, who has attained excellence in the classroom and on the playing field. The winner must be a starter or an important reserve and must have completed at least one academic year at Southern New Hampshire University.
The female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year went to women's volleyball senior Juliana Pacini (Sao Paulo, Brazil), who is a marketing major with a 3.88 grade-point average. Pacini started all 10 matches she played in before suffering a season-ending injury. Before getting hurt, Pacini totaled 98 kills, 14 aces, 89 digs and nine blocks, as the Penmen started 7-3 for the first time since 2010. Averaged out over an entire season, Pacini's 2.65 kills per set, 0.38 aces per set and 2.41 digs per set would have ranked second, third and fourth on the team, respectively. Pacini also worked in the athletic department with marketing.
Baseball grad student Mike La Rocca (Vero Beach, Fla.) was the male Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year. La Rocca, who was voted an NE10 All-Conference First Team honoree earlier this month, has hit .364 (68-187) with 10 long-balls, 52 RBI and 48 runs scored, while slashing .467/.610/1.077. He has also made just one error in 237 chances at first base for a .996 fielding percentage. La Rocca ranks third in the conference in total bases (114), fourth in hits, RBI and doubles (16), seventh in home runs, ninth in runs, 10th in on-base percentage and walks (30), 11th in slugging, and 13th in batting and fielding percentage. In SNHU's single-season record book, he is currently seventh in RBI, eighth in home runs and 10th in doubles. La Rocca got it done in the classroom, as well, posting a 3.87 GPA, while pursuing his MBA with a concentration in sport business, as well as earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors.
The Unsung Hero Award was announced Wednesday and goes to a senior student-athlete, who made major contributions to the success of the team with a relentless work-ethic and pride in team success.
The female Unsung Hero Award winner was women's basketball senior Ariana Koivisto (Pomfret, Conn.). Koivisto may have been the definition of "unsung" this season for a team that made its first appearance in the NE10 title game, in addition to scoring its first NCAA postseason win. Koivisto posted 8.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting 39 percent from the floor, including 33 percent from downtown, and 78 percent from the stripe. One of two Penmen to start all 30 games, Koivisto led the team in steals, while ranking second in rebounding, assists, blocks, 3-pointers made and 3-point field goal percentage, third in field goals made, and fourth in field goal percentage, free throw percentage and free throws made. In the NE10, she placed eighth in steals, 12th in blocks and assist-to-turnover ratio, 17th in rebounding, assists and 3-point percentage, and 20th in 3-pointers made. She was chosen as both a CSC Academic All-District and NE10 Academic All-Conference honoree.
Baseball senior Cristian Mercedes (Providence, R.I.) received the male Unsung Hero Award, as he has hit .289 with seven home runs, 39 RBI and 38 runs scored over 43 games, while posting an OPS of .849. He has successfully stole 17 of 21 bases and has made 86 of 90 plays in the field, primarily at the hot corner. Mercedes was named an NE10 All-Conference Third Team selection after the regular season, in addition to earning a spot on the NE10 All-Defensive Team at third base. Despite missing eight games to injury earlier in the year, Mercedes ranks 11th in the NE10 in stolen bases, 17th in RBI, 23rd in home runs, 25th in runs scored and 27th in doubles.
The Penmen Pride Award, released Tuesday, is presented to a senior student-athlete, who represents what it means to be an SNHU student-athlete, displaying excellence in all phases of the student-athlete experience.
Women's basketball senior Jenna Roche (Braintree, Mass.) captured the female Penmen Pride Award, as she played in 23 games, including 17 starts, and averaged 6.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game, while shooting 78 percent from the free throw line. Despite missing seven games due to injury, Roche ranked third on the team in rebounding, assists and free throws made. In the NE10, she placed seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio and eighth in free throw percentage. Roche, a biology major with a 3.60 GPA, was a CSC Academic All-District honoree, who also works in the athletic department as a member of the operations staff.
The Male Penmen Pride Award winner was men's tennis graduate student Fernando Torres (Trujillio Alto, Puerto Rico). Torres was an important piece of the Penmen lineup, as the team scored road victories against the top two seeds to claim its sixth NE10 title and 10th NCAA postseason berth. Torres was an NE10 All-Conference First team selection at No. 3 singles, as he went 14-8, including 11-6 at No. 3 and 5-1 in league play. Torres was 19-7 in doubles, including 12-5 at No. 1, and also captured the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Region Championship doubles title for the second straight season. Torres, who is pursuing his MBA with a concentration in business analytics, owns a stellar 3.96 GPA and was a CSC Academic All-District honoree,
On Monday, Dylan Carpino was selected as the winner of the 11th annual Jim Atherton Award, which was created in memory of Jim Atherton '13, a student worker in the athletic department for two years, who passed away following a battle with Ewing's sarcoma in March 2013. The award is given annually to an outstanding student worker in the SNHU athletic department. Carpino was a four-year member of the field operations crew, meticulously taking care of athletic facilities, including the baseball and softball fields, while also working game operations for baseball, softball and men's ice hockey.
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