Sacred Heart junior outfielder Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, PA/Valley View) captured the baseball scholar-athlete accolade. One of the offensive catalysts on a SHU squad that won the NEC regular season title and was the runner-up at the NEC Championship, Kovalchik was tabbed to the All-NEC first team. He hit .315 with nine homers, 49 RBIs and ranked in the NEC top-10 in hits (70), doubles (13) and stolen bases (16). His .915 OPS placed him second on the Pioneers. Kovalchik was even better in league play, hitting .366 along with eight round trippers, 38 runs, 37 RBIs and a 1.083 OPS. He was honored as the NEC Player of the Week on April 9. A two-time CSC Academic All-District honoree, Kovalchik was also named to the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists for the third year running. The Archbald, PA product is a Biology major who carries a 3.98 grade point average.

A champion both on the links and in the classroom, Sacred Heart senior Margot Rouquette (Montiron, France/Northwood Prep) was the recipient of the women’s golf scholar-athlete award. On her way to claiming the NEC Golfer of the Year award, Rouquette stormed back on the final day of the NEC Championship to clinch the individual crown by one stroke, carding a 2-over 212 over 54 holes as the Pioneers won their third straight crown. On the par 70 course, Rouquette posted a highlight round on the second day, shooting 1-under 69 to position herself for a run during the final 18 holes. The win marked her third top-10 finish at the NEC Championship in a star-studded career that saw her collect the NEC Rookie of the Year honor (2021), three All-Conference first team honors (2021, 2022, 2024) and a second team accolade (2023). Rouquette bookended her season with first place finishes at the Hornet Classic at The Creek and NEC meet. She totaled seven top three finishes on the year, averaging 74.2 stroke per round through ten events and 29 rounds prior to competing at the NCAA Championship. The Montiron, France native followed in the footsteps of teammate Chantal El Chaib, last year’s women’s golf scholar-athlete. Rouquette has been named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll in each of her four years at SHU. The Sport Management major compiled a 3.70 grade point average.

CCSU midfielder Talie Richardson (Southington, CT/Southington) concluded her junior year by winning the women’s lacrosse scholar-athlete award. Richardson earned a spot on the All-NEC second team after ranking second in the conference with 5.67 draw controls per game. Amassing 85 draw controls on the year, she set a CCSU single season record. Richardson led the Blue Devils with 20 goals and 16 caused turnovers, and finished second on the squad with 28 points and 31 ground balls. A local product out of Southington, CT, she has been named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll and Commissioner’s Honor Roll all three of her seasons at CCSU. Richardson sports a 3.93 grade point average as she works toward a degree in Management.

Saint Francis U graduate student Rachel Marsden (Erie, PA/McDowell) was recently awarded the NEC’s most prestigious honor, but her accolades didn’t stop there. The NEC Female Team Student-Athlete of the Year added another esteemed accolade to her list, repeating as the NEC’s top softball scholar-athlete. One of the league’s top two-way players of recent vintage, Marsden made her fourth consecutive appearance on the All-NEC first team as a pitcher while also earning a spot on the first team as a utility player for the second time in as many seasons. Leading Saint Francis U to a 24-0 record in conference play and the program’s sixth regular season crown, she helped put the exclamation point on a storybook campaign by piloting the Red Flash to their sixth tournament title in the past seven years, and the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament victory, a 1-0 shutout of Siena in the Austin Regional. Finishing 19-6 on the mound, the 2022 NEC Pitcher of the Year closed out her final campaign ranked second in the NEC in wins and third with a 1.89 ERA. In addition to her stellar pitching numbers, she ranked third in slugging percentage (.612) and homers (nine), while hitting .331 on the year. Three of her dingers came during a dominant postseason run that saw the Red Flash outscore opponents by a 37-4 margin. Marsden made history once again by becoming the first-ever SFU player to be represented on the NFCA All-Region team for the third straight season. She ended her Red Flash career second in all-time wins (68), third in strikeouts (568) and third in innings pitched (665.2). As SFU’s institutional nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year, Marsden’s numbers in the classroom were just as impressive as her athletic feats. She graduated with a 3.90 GPA as a Management/Marketing major a year ago. The Erie, PA native raised that average to a 3.96 mark while earning her Master of Business Administration. A recipient of the 2023 Frank & Marie Picarella Scholarship Award, Marsden has appeared on the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists five times apiece while earning two CSC Academic All-District nods.

FDU senior Arjun Sriram (Bengalore, India/Chrysalis) combined his outstanding academic achievements with a stellar year on the courts to win the men’s tennis scholar-athlete award. Sriram was selected as an NEC all-star for the third straight year, upgrading to the All-NEC first team following two straight second team singles selections. Sriram finished 12-8 overall and 5-1 in NEC singles play, helping lead the Knights to the NEC semifinals. He went 6-4 in #1 flight play and his doubles partnership with Andrew Nicolae produced a 7-3 mark at #3 doubles. Sriram, who hails from Bengalore, India, compiled a 38-24 overall singles record in his four years, including a 16-6 slate against NEC competition. Sporting a near-perfect 3.99 grade point average, the Computer Science major has earned a spot on the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll in each of the last three years.