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Somerset, NJ -- Three student-athletes from Saint Francis (PA), along with two from Monmouth and one each from Central Connecticut State, Long Island, Quinnipiac and Wagner comprise the 2007 Northeast Conference Spring Scholar-Athlete award winners. In addition to the Scholar-Athletes, the NEC also announced its spring academic honor roll, consisting of 424 student-athletes. All Scholar-Athlete award winners must have earned a minimum of 60 semester hours, maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.20 and participated with distinction as a member of a varsity team.
Quinnipiac senior outfielder Ryan Rizzo (East Northport, NY/Commack) earns his second straight Scholar-Athlete award in baseball. Rizzo was named to the all-NEC second team in 2007 after helping lead the Bobcats to a share of the conference regular season title and a berth in their fourth consecutive NEC Tournament. He hit .325 on the year with three homers, 32 RBI and 33 runs scored. The East Northport, NY product ranked third in the league with 19 doubles and finished seventh with 68 hits. He closed out his career second all-time at Quinnipiac with 238 hits and 46 doubles. Rizzo was recently named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I first team, following his third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American selection in 2006. An Economics major, Rizzo carries a 3.85 grade point average.
Central Connecticut State senior Brendon Ray (Norfolk, MA/Kent School) is the men’s golf Scholar-Athlete award winner. Following an eighth place finish at the NEC Championships in May, Ray was chosen as the 2007 NEC Golfer of the Year and to the PING New England All-Region team. He amassed seven top-15 performances on the season, highlighted by consecutive individual titles at the Blue Devil Invitational and Dartmouth Invitational last fall. On the year, Ray fired 19-of-21 sub-80 rounds and averaged 74.6 strokes per round. A native of Norfolk, VA, Ray is an Entrepreneurship major. He sports a 3.53 grade point average.
Saint Francis (PA) junior Samantha Milosh (Aliquippa, PA/Center) claims Scholar-Athlete accolades in women’s golf. Milosh won her second consecutive NEC individual title in April, carding a 72-84-78-234 to win the crown by nine strokes over her nearest competitor. In the process, she led the Red Flash to their fifth conference championship in six years. Milosh’s first round score of 72 at the event was a season-best for the Aliquippa, PA native and the second lowest in NEC Championship annals behind her final round 69 in 2006. She was subsequently named to the all-NEC team for the third year in a row and averaged 81.7 strokes per round in 2006-07. In addition to her NEC title, Milosh also finished first at the Kutztown Tournament and placed second at the Bucknell Invitational. A Chemistry major, Milosh maintains a 3.46 grade point average.
Monmouth senior attacker Carolyn Raveia (Fairfax, VA/W.T. Woodson) is the Scholar-Athlete recipient in women’s lacrosse. Raveia was named to the all-NEC first team for the second time in her career and was one of the driving forces as the Hawks captured their second straight conference championship with a come-from-behind 9-8 victory over Mount St. Mary’s in April. On the year, the Monmouth captain ranked fourth in the conference with 3.35 points per game, as well as fifth in the league and 29th nationally with 2.70 goals per game. Her 174 career markers are the third most in school history. Raveia hails from Fairfax, VA and is a Communications major with a 3.72 grade point average.
Wagner junior shortstop Katie Stevens (Reno, NV/Wooster) claims Scholar-Athlete honors in softball. Stevens, who sparked Wagner to a runner-up finish at the NEC Tournament, was tabbed to the all-NEC second team after hitting .387 with six homers, 34 RBI and 43 runs scored. She ranked second in the conference in walks (27), third in runs, fourth in on-base percentage (.497), fifth in average, RBI, hits (60) and total bases (88), as well as seventh in slugging percentage (.568). Stevens was chosen as an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I second team performer at year’s end. The 2005 NEC Rookie of the Year is a Reno, NV native who majors in Nursing. Stevens currently carries a 3.62 grade point average.
Monmouth senior Ben Evenden (Cresco, PA/Ridgewood (NJ)) is this year’s men’s tennis Scholar-Athlete. Competing at the #1 singles flight, Evenden led the Hawks to the finals at the NEC Championships for the first time in school history and was named to the all-NEC second team. He won nine of his last 11 matches to close out the season with a 13-8 overall mark and went 6-1 in league play. Evenden also won two of his three NEC Tournament matches, including straight set victories in Monmouth’s quarterfinal and semifinal triumphs. He garnered additional recognition as part of a successful #1 doubles pairing with Tom Corrie. The second team all-NEC duo finished 5-0 against conference opposition and ended the year with five straight victories to cap an 11-7 campaign. Off the courts, the native of Cresco, PA earned a spot on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II second team. A Business Finance major, Evenden has posted a 3.98 grade point average.
Long Island senior Xenia Roman Korobochkina (Vera Cruz, Mexico/Colegio Tepeyac) collects the Scholar-Athlete prize in women’s tennis. Roman Korobochkina was named to the all-NEC second team at #5 singles after winning seven matches on the year and going 4-1 against league competition. It marked the third all-conference honor for the Vera Cruz, Mexico native, who helped lead the Blackbirds to their fourth straight NEC runner-up finish. Roman Korobochkina is a five-time Dean’s List student at Long Island and has been nominated for Chi Sigma Alpha, the National College Athlete Honor Society. She was also awarded the LIU Leonard Ching International Student-Athlete Award, given annually to the school’s top international student-athlete. An Economics major, Roman Korobochkina maintains a 3.89 grade point average.
Saint Francis (PA) junior Ian Butcher (Georgetown, Ontario/Christ the King) becomes the sixth Red Flash runner in the past seven years to corral the Scholar-Athlete award in men’s outdoor track and field. Contributing to Saint Francis (PA)’s runner-up finish at the NEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in May, Butcher ran a leg on the Red Flash’s first place 4x400 meter relay team in an IC4A qualifying time of 3:12.88, and also took fourth in the 400 meters (48.42). A Saint Francis (PA) honor roll student, he served on the school’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee this past year. Butcher, an English major who hails from Georgetown, Ontario, sports a near-perfect 3.99 grade point average.
In claiming women’s outdoor track and field honors for the second time, Saint Francis (PA) senior Erika Jacobs (Toronto, Ontario/West Hill Collegiate) earns her third NEC Scholar-Athlete award of the year and fifth of her career. Jacobs captured the 1,500 meters at the NEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in May, crossing the tape in 4:39.21. She also took sixth in the 800 meters for the Red Flash, who finished second at the meet. Jacobs went on to compete at the NCAA East Regionals in the 1,500 meters later in the month. A four-time NEC track champion and four-time all-conference cross country runner, she was selected as an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II first team honoree for the second time in her career. At the conclusion of the spring semester, Jacobs was the recipient of the Dr. Philip Benham Scholar-Athlete Award as Saint Francis’ outstanding female student-athlete for 2006-07. She was also a 2006-07 Red Flash Leadership Program participant. A Toronto, Ontario product, Jacobs has registered a near-perfect 3.99 grade point average with a double major of Psychology and Pre-Law.
2007 Northeast Conference Spring Scholar-Athletes
Sport Name School GPA Major
Baseball Ryan Rizzo Quinnipiac 3.85 Economics
Men’s Golf Brendon Ray CCSU 3.53 Entrepreneurship
Women’s Golf Samantha Milosh Saint Francis (PA) 3.46 Chemistry
Women’s Lacrosse Carolyn Raveia Monmouth 3.72 Communications
Softball Katie Stevens Wagner 3.62 Nursing
Men’s Tennis Ben Evenden Monmouth 3.98 Business Finance
Women’s Tennis Xenia Roman Korobochkina Long Island 3.49 Economics
Men’s Outdoor Track Ian Butcher Saint Francis (PA) 3.99 English
Women’s Outdoor Track Erika Jacobs Saint Francis (PA) 3.99 Psychology & Pre-Law