Somerset, NJ -- Northeast Conference student-athletes continue to set the bar higher and higher.
A league-record 10 NEC student-athletes graduated with perfect academic records this spring to earn NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.
A record-high seven highly-achieving women — Wagner's Madeleine Delore (women's swimming & diving), Sacred Heart's Mari Fay (women's tennis), LIU's Laurie Hauet (women's track and field), Central Connecticut's Natalie Novak (women's volleyball), LIU's Shyla Sanford (women's basketball), LIU's Grace Scura (women's fencing) and Merrimack's Jenna Wike (softball) — are co-recipients of the NEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award after completing their undergraduate careers with 4.00 grade-point averages.
Three men — Saint Francis U's Matt Blose (men's tennis), Central Connecticut's Mason Schloop (football) and LIU's Demetri Skoumbakis (men's soccer) — equaled that perfection to share the male honor.
In its 16th year, the NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, which is sponsored by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives, goes to the male and female student-athletes who have graduated after compiling the highest grade point average in the Conference at the conclusion of the academic calendar.
The lone NEC member to land multiple NEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipients, LIU totaled four Scholar-Athletes to set a conference record. Central Connecticut joined LIU as the only other NEC institution to produce multiple honorees this year.
The trio of Hauet, Sanford and Scura made LIU history by becoming the first Sharks to receive NEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Skoumbakis follows the footsteps of former baseball player Frank Cerillo, who was the first-ever LIU student-athlete (male and female) to win the award.
Hauet (Paris, France) landed on the podium three times and earned four All-NEC nods during her short stint with the Sharks. Most recently, the sprinter ran legs of both the 4x100m and 4x800m relay teams that took top-billing at the NEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The Public Administration major also added 10 more points for LIU at that meet with a pair of fourth-place performances in the 100m and 200m dashes. Prior to that, Hauet helped lead the Sharks' 4x400m team to a runner-up finish at the NEC Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Sanford (Latham, NY/Shaker) is the sixth women's basketball player — and the first from LIU — to garner NEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. The guard averaged 5.5 points in 26.4 minutes per game as a senior after making starts in 19 of her 23 appearances. She was one of the Sharks' top threats from behind the arc, ranking third in three-point field goals (28). Sanford graduated with a degree in Exercise Science & Wellness.
Scura (Selden, NY/Newfield) was recently recognized by the United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) for her success in the classroom as she took home All-Academic Team honors in addition to receiving Scholar of Distinction recognition. Scura is just the second women's fencing student-athlete in the history of the award to receive Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, as she joins Fairleigh Dickinson's Evgeniya Tyrtova (2011-12).
A Mathematics major, Skoumbakis' (Chania, Greece/Nea Kydonia) numbers between the posts were just as impressive as the ones he put up in the classroom for LIU, the 2021 NEC champion. The Sharks' starting netminder registered 73 saves and posted a 0.777 save percentage and a conference-best 1.00 GAA. Skoumbakis, who also finished on top of the league in shutouts with seven, saw the accolades add up during his senior season, as he was named the NEC Goalkeeper of the Year and the Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in addition to earning first team All-NEC honors.
Central Connecticut's first-ever NEC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year honoree, Schloop (Utica, NY/West Canada Valley) also becomes the first NEC football student-athlete to attain the award. The Exercise Science major made 17 appearances for the Blue Devils as an offensive lineman. In 2019, Schloop logged time in nine games for the league's top offense, which finished No. 8 in the nation in time of possession and No. 17 in yards on the ground.
Novak (Johnson City, NY/Binghamton), a setter on Central Connecticut's women's volleyball team, becomes the second Blue Devil to garner NEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year distinction, joining former women's volleyball player Nicole Dean (2016-17). The Exercise Science major played in 42 career matches over three seasons. In 2021, Novak dished out 20+ assists six times to rank second on the team with 4.06 per set.
Wike (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) is the second Warrior in as many seasons to garner NEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. The first baseman put up career-best numbers as a senior in 2022, as she finished third on the team in batting average and OPS. In 42 games, Wike slammed a team-best 10 doubles and three home runs, while her 10 strikeouts were the fewest among any Warrior with 100 or more at-bats. She graduated with a degree in Exercise Science.
The third Saint Francis U male student-athlete to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the past two years, Blose (Punxsutawney, PA/Punxsutawney Area) is the second Red Flash men's tennis player to earn the award as he joins Washi Gervais (2015-16). The Finance major won a pair of singles matches at Morgan State and West Liberty in 2021-22 to push his career victory total to six.
A five-year member of the swimming and diving team at Wagner, Delore (Alameda, CA/Alameda) is the second Seahawk in three years to take home NEC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year distinction. Joining former Seahawks women's soccer player Delaney Beck (2019-20), she is Wagner's first-ever women's swimming and diving honoree. Delore, who graduated with a degree in Film and Media Studies, qualified for the 100 yard breastroke C Final at the 2022 NEC Championships.
Fay (Bedford, MA/Bedford) is the first-ever Sacred Heart women's tennis player to earn NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades. She is the fifth female student-athlete — and sixth overall student-athlete — to take home the award for the Pioneers. Fay, who was a four-year member of the tennis team, graduated with a degree in Psychology.
NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year History
Year Men Women
2021-22 Mason Schoop, Central Connecticut Natalie Novak, Central Connecticut
Demetri Skoumbakis, LIU Laurie Hauet, LIU
Matthew Blose, Saint Francis U Shyla Sanford, LIU
Grace Scura, LIU
Jenna Wike, Merrimack
Mari Fay, Sacred Heart
Madeline Delore, Wagner
2020-21 Tomas Bernardes, St. Francis Brooklyn. Grace Buchholz, Merrimack
Shannon Cody, Saint Francis U
2019-20 Gregory Heider, Saint Francis U Delaney Beck, Wagner
Scott Meredith, Saint Francis U Adriana Forcucci, Sacred Heart
2018-19 Shane Vyskocil, Bryant Lacee Collins, Robert Morris
Frank Cerillo, LIU Brooklyn Dana DiRenzo, St. Francis Brooklyn
Nicholas Nemergut, St. Francis Brooklyn Samantha Lackner, Robert Morris
Elise Dumouchelle, Saint Francis U
2017-18 Charlton Boyd, Wagner Abigail Hood, Sacred Heart
Joseph Choiniere, Sacred Heart Kristina Neri, Fairleigh Dickinson
Marcus DaSliva, St. Francis Brooklyn
2016-17 Joseph Paparelli, Bryant Taylor Allison, Saint Francis U
Sarah Bonson, Mount St. Mary's
Nicole Dean, Central Connecticut
Lea Lieb, Sacred Heart
Avika Sagwal, Wagner
2015-16 Washi Gervais, Saint Francis U Dragana Dzigurski, St. Francis Brooklyn
Haley Fournier, Mount St. Mary's
Sarah Ross, Saint Francis U
Brittany Sarza, Bryant
2014-15 David Lonnberg, St. Francis Brooklyn Katie Fox, St. Francis Brooklyn
2013-14 Travis Denny, Robert Morris Ellen Huffman, Wagner
2012-13 Mark Quaranta, Mount St. Mary's Una Japundza, Robert Morris
Carly Thibault, Monmouth
2011-12 Michael Foster, Mount St. Mary's Evgeniya Tyrtova, Fairleigh Dickinson
2010-11 Sean O'Reilly, Saint Francis U Ali Kliment, Monmouth
2009-10. Filip Kisdobranski, St. Francis Brooklyn Maggie O'Connell Dubois, Mount St. Mary's
2008-09 Benjamin Evenden, Monmouth Kathleen Henry, Sacred Heart
Tara Maxwell, Robert Morris
Erin Reifsteck, Saint Francis U
2007-08 Ian Butcher, Saint Francis U Katja Bavendam, St. Francis Brooklyn
2006-07 Moran Stern, St. Francis Brooklyn Lisa Jaszka, Robert Morris
Andrija Vrdoljak, St. Francis Brooklyn
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 41st season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions in 2022-23 will include Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary's, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.