Long Branch, NJ — For the first time since the inception of the Northeast Conference Female Team Student-Athlete of the Year Award presented by Provident Bank, two student-athletes rose to the top among a crop of impressive nominees.

Angie Rafter (Moosup, CT/Killingly), a distance extraordinaire for Central Connecticut's cross country/track & field teams, and Mekenzie Saban (Pittsburgh, PA/North Hils), a decorated infielder for the Saint Francis U softball team, have truly defined what it means to be a student-athlete from the moment they stepped foot on their respective campuses. Each of their impressive collegiate careers were so accomplished that the NEC named them co-recipients of the award.  

Racking up multiple outstanding achievements inside the classroom and on the track and diamond, respectively, Rafter and Saban put exclamation points on their accomplished collegiate careers by earning the NEC's most prestigious individual honor.

They join St. Francis Brooklyn men's soccer defender Harald Sollund, who was tabbed the NEC Male Team Student-Athlete of the Year presented by Provident Bank.

The NEC uses the distinguished award to annually recognize individual excellence in both the academic and athletic realms as well as leadership and contributions to one's community. The two winners were chosen out of a pool of 10 female finalists from across the NEC's core membership.

Rafter becomes the third Blue Devil to earn the NEC's most coveted individual honor since the inception of the award in 2002-03, joining distance runner Katherine Bossardet (2010-11) and women's soccer player Sabrina Mariani (2002-03). Saban is the fourth Saint Francis U student-athlete to garner the award. Sarah Phelan (track and field), Erika Jacobs (track and field) and Beth Swink (basketball) are former Red Flash honorees.

Rafter, who racked up the miles on the track after emerging as one of the league's most decorated distance runners, ran circles in the classroom as well. The Health Psychology major posted the highest grade-point average for a graduating female student-athlete at Central Connecticut (3.96). She currently holds a 4.00 GPA in her Master's courses.

The four-time NEC Academic and Commissioner's Honor Roll selection had to add another shelf in her trophy case to accommodate for all of her academic awards. She became the conference's first student-athlete to win four NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards in a single sport, having done so in cross country. Also earning the distinction in indoor and outdoor track and field, she has been honored as a scholar-athlete of the year six times overall.

Rafter's trophy case is overflowing with athletic hardware as well. The 15-time All-NEC performer has combined to win 12 conference championships in track and field, including seven on the indoor side and five on the outdoor circuit. Most recently, she racked up 30 points for the Blue Devils at the NEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships after taking top-billing in three grueling races: the 1,500m, the 5,000m and the 10,000m events.

She garnered two of her five lifetime NEC major awards after putting in the miles at last month's conference meet, earning the titles of Most Outstanding Track Performer (Distance) and Most Valuable Performer.

Leading Central Connecticut to two track and field titles — one indoor and one outdoor — Rafter also piloted the Blue Devils to four straight NEC cross country championships during her career. She was also a trail blazer on the cross country circuit, becoming just the second runner in NEC history to win three individual titles.

A SAAC representative and E-Board member, Rafter has served multiple roles in the community. She has been involved in reading and mentoring programs, community clean-up events and food pantry fundraisers.

"Over the course of my five years as a student, athlete and a leader on campus, I have realized my purpose is much larger than maintaining a high GPA or breaking school records," said Rafter.

Devoting countless hours to the Central Connecticut community and the City of New Britain, Rafter has already helped a number of people through her service. But over the past year, she has shifted her focus to an ever so important topic in collegiate athletics: the mental health of student-athletes.

"In fall of 2021, I began to use my platform as a student-athlete and leader to advocate for mental health of student-athletes," Rafter explained. "Before I leave Central Connecticut, it is my mission to make sure our athletics department prioritizes the mental health of our student-athletes."

Rafter has gained a great deal of knowledge and experience as an intern at the Central Connecticut Wellness Room for Student-Athletes. Through her graduate courses, she is also conducting research on the accessibility and utilization of mental health resources to student-athletes at Central Connecticut.

Not long after she led Saint Francis U to its NEC-record fifth straight softball championship and fourth regular season title, Saban graduated with her Master's of Business Administration with a perfect 4.00 grade-point average. Her numbers in the classroom were consistent — just like her career .379 batting average — as she graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2020 with a 3.99 grade point average as an Accounting major.

Saban has collected a plethora of academic awards during her time at Saint Francis U. The five-time NEC Academic and Commissioner's Honor Roll member was named the co-NEC Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2021. In addition, Saban, who collected four CoSIDA Academic All-District awards, was one of four NCAA Division I student-athletes to earn the title of Senior CLASS Award First Team All-American earlier this month. She added yet another bullet point to her impressive resume this week when became the first Red Flash softball student-athlete to earn a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team.

In a career littered with web gems on the diamond and clutch hits at the dish, Saban was selected as the 2022 NEC Player of the Year. The three-time All-NEC performer and All-American has inked her name throughout Saint Francis U's record book, as she is the program's all-time leader in doubles. Saban also holds the Red Flash's single-season records in batting average, on-base percentage and doubles.

"While the accomplishments sound like everything a student-athlete could dream of, the most meaningful thing I am taking away from my college experience is the impact I can have on the young student-athletes aspiring to play in college," Saban said.

Like Rafter, Saban has been heavily engaged in giving back to the community. She has volunteered for several organizations, including Cambria County Care Center, Cambria County Humane Society, Dorothy Day Center, Hollidaysburg Veterans Home and Vale Wood Farms.

On campus, she is a member of Saint Francis U's SAAC, the Student-Athlete Mentors (SAMs) program and the APPLE Leadership Team (ALT), in addition to serving as a five-year student leader with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Saban also a played a role in helping the Red Flash finish first in all three conference-wide community service initiatives: the SAAC Canned Food Drive, the Money Wars competition and the NEC Building Communities Award.

"One of the biggest influences in my life were the older softball players in my community at the local colleges near me," explained Saban. "I attended camps to get a chance to work with them and often thought to myself, 'I want to be like them when I grow up.' Once I achieved the opportunity of being a college athlete, that thought became a reality. Not only did I want to play in college, but I wanted to be an impact on my team, on my campus and on the young athletes looking up to me."

With her decorated five-year career complete, Saban has accepted a position to work with PNC in the finance and accounting department.

NEC STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTS

2021-22       Harald Sollund, St. Francis Brooklyn (male team, soccer)
              Angie Rafter, CCSU (female team, cross country/track and field)
              Mekenzie Saban, Saint Francis U (female team, softball) 
2020-21       Djordje Spasic, St. Francis Brooklyn (male team, swimming and diving)               
              Tiffany Hanna, Wagner (female team, track and field) 
2019-20       Jonathan Besselink, Wagner (male team, cross country/track and field)
              Sara Phelan, Saint Francis U (female team, track and field)
2018-19       Evan McDonald, Fairleigh Dickinson (male team, baseball)
              Pascalle Tego, Wagner (female team, golf)
2017-18       Charlton Boyd, Wagner (male team, tennis)
              Dana Davis, Robert Morris (female team, lacrosse)
2016-17       Kyle Mummau, Bryant (male team, lacrosse)
              Brianna Tredway, Wagner (female team, softball)
2015-16       Max Vogt, Bryant (male team, tennis)
              Amanda Lucia, Wagner (female team, swimming)
2014-15       Phil Faccone, Wagner (male team, football)
              Nicole Sleith, Robert Morris (female team, softball)
2013-14       Meredith Ketchmark, Wagner (swimming)
2012-13       Steve Cioicci, Wagner (football)
2011-12       Julia Prantl, Fairleigh Dickinson (tennis)
2010-11       Katherine Bossardet, CCSU (cross country, track and field)
2009-10       Kundayi Mawema, Bryant (field hockey)
2008-09       Alexandra Tomlinson, Wagner (swimming)
2007-08       Tiffany Hahn, Monmouth (track and field)
2006-07       Erika Jacobs, Saint Francis U (cross country, track and field)
2005-06       Joy Gallagher, Wagner (basketball, softball)
2004-05       Beth Swink, Saint Francis U (basketball)
2003-04       Naomi Campano, Mount St. Mary's (lacrosse)
2002-03       Sabrina Mariani, CCSU (soccer)