Sacred Heart graduate student guard Joey Reilly (Cromwell, CT/East Catholic (Holy Cross)) earned the men’s basketball scholar-athlete accolade to conclude his career. With his selection to the third team, Reilly picked up All-NEC honors for the second straight year after helping guide the Pioneers to a third place regular season finish. One of the elite long range shooters in recent NEC vintage, he led the NEC in three-point percentage, knocking down 40.6 percent of his attempts. Reilly also boasted the second-highest two-point accuracy (.632), showcasing the 6-footer’s exceptional finishing ability at the rim. His off-the-chart efficiency numbers also saw him rank first in eFG percentage (.610), fifth in field goal shooting (.516) and ninth in made three-pointers (1.69), all while averaging 11.3 ppg. Reilly finished his three-year SHU career with 886 points and 171 triples. The Cromwell, CT native is a three-time member of the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists. Reilly compiled a 3.97 grade point average as a Business Administration & Management major and has a 3.89 GPA as he pursues his Master’s in Business Administration.

Merrimack graduate student guard Jayme DeCesare (Johnston, RI/La Salle Academy) earned a share of the women’s basketball scholar-athlete award. DeCesare added a second team All-NEC honor to the first team accolade she secured in 2022-23 as the Warriors advanced to the conference semifinals. DeCesare netted a career-high 11.0 points per game to rank ninth in the league, and finished third in free throw accuracy (.790), sixth in assists (2.9/game) and eighth in three-point makes (1.5/game). She became the first Merrimack player to reach 1,000 career points in the program’s Division I era and finished her five seasons in North Andover with 1,246 points, which led all active players at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. She also ranked first among conference competitors in rebounds (546), assists (442) and steals (138). The Johnston, RI product was named to the NEC Academic & Commissioner Honor Roll in each of her five years. DeCesare has posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in her graduate studies working towards her Master’s degree in Business Analytics/Organizational Leadership. She registered a 3.86 in her undergraduate studies majoring in Business Administration.

Le Moyne graduate student guard Sydney Lusher (Oneida, NY/Oneida) was the co-winner of the women’s basketball scholar-athlete award after making a stellar NEC debut. Lusher earned third team All-NEC status on a Dolphin squad that defied preseason expectations by making a run to the NEC title game following a 14-2 regular season slate and runner-up finish in the league standings. Lusher ranked second on Le Moyne with 9.4 ppg and made 35 shots from downtown. A creative playmaker and NEC highlight reel staple, she ranked among conference leaders in steals (1.5), three-point percentage (.333) and field goal percentage (.386). Lusher, who hails from Oneida, NY, was an NEC Academic & Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection. She recorded a near-perfect 3.96 grade point average majoring in Psychology and maintains a 4.0 GPA as she strives toward her Master’s degree in Education.

Duquesne bowler Kiearra Saldi (Taylor, PA/Holy Cross) added another prestigious award in a brilliant season for the graduate student. Along with collecting scholar-athlete honors, the Taylor, NJ product was named the NEC Bowler of the Year. Saldi went on to earn a spot on the 2024 National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) All-Northeast Region second team, the fourth all-region accolade of her career. On a national scale, she was selected as a NTCA Honorable Mention All-American for the second time. Saldi helped Duquesne to a 70-36 record and an at-large berth in the NCAA Championships, where the Dukes won a pair of matches to advance to the regional final. She ranked 36th in the country in Player Composite Performance Index (PCPI) at 82.2 percent. She produced a 19.88 frame average, along with a 8.92 first ball average, 46.9 strike percentage, 85.1 percent spare percentage, 85.2 fill percentage and ranked seventh in the country in single-pin spare percentage at 93.7 percent. Saldi, a Taylor, PA native who is pursuing an advanced degree in Biomedical Engineering, has been named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll all five of her years at Duquesne. She completed her undergraduate studies with a 3.52 GPA and carries a 3.86 GPA as a graduate student.

IWagner senior Ryan Lane (Rochester, NH/Spaulding) claimed the men’s indoor track and field scholar-athlete award. Lane’s stellar showing at the NEC Indoor Track & Field Championships landed him the Most Outstanding Field Performer (Jumps) award as the Seahawks won their fourth consecutive conference title. He scored 28 across four individual events, finishing second in the pole vault and high jump, and third in the long jump and triple jump. The three-time NEC Field Athlete of the Week holds a 3.87 GPA as a Business Administration major. Lane, a native of Rochester, NH, has now appeared on the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll in each of his four years in Staten Island.

CCSU graduate student Brooke Morabito (New Milford, CT/New Milford) added another accolade to her exceptional resume, winning the women’s indoor track and field scholar-athlete accolade. The elite distance runner collected Most Valuable Performer and Most Outstanding Track Performer (Distance) plaudits to help the Blue Devils seal their third straight NEC title. The New Milford, CT product earned gold medals in both the 3000m and 5000m, and registered a second-place finish in the mile to pile up 28 of CCSU’s 125 points at the meet. She was also a part of the Blue Devils’ gold medal-winning distance medley relay team. Morabito posted the top times in the conference this season in both the 3,000m and 5,000m, both of which ranked in the top-100 nationally. Named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll for the fifth time, Morabito also earned NEC Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognition this winter. After compiling a 3.64 grade point average as an undergraduate majoring in Psychological Science, she currently maintains a 4.0 GPA while pursuing her Master’s in Counselor Education.

For the second straight year, the men’s swimming and diving scholar-athlete honor went to LIU senior Marcell Matyikó (Veszprém, Hungary/Lovassy László Gimnázium). Matyikó scored in three events at the NEC Swimming & Diving Championships in February, piling up 36 points for the Sharks. He won a bronze in the 400 IM (4:06.58), and took fifth in the 200 fly (1:54.31) and eighth in the 200 back (1:54.15). Hailing from Veszprém, Hungary, Matyikó previously won gold in the 400 IM in 2022 and in the 200 fly at the 2021 NEC meet, in which he set the school record (1:50.45). He has now appeared on the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists in each of his four years at LIU. Matyikó has registered a 3.94 GPA while majoring in Biology.

Achieving elite status in both the classroom and the pool, Sacred Heart senior diver Olivia McNicholas (Hicksville, NY/Kellenberg Memorial) took home women’s swimming and diving scholar-athlete honors for the second straight year. McNicholas was the runner-up in both the one and three-meter diving events at the NEC Championship in February, racking up 56 points for the Pioneers. She also won both diving events earlier in the year at the Gompei Invitational. McNicholas was a five-time NEC Diver of the Week this past season and a 17-time weekly honoree over the course of her career. The two-time NEC individual champion earned a spot on the NEC Academic & Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists for the fourth time. McNicholas is a Nursing major who carries a 3.79 GPA.