Bridgewater, NJ — In a star-studded career littered with dazzling punchouts and clutch hits at the dish, Saint Francis U premier two-way softball player and graduate student Rachel Marsden (Erie, PA/McDowell) was also an ace inside the classroom and in the community. 
 
Marsden’s exemplary performances in all three facets yielded a multitude of outstanding achievements and awards throughout her five years in Loretto, all of which culminated in her earning the Northeast Conference (NEC) Female Team Student-Athlete of the Year Award.
 
Presented by Provident Bank, the NEC’s most prestigious individual honor annually recognizes individual excellence in the academic and athletic realms as well as leadership and contributions to one’s community. Marsden rose to the top amongst a crop of nine impressive female finalists from across the NEC’s core membership.

"I am marveled by Rachel’s incredible accomplishments as a student-athlete at Saint Francis U," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. She is a fierce competitor and a champion on the diamond. To perform at the highest level is an extremely difficult task as a Division I student-athlete, but to combine such great success in the classroom and rise as an outstanding leader is a tribute to to Rachel’s dedication and commitment. Rachel is an outstanding representative of the Northeast Conference’s student-athletes, and I am proud to recognize her as the 2023-24 NEC Female Team Student-Athlete of the Year.
 
Leading the Red Flash to an unprecedented four NEC regular season crowns (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024) and three tournament titles (2021, 2022 and 2024) throughout her illustrious five-year career, Marsden has become a master when it comes to rewriting Saint Francis U’s recordbooks. Finishing second all-time in Red Flash lore in career wins (68), third in strikeouts (568) and third in innings pitched (665.2), she helped make history once again by helping Saint Francis U pull off the NEC’s first-ever sweep of the NEC Student-Athlete of the Year awards.
 
Joining Marsden on the awards stage as the NEC Male Team Student-Athlete of the Year is Red Flash men’s volleyball player Peyton Blain (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin).
 
“We are absolutely thrilled for Rachel and Peyton to be recognized as the premier male and female team student-athletes by the Northeast Conference,” said Saint Francis U Director of Athletics James Downer. “Their athletic accomplishments this past year obviously warranted consideration but above all, their achievements in the classroom and contributions in the community make them truly remarkable ambassadors to the institution. Rachel and Peyton are beyond deserving of this recognition and as a department, we are immensely proud to have them represent the Red Flash.” 

Saint Francis U softball has had a knack for producing some of the NEC’s most exemplary and well-rounded student-athletes as of late. With Marsden’s selection as the league’s top female team student-athlete, the Red Flash have landed an NEC Female Team Student-Athlete of the Year honoree in two of the past three years. She joins former teammate Mekenzie Saban (Pittsburgh, PA/North Hills), who garnered the award in 2022.
 
With Marsden’s accolade, Saint Francis U ranks second with five NEC Female Team Student-Athlete of the Year honorees. Wagner leads the way with six student-athletes earning the distinction on the women’s side.

"Rachel is an incredible athlete, but also a an incredible person," said Saint Francis U softball head coach Beth Krysiak. "She was a good teammate who helped to raise the standards of the program around her. She put in the time and effort off the field to better our community and share her passion for sport. Rachel made an impact in Saint Francis Softball that will be felt for years to come."
  
Overall, Marsden becomes the fifth Red Flash student-athlete to earn the NEC’s most coveted award since its inception in 2002-03. Sarah Phelan (track and field – 2019-20), Erika Jacobs (track and field – 2006-07) and Beth Swink (basketball – 2004-05) are also former Saint Francis U honorees.
 
"Rachel is a fierce competitor whether it is on the field or in the classroom, but in addition to that, she models our University's brand message of 'Become That Someone' through her actions every day,” said John Krimmel, Senior Associate AD for Student-Athlete & Leadership Development at Saint Francis U. “She has always been willing to help whenever needed and puts her team and the department ahead of herself. “Rachel is an amazing athlete and an unbelievable student, but most importantly, Rachel is an outstanding human being.  She is a leader in every sense of the word and has made Saint Francis U a better place because of her actions. I could not be prouder of Rachel for this well-deserved recognition, and I know she will continue to make an impact throughout her lifetime."
 
Marsden’s numbers in the classroom were just as consistent as her ability to put down opposing batters day in and day out. She defined what it truly meant to be a student-athlete by graduating with a 3.90 GPA as a Management/Marketing major a year ago. In her graduate studies, she raised that average to a 3.96 mark in earning her Master of Business Administration. A recipient of the 2023 Frank & Marie Picarella Scholarship Award, she has appeared on the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists four times apiece while earning two CSC Academic All-District nods. Marsden put a bow on her outstanding undergraduate career when she was tabbed the 2023 NEC Softball Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 
 
Marsden’s trophy case is overflowing with athletic hardware as well. The 2022 NEC Pitcher of the Year recently made her fourth consecutive appearance on the All-NEC first team as a pitcher while earning a spot on the first team as a utility player for the second time in as many seasons in 2024. In total, she has earned eight All-NEC honors during her remarkable career. The repeat NEC All-Tournament Team honoree was also a 13-time NEC Pitcher of the Week, a four-time NEC Player of the Week and a one-time NEC Rookie of the Week.
 
Marsden recently made history once again by becoming the first-ever Saint Francis U player to be represented on a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Region team for the third straight season. She followed a first team selection in 2022 by earning back-to-back second team nods in 2023 and 2024.
 
Posting the fifth 20-win season in Saint Francis U lore in 2024, Marsden closed out her final campaign with a 1.89 ERA. Her excellence in the circle — and in the batter’s box — only validates that she is arguably one of the most versatile athletes to have come through the circuit. In addition to her stellar pitching numbers, she hit .431, slugged .784 and posted a .473 on-base percentage against conference competition to rank in the top-three in all three categories. She also slammed nine dingers — three of which came during a dominant postseason run that saw the Red Flash outscore opponents by a 37-4 margin — to finish first on the team in the category.
 
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.
 
Marsden not only became one of the most-feared pitchers in the league while donning the red and white; she wreaked havoc at the national level as well. Amongst all current NCAA Division I hurlers, she has posted the 19th-most wins (68), the 28th-most strikeouts and the 16th-most shutouts (20).
 
Marsden also knocked it out of the park with her outstanding work in the community and her dedication to on-campus initiatives.
 
“This honor is something that showcases who I am as a person in addition to the athlete that I am, and that recognition alone is something that I pride myself in,” said Marsden. “Being a well-rounded person in addition to an athlete is something that I always knew would serve me well in my time after my cleats come off. I knew investing my time into my studies and serving the community would be advantageous for me as well as those around me, too.”
 
Serving as a pitching and hitting instructor as well as a softball camp instructor, Marsden used her star-studded skillset on the diamond to help develop future all-stars within Western Pennsylvania communities. She was also a five-year participant in Reaching Every Door (RED), a campus-wide day of service where students give back to the local community. 
 
Within Saint Francis U athletics, Marsden, a four-year captain of the softball team, was also a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) E-Board member and representative.
 
Weighing one’s leadership ability, athletic prowess, academic achievement and community service, the NEC Student-Athlete of the Year award was formerly known as the NEC SAAC Student-Athlete of the Year award. One student-athlete was honored annually from 2003 to 2014, before the award was renamed and the decision was made to recognize one male and one female team student-athlete per academic year.

 
NEC STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTS

2023-24       Peyton Blain, Saint Francis U (male team, volleyball)
              Rachel Marsden, Saint Francis U (female team, softball)
2022-23       Sokol Ymeraj, St. Francis Brooklyn (male team, soccer)   
              Ashley Dana, CCSU (female team, cross country/track and field) 
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)