|
Wagner senior outfielder Bryce Phelps (Denver, IA/Denver (Southeastern CC (IA))) earned baseball scholar-athlete honors following a strong all-around season that helped spark the Seahawks to a 23-7 conference record and the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament. A first team All-NEC selection, the Denver, IA product ranked second in the NEC and 18th nationally in batting average (.399), while finishing third in the league in hits (75) and on-base percentage (.482), eighth in runs scored (49) and tenth in doubles (14). He also drove in 33 runs and was named NEC Player of the Week on February 18. A two-time member of the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Phelps is a Sports Administration major who carries a 3.91 cumulative grade point average.
|
|
| FDU senior Pyae Phyo Thu (Myanmar/Ayeyarwaddy International School) finished off a memorable collegiate career with a dominant performance at the NEC Championship to earn men’s golf scholar-athlete recognition. Thu captured the NEC individual crown in spectacular fashion, carding three sub-70 rounds on his way to a season-best 7-under 206 performance, just one stroke shy of the NEC’s 54-hole scoring record. He finished five shots clear of the field, becoming the ninth Knight to win the individual title. Thu was named first team All-NEC this spring after earning second team honors in 2024. The Myanmar native wrapped up the year with a 73.6 scoring average and tied for the league lead with six rounds in the 60s. He was tabbed NEC Golfer of the Week on April 3 and posted his third career top-10 finish at the NEC Championship, following a seventh-place showing in 2023 and tenth-place finish in 2022. A four-time member of the NEC Academic Honor Roll, Thu is a Civil Engineering major who maintains a 3.71 GPA. |
|
|
A mainstay in the FDU lineup, graduate student Anete Adul (Koogi, Estonia/Loo Secondary) earned the women’s golf scholar-athlete accolade. The Koogi, Estonia native placed third at the NEC Championship as the Knights added to their legacy with a record tenth NEC title. It marked her third career top-10 finish at the conference meet. Adul followed that up with the best NCAA Regional performance in FDU history, tying for 30th after carding a 4-over 220 in Lexington, KY. She posted five top-20 finishes during the 2024–25 campaign and averaged 76.8 strokes per round. Adul closed our her FDU career as a three-time All-NEC second team performer (2021, 2023, 2025). Her efforts in the classroom mirror her success on the course. A Business Administration major and MBA candidate, she boasts a 3.94 GPA at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Adul is also a five-time member of the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists.
|
|
| LIU junior defender Tyler Davide (Nesconset, NY/Sachem North) was named the men’s lacrosse scholar-athlete following a noteworthy campaign anchoring the Sharks’ defensive unit. A first team All-NEC honoree, Davide ranked third in the conference and 31st nationally with 1.50 caused turnovers per game. He also collected 29 ground balls and contributed three goals. With Davide leading the back line, LIU finished third in the NEC in goals allowed during conference play and earned the No. 3 seed in the NEC Tournament. A Biology major from Nesconset, NY, Davide carries a 3.91 GPA. He was tabbed to the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists. |
|
|
Mercyhurst junior attacker Whitley Easton (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) was selected the women’s lacrosse scholar-athlete after making an electrifying NEC debut. Hailing from Honeoye Falls, NY, Easton was one of the driving forces behind the Lakers posting a 6-3 league mark, earning NEC Offensive Player of the Year honors and a spot on the All-NEC first team. Easton took the conference by storm, leading the league in goals (53), assists (36) and points (89), while also compiling four NEC Player of the Week awards. She recorded hat tricks in 12-of-15 appearances and produced the NEC’s top individual scoring performance of the season with 11 points in Mercyhurst’s first-ever NEC game, a 15-13 win over Howard on March 15. Nationally, Easton ranked fifth in points per game (5.93), 18th in goals per game (3.53) and 27th in assists per game (2.40). A star in the classroom as well, Easton is an Artificial Intelligence and Data Science major who carries a perfect 4.00 GPA. She earned spots on both the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists.
|
|
|
Mercyhurst senior shortstop Eliza Reynolds (Union City, PA/Union City) was recognized as the softball co-scholar-athlete award winner after earning second team All-NEC honors during the Lakers’ inaugural DI season. A steady contributor at the plate, Reynolds batted .317 on the year and led the team with 40 hits and 12 doubles. She ranked third on the squad in both slugging percentage (.508) and OPS (.839), and was even more productive in NEC play, hitting .354 with four homers and a team-high 19 RBIs. Reynolds capped her four-year career having compiled a .351 batting average, 172 hits and 108 RBIs. Reynolds has excelled academically as well, maintaining a flawless 4.00 GPA as a Sports Medicine major and earning recognition on both the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Rolls.
|
|
|
Saint Francis U senior first baseman Olivia Ulam (Canonburg, PA/Canonburg) was named co-winner of the softball scholar-athlete award after putting the finishing touches on a career marked by championship success, individual accolades and academic distinction. Reliable with the glove and dangerous at the plate, Ulam earned her fourth consecutive first-team All-NEC nod - becoming just the second SFU student-athlete to do so - and helped guide the Red Flash to their seventh NEC Tournament title in eight seasons. She was named the 2025 NEC Gold Glove winner and earned a spot on the NEC All-Tournament team for the second time after hitting .300 with two homers and six RBIs during SFU’s title run. A three-time NEC Tournament champion (2022, 2024 and 2025) and three-time NEC regular season champion (2022, 2023 and 2024), Ulam hit .342 (sixth in NEC), with 53 hits (third), 33 runs (sixth), 15 doubles (led the NEC), six homers (eighth) and 34 RBIs (seventh). She also posted a .555 slugging percentage (eighth) and .954 OPS (ninth). Ulam finished her career as SFU’s all-time leader in putouts (1,651) and ranks fifth in program history in hits (202), doubles (47) and RBIs (145), while registering a .305 career batting average. In early June, she claimed her most esteemed accolade yet when she was selected as the NEC Female Team Student-Athlete of the Year, the conference’s highest individual honor. She was recognized three times on the CSC Academic All-District Team (2023, 2024 and 2025) and also holds membership in the 2025 SFU Honor Society (School of Health Sciences and Education). The three-year team captain has served as an SFU SAAC member since 2024 and a SAAC board member in 2025. An Early Childhood Education major, Ulam carries a 3.86 GPA. She has appeared on the NEC Academic Honor Roll in each of her four years and landed a spot on the NEC Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the past three seasons.
|
|
Binghamton junior William Morais Binnie (Porto, Portugal/Escola Secundária Filipa de Vilhena) claimed the men’s tennis scholar-athlete accolade for his role in sparking the Bearcats to a second straight NEC title. Binnie repeated as an All-NEC first team selection in both singles and doubles, partnering with Ronin Lotlikar for top billing. The Porto, Portugal native played a pivotal role in Binghamton’s NEC title run, earning Tournament MVP honors after racking up three straight-set victories, including the title-clinching point at #1 singles in a 6-2, 6-4 win against LIU. He tallied 19 singles wins on the year - tied for fourth-most in the conference - with nine of those victories coming at the No. 1 spot. Binnie was also recognized as the NEC Player of the Month last October. Off the court, Binnie is a Business Administration major with a 3.95 GPA. He has been named to both the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists in each of the last two years.
|
|
FDU’s Anastasia Lim (Kazan, Russia) served up the women’s tennis scholar-athlete award on the heels of a terrific junior season. Lim, who hails from Kazan, Russia, was named to the All-NEC first team in singles, marking her third straight all-conference honor after earning second team recognition in 2023 and 2024. A former NEC Rookie of the Year, Lim racked up 14 singles victories this past season, including a 4-1 mark in league play. She and partner Alena Kubanova proved to be a formidable doubles team, finishing a perfect 7-0 overall - including six victories against NEC opponents - en route to first team All-NEC recognition. Lim was also named NEC Player of the Week on March 27. Pursuing a degree in International Business, she maintains a 3.96 GPA. Lim has earned a place on both the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists all three of her seasons at FDU.
|
|
CCSU graduate student Colin Winkler (Winstead, CT/Winstead (UConn)) was named the men’s outdoor track and field scholar-athlete following a historic season that culminated on the national stage. Winkler uncorked a personal-best and school-record 74.97 meter throw in the javelin to place ninth at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and earn second-team All-America honors in the process. The performance marked the highest-ever finish by a CCSU track athlete and made Winkler the 33rd NEC men’s student-athlete to garner All-America distinction in outdoor track and field. He punched his ticket to nationals with a ninth-place showing at the NCAA East Regional. In his NEC Outdoor Championship debut in early May, Winkler shattered a 12-year-old meet record in the javelin with a 71.98 meter mark. He also earned acclaim as a two-time NEC Field Athlete of the Week. A Mathematics major with a concentration in Actuarial Science, Winkler graduated with a 3.31 GPA and currently carries a 3.66 GPA while pursuing a master’s degree in Data Science. He was also named to the NEC Academic Honor Roll.
|
|
| Wagner junior Elisa Parazzi (Angera, Italy/I.I.S Enrico Fermi) took home the women’s outdoor track and field scholar-athlete award after playing a key role in the Seahawks’ first-ever NEC championship campaign. Hailing from Angera, Italy, Parazzi captured gold in the high jump at the 2025 NEC Outdoor Track & Field meet, clearing 1.63 meters. She was one of six individual gold medalists for the Seahawks, who secured the crown in dominant fashion. Equally impressive in her studies, Parazzi majors in International Affairs and holds a perfect 4.0 GPA. Her academic record includes three consecutive appearances on both the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll lists. |
|
Saint Francis U senior outside hitter Andrew Deardorff (Itasca, IL/Lake Park) capped off a remarkable four-year career by claiming the men’s volleyball scholar-athlete award. Deardorff was a game-changing presence on the court for the Red Flash, capturing NEC Player of the Year honors while locking up his third straight All-NEC first team nod. As team captain, he led SFU to its third straight NEC regular season title and a third consecutive appearance in the NEC final. A 2025 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and a member of the USA U23 Training Team, Deardorff ranked among national and conference leaders across the board. He led the NEC in service aces (53), aces per set (0.54), points (452) and kills (384). He also finished second in the league in kills per set (3.92) and points per set (4.61), and third in hitting percentage (.315). Nationally, he stood sixth in aces per set, 12th in kills and points per set, and 36th in hitting percentage. Deardorff rang up 20+ kills on seven occasions and tallied two double-doubles. In April, he became the seventh player in SFU rally scoring history to surpass 1,000 career kills, finishing with 1,022. Deardorff was a six-time NEC Player of the Week and earned the league’s Defensive Player of the Week honor once. Earlier this month, he received arguably his most prestigious accolade when he was named the NEC Male Team Student-Athlete of the Year, the league’s most coveted individual award. Additionally, he was honored with SFU’s Eugene and Rosemary Turano Award, recognizing the school’s top senior male student-athlete. An Accounting and Finance double major, Deardorff has compiled a 3.68 GPA and earned NEC Academic Honor Roll recognition in each of his three years in Loretto.
|
|