With end-of-season academic awards and honors being announced, it appears that Northeastern student-athletes are validating the school’s long standing academic commitment.
In a press conference last month, Athletics Director Peter Roby stressed the emphasis Northeastern places on performance. He said that one of the school’s priorities was ensuring the highest of academic standards continues to be met.
At the end of February, four members of the football team were named to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Football Academic All-Conference Team. On March 10, eight members of the field hockey team were selected for the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Academic (NFHCA) Squad. Also, at the end of December, the women’s soccer team was honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with a Team Academic Award for having a combined 3.36 team GPA.
“I think [the awards] mean a lot. I certainly take it as a real affirmation and a source of pride. I know the athletes are proud of what they do; the coaches are proud of it,” Roby said. “It’s an opportunity to showcase the true student athletes and that we’re here doing things for the right reasons. It’s important. In every way it’s a source of pride and we try to make it a big deal.”
Honored on the football team were senior captain Joe Mele, senior defensive back Barry Jeanson, junior quarterback Anthony Orio and freshman linebacker David Akinniyi. For Jeanson, a new venture management major, it was his fourth selection in as many seasons to the all-academic team. The four together pushed the total of selections to 23 for head coach Rocky Hager since he started coaching here in 2004.
Hager said he was proud of the academic achievements of his players. He also said the academic support program at Northeastern deserved credit and that the coaches needed to continue to do what they can to ensure athletes stay on track academically. His staff’s goal was to have the entire team GPA reach at least 3.0, he said.
“This past fall we had 40 players on our squad that were 3.0’s or higher,” he said. “The people upstairs in the academic support area have done a great job and our student athletes have bought into our belief that education and doing well in the classroom is important.”
The field hockey team, led by their eight academic squad selections, were recognized by the NHFCA as one of 43 Division I teams with at least a 3.0 team GPA, making them just one of three in the CAA to earn the distinction.
Seniors Stephanie Casper and Ashley D’Ambra, junior Rachel Wilkes, sophomore Montana Hewlett and freshmen Pam Aldridge, Emma Boggio, Samantha Sewell and Anne-Reike Stuhlmann made up the group selected to the academic squad from the team.
Eligibility for Academic Squad selection required at least a 3.30 GPA from athletes.
For Casper, it was her fifth consecutive year receiving the honors (as she received recognition during her redshirt freshman year and all four playing years).
D’Ambra, one of three senior captains this season, Wilkes, Hewlett and Sewell were all selected for a second consecutive year.
Head coach Cheryl Murtagh commended the athletes for staying focused in the classroom and knowing their priorities.
“Our athletes know that they’re here to get a great degree, and they’re pretty conscientious. Overall the athletes really take over and make sure they get their work done on time,” she said. “[The awards are] a tribute to them. It’s a tribute to our academic services. The past couple of years it’s been pretty remarkable how well our players have done in the classroom.”
Roby said the awards, as a whole, serve as a nice source of recognition and validation of the school’s academic mission as it relates to athletics.
“At the end of the day it is about coming here to develop yourself academically and personally so that you can go out and be as productive as possible. We’re here to try to help people reach their full potential as people, as students and as athletes,” he said. “And so when you see them being acknowledged by the conferences or by the NCAA, it’s really gratifying and I think everyone takes pride in it, from the administrative staff to the people in the student athlete support services.”
