Lock Haven, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is pleased to announce its Fall 2010 Top 10 Award recipients. The PSAC Top 10 Awards, which are selected by the PSAC’s sports information directors, recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in the area of competition. The PSAC Top 10 Awards are in their 14th season of existence, having been initiated in the 1997-98 academic year.
The Top 10 Awards recognize 10 outstanding student-athletes, five male and five female, for each athletic season: fall, winter and spring. The Fall 2010 Top 10 Award winners are Bryan Boyce of Mercyhurst, Matt Freed of East Stroudsburg, Connor Kimball of Gannon, Nick Sipes of Clarion and Ian Wild of Mercyhurst on the men’s side, while the women’s winners are Jessica Bennett of West Chester, Kristen Brooks of Shippensburg, Lindsay Foder of East Stroudsburg, Jen Harpp of Slippery Rock and Neely Spence of Shippensburg. Bennett, Freed and Foder are repeat winners from last fall, while Boyce is a repeat winner as well, only his previous honor came in the fall of 2008. Spence is also a repeat winner, however this marks the first Fall Top 10 honor for the junior, who was honored as a Winter Top 10 recipient last season as a part of the Shippensburg Indoor Track & Field team. Harpp is now a three-time Top 10 winner as she earns her second straight Fall Top 10 award. She was also a Winter Top 10 honoree two years ago as a part of The Rock’s Indoor Track & Field team. Additionally, exactly half of this year’s Fall Top 10 honorees were also named ESPN Academic All-Americans® by the College Sports Information Director of America (CoSIDA) earlier this academic year: Bennett, Boyce, Freed, Sipes and Wild. Two members of that quintet – Bennett and Freed – earned AAA honors for the second consecutive season while a third – Boyce – is an AAA for the third straight year.
To be a candidate for the PSAC Top 10 Awards, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials for their respective team. The fall sports eligible for consideration for the Fall Top 10 Awards are men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, volleyball, football and men’s and women’s cross country. At the end of the academic year, all Top 10 Award winners from the entire academic year are eligible for the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, given to one male and one female candidate at the end of the academic year.
Listed below are biographies for the Fall 2010 PSAC Top 10 Award winners:
PSAC Fall 2010 Top 10 Awards
Jessica Bennett, West Chester (Women’s Soccer)
Bryan Boyce, Mercyhurst (Football)
Kristen Brooks, Shippensburg (Field Hockey)
Lindsay Foder, East Stroudsburg (Women’s Soccer)
Matt Freed, East Stroudsburg (Football)
Jen Harpp, Slippery Rock (Women’s Cross Country)
Connor Kimball, Gannon (Football)
Nick Sipes, Clarion (Football)
Neely Spence, Shippensburg (Women’s Cross Country)
Ian Wild, Mercyhurst (Football)
Jessica Bennett, West Chester
Women’s Soccer, Senior
Littlestown, Pa./Gettysburg
Major: Elementary Education
Cumulative GPA: 4.00
Ranked third on team in scoring with 15 points (6 goals, 3 assists)…scored one game-winning goal…Converted clinching penalty kick in PSAC Championship game shootout…Converted penalty kick in fifth round to send shootout into sudden victory rounds during the PSAC Semifinals…Two-year team captain…First team All-PSAC…First team NSCAA All-Region…2010 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area performer of the year…Two-time ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team selection…2009 PSAC Fall Top 10 Award winner…Two-time PSAC Honor Roll recipient (2008, 2009)…2009-10 WCU Female Student-Athlete of the Year…Member of three PSAC Championship squads during her four-year college career…Helped WCU reach the NCAA quarterfinals twice…Two-time first team All-PSAC selection (2009, 2010)…Ranks second all-time at WCU in career appearances (90)…Has maintained a perfect 4.00 cumulative GPA over all seven semesters in college.
Bryan Boyce, Mercyhurst
Football, Graduate Student
Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard
Major: Special Education (Master’s)
Cumulative GPA: 3.840 (Undergrad)/3.917 (Graduate)
Started all 13 games for the Lakers…Led the team in tackles (91 – 15th PSAC) and sacks (10.5 - -59 yds, 4th PSAC, T41 NCAA); finished second in tackles for loss (16.5 - -79 yds, 8th PSAC, T-85th NCAA)…Registered career-high 14 tackles in 22-21 overtime win at Edinboro on Oct. 16…Had at least three tackles in every game and eight or more in six contests…Helped defense to finish the regular season ranked nationally in total defense (17th, 271.73 y/gm); scoring defense (23rd, 18.36 ppg); rushing defense (17th, 95.64 y/gm); pass defense (36th, 176.09 y/gm); sacks (13th, 3.09) and tackles for loss (T19th, 7.91)…Recorded a career-high 2.5 sacks at Notre Dame in season opener…2010 CoSIDA / ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team…2010 CoSIDA / ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District…2010 Daktronics All-Super Region 1 First Team…2010 PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year…2010 All-PSAC West First Team…2009 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Region First Team…2009 All-PSAC West Second Team…2009-10 PSAC Scholar-Athlete; Mercyhurst Scholar-Athlete…2008 PSAC Fall Top 10…2008 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American First Team…2008 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Region First Team…2008 All-PSAC West First Team…2008-09 PSAC Scholar-Athlete and Mercyhurst Scholar-Athlete…2006 All-GLIAC Honorable Mention…2006 GLIAC All-Academic Team.
Kristen Brooks, Shippensburg
Field Hockey, Senior
Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield
Major: Management
Cumulative GPA: 3.975
Senior team captain for a squad that reached the Division II Field Hockey National Championship game for the first time in school history in addition to posting a 20-0 regular season mark…SU set a school record for victories in a season…Started all 23 games for the Lady Raiders as an irreplaceable defender...Received NCAA's ‘Elite 88’ award at Division II Field Hockey Championships for boasting the highest cumulative GPA at the site of competition…Became first athlete in NCAA history to win the award twice for the same sport…Helped limit UML’s top two forwards (60 combined goals during season) to just two shots and no goals in the national championship game…SU defense allowed just 20 goals in 23 games this season, including nine shutouts…2009-10 CoSIDA At-Large Second Team Academic All-Region…Earned the CoSIDA All-District honor despite being a part of an award group that featured nominees from the sports of bowling, crew, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis and water polo…Named to the NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad in every year of competition…Received 2010-11 Clarence Schock Foundation Fellowship award, given annually to one student each from Cheyney, Kutztown, Millersville, West Chester and Shippensburg that provides tuition for a full year…Played in 78 career games for Shippensburg, making 28 starts.
Lindsay Foder, East Stroudsburg
Women’s Soccer, Graduate Student
Saylorsburg, Pa./Pleasant Valley
Major: Speech Pathology
Cumulative GPA: 4.00 (Undergrad)/4.00 (Graduate)
2nd team All-PSAC selection at forward…Had 3 goals and 1 assist…PSAC Fall Top 10 (2009)…Graduated in three years with 4.0 GPA in Speech Pathology…Recorded 4.0 GPA in first semester of graduate program (same major) this fall…2-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District (1st team 2009, 2nd team 2010)...3-time All-PSAC and 2-time All-Region selection…6th at ESU with 21 career goals and 58 points and tied for 6th with 16 assists…Named to All-PSAC 2nd team at forward in 2010, All-PSAC East 1st team at forward in 2009 and 2nd team at midfield in 2008…NSCAA All-Region in 2009 and Daktronics All-Region in 2008…Started 73 games over four years…Led Warriors to PSAC playoff appearances in her first three seasons…Also led ESU to NCAA Tournament and the first postseason win in school history as a sophomore (goal, assist in 4-0 win)…Had 7 goals and 6 assists as junior and 9 goals and 7 assists as sophomore…Warriors were 43-29-8 in her four years (seven consecutive losing seasons before she arrived in 2007).
Matt Freed, East Stroudsburg
Football, Senior
Souderton, Pa./Souderton
Major: History
Cumulative GPA: 3.76
120 tackles, 14.0 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception…2nd in PSAC and 9th in Division II with 10.9 tackles per game…Led PSAC and 4th in Division II with 6.1 solo tackles per game…Eight games with 10+ tackles. PSAC Fall Top 10 (2009)…2-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America 1st team selection (2009-10)…3-time Academic All-District 1st team (2008-10)…National semifinalist for Campbell Trophy from National Football Foundation…Only defensive player in nation on regional ballot for Harlon Hill Award…3-time Daktronics Division II All-American (1st team 2008-09, 2nd team 2010)…3-time AP Little All-America 3rd team (2008-10)…2-time Daktronics Super Region One Defensive Player of the Year (2009-10)…3rd in ESU history with 399 career tackles and 5th with 22.5 sacks as three-year starter and four-year letterwinner…Ranked in top 12 in DII in tackles all three seasons…Had 378 tackles, 44.0 TFL and 21.5 sacks in 34 games as starter…24 games with 10+ tackles and 31 games with 8+ tackles…5-time PSAC East Defensive Player of the Week…Only player in ESU football history to earn three All-America honors from the same organization.
Jen Harpp, Slippery Rock
Women’s Cross Country, Graduate Student
Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield
Major: Doctor of Physical Therapy
Cumulative GPA: 3.94 (Undergrad)/4.00 (Graduate)
Harpp struggled with an injury all fall but returned to lead The Rock during the championship season…In her first meet of the year, the PSAC Championships, she placed fourth to earn her third consecutive All-PSAC honor…The next week, she finished third at the NCAA Regional Championships to earn All-Region honors…Her finish also qualified her for the NCAA National Championships…At the national meet, running at only about 75% health, she placed 15th to earn her second consecutive All-America honor…That finish is the second-best by an SRU female in the history of the program, second only behind her 11th-place finish from last season…Finished her undergraduate degree in three years…Currently enrolled in the prestigious doctor of physical therapy program at SRU…Five-time All-American (twice outdoor track, once indoor, twice XC)…Maintained perfect 4.0 GPA through first three semesters of graduate work…Member of Dean’s List every semester…USTFCCCA All-Academic in every semester…Two-time PSAC Top 10 honoree (one fall, one winter).
Connor Kimball, Gannon
Football, Senior
Erie, Pa./McDowell
Major: Psychology
Cumulative GPA: 3.87
32 tackles (18 solo, 14 assisted), five interceptions (62 return yards), six pass break-ups…Was an ESPN Academic All-America nominee after being named to the ESPN Academic All-District 2 first team…Is a PSAC Scholar-Athlete…Tied for No. 1 among Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) players and ranked 31st among all NCAA Division II players in interceptions per game (0.45)…Ranked seventh among PSAC players in pass break-ups per game (1.00)…Concluded his collegiate career seventh all-time at Gannon with seven career interceptions…Had game-ending interceptions this season during victories against Lake Erie (26-20) and Mercyhurst (14-10)…Ranked 21st among PSAC players in 2009 with 0.18 interceptions per game.
Nick Sipes, Clarion
Football, Senior
Curwensville, Pa./Curwensville
Major: Pre-Med/Biology
Cumulative GPA: 3.788
107 tackles (50 solo), 12 tfl’s, 1 sack, 3 fumbles caused, 1 int, 1 fumble recovery, 2 break-ups. Ranked Third in PSAC in tackles…2010 CoSIDA/ESPN First Team Academic All-American…1st team CoSIDA/ESPN All District…1st Team Daktronics Super Region 1…All PSAC-West…PSAC-West Defensive Player of the Week vs. IUP…Team Co-Captain…2009 HM FB Gazette All-american, 1st Team Daktronics & FB Gazette Super Region 1, All PSAC-West…3-year defensive starter (2010, 2009, 2007)…Career numbers include 302 tackles, 28 tfl’s, 7 sacks, 5 fumbles caused, 3 fumbles recovered, 3 break-ups, 1 int., and 1 blocked kick…Fullback in 2008 – 297 rushing yards, 3 td’s, 12 catches, 104 yards.
Neely Spence, Shippensburg
Women’s Cross Country, Junior
Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg
Major: Human Communications Studies
Cumulative GPA: 3.844
2010 Division II Women's Cross Country National Champion…2010 Division II Women's Cross Country Atlantic Regional Champion…2010 PSAC Women's Cross Country Individual Champion…2010 Greater Louisville Classic Individual Champion…2010 USTFCCCA Division II National Cross Country Female Athlete of the Year…2010 USTFCCCA Division II Atlantic Region Cross Country Female Athlete of the Year…2010 PSAC Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year…Became first women's cross country national champion in school history…Earned second career All-America certification for cross country…Won all six races that she ran in 2010…Finished 70 seconds ahead of the field at the PSAC Championships, 51 seconds ahead of the field at the Atlantic Region Championships and 15 seconds ahead of the field at the NCAA Championship…Aided SU to a team trophy (Lady Raiders finished fourth at NCAAs, second-best result in school history)…2010 NCAA Division II Women's Sportsmanship Award winner…2009-10 ESPN/CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-American…2009-10 PSAC Winter Top Ten Award Winner…2-Time USTFCCCA All-Academic Team member…2-time XC All-American…3-time PSAC Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year…3-time USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year…3-time PSAC Women’s Cross Country individual champion…3-time NCAA Atlantic Region Women’s Cross Country individual champion…Nominated for 2010-11 Honda Division II Athlete of the Year award…Selected to speak at 2011 NCAA National Convention in San Antonio, representing Division II student athletes…Named PSAC Athlete of the Year after all seven of her collegiate seasons to date (cross country [3], indoor track [2], outdoor track [2])…2009 USA Track & Field Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
Ian Wild, Mercyhurst
Football, Junior
Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin
Major: Business
Cumulative GPA: 3.919
Started all 13 games for the Laker defense that finished the regular season nationally-ranked in total defense (17th, 271.73 y/gm); scoring defense (23rd, 18.36 ppg); rushing defense (17th, 95.64 y/gm); pass defense (36th, 176.09 y/gm); sacks (13th, 3.09) and tackles for loss (T19th, 7.91)…Finished third on the team in total tackles (79)…Had five or more stops in 11 games…Forced a team-best three fumbles…Posted sixth-best tackles for loss mark (5 - -21 yds)…Posted a season-high nine stops on two occasions, including all solo tackles against Notre Dame in the season opener…First season to start all games at his hybrid linebacker/defensive back position…2010 CoSIDA / ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team…2010 CoSIDA / ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team…2010 Daktronics Super Region I First Team…2010 All-PSAC West First Team…2009 All-PSAC West Second Team…2009 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Region Second Team.