West Babylon, N.Y. - The East Coast Conference announced the 2017-2018 Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year, as well as the Scholar-Athletes of the Year for all of its sponsored sports at the ECC Awards Dinner on June 4. Andreu Ferragut-Lluch (Palma de Mallorca, Spain) of the St. Thomas Aquinas men's tennis team was named the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Rachel Londot (Utica, Ohio) of the LIU Post volleyball team earned the honor as Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Ferragut, a senior biology major with a 3.92 GPA, was named an ECC All-Conference First Team selection after compiling a record of 14-4 in singles and 12-6 in doubles.
Londot is a junior with a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in Forensic Science with a minor in chemistry. She is also a standout for the LIU Post volleyball team. This past season, she helped the Pioneers earn a share of the conference's regular season championship and was also named the ECC Player of the Year. Also an AVCA All-Region First Team selection, she finished fourth in the ECC in kills per set, total kills, hitting percentage and ranked 12th in all of Division II with 58 service aces.
Ferragut-Lluch and Londot were also named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year for their respective sports, as well.
2017-2018 ECC Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Baseball – Dave Brehm (Bohemia, N.Y.), LIU Post: Brehm earns the Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor after the junior was an All-Conference selection with a .364 batting average and 28 RBI. In the classroom, the junior has posted a 3.52 GPA as a Business major.
Men’s Basketball – Jules de Courtenay (Brisbane, Australia), St. Thomas Aquinas: De Courtenay, a Computer Science major with a 3.89 GPA, wins the award for the second straight season. de Courtenay helped the Spartans to a third straight ECC Championship with 3.9 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game in 24 starts.
Women's Basketball - Nina Vukosavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia), NYIT: Vukosavljevic, a senior Business Administration major with a 3.69 GPA, averaged 13.8 points per game and ranked third in Division II with 6.6 assists per game. The All-Conference First Team selection also helped lead the Bears to the final of the ECC Championship for the third time in four seasons.
Women's Bowling - Rebecca Gotterbarn (Garden City, N.Y.), Adelphi: Gotterbarn, a senior Computer Science major with a 3.726 GPA, earns the honor after being named the ECC PLayer of the Year and the NTCA All-America Honorable Mention Team after ranking 16th in the country in overall average and fourth in strike percentage.
Men's Cross Country - Josiah Ottolini (Spring Arbor, Mich.), Roberts Wesleyan: The ECC Runner of the Year after finishing firstin the ECC Championship in a time of 24:56.37, Ottoline has been named the Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year by boasting a 3.88 GPA as an Engineering major.
Women's Cross Country - Talya Williams (Schenectady, N.Y.), LIU Post: A three-time ECC Runner of the Year, Williams earns as the Wen's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year by boasting a 3.79 GPA as a Criminal Justice major.
Men’s Indoor Track and Field – Taurai Augustin (Castries, Saint Lucia), Holy Family: Augustin, who repeats as the Men's Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was a First Team All-Conference selection after winning the 800m run. He was a Second Team All-Conferenc pick in the 4x400m relay, as well. In the classroom, he holds a 3.96 GPA as a Biology/Pre-Med major.
Women’s Indoor Track and Field – Chelsea Hayward (Litchfield, Conn.), Roberts Wesleyan: Hayward earns the Indoor honor for compiling a 3.72 GPA as a Nursing major. On the track, she won the 60m, 200m, and 400m dash at the ECC Championship and came in second in the 200m at the NCAA Division II National Championship meet.
Men’s Lacrosse – Ryan Mello (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.), St. Thomas Aquinas: Mello, a junior Sport Management major with a 3.62 GPA, earns the honor after being named the ECC Goalkeeper of the Year in 2018. Mello had 187 saves and a save percentage of .557 on the season.
Women’s Lacrosse – Emily Jehle (Wading River, N.Y.), Mercy: Jehle, a senior Public Relations and Communications major with a 3.892 GPA, was an ECC All-Conference First Team member after leading the ECC with 68 assists and ranking fourth with 88 points.
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field – Brian Michels (Patchogue, N.Y.), Molloy Michels, an Accounting major with a 3.98 GPA, finished in the top six in both the 800 and 1500m run at the ECC Outdoor Championship. He was also the mile run champion at the ECC Indoor Championship.
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field – Amy Trabert (Amherst, N.Y.), Daemen: Trabert, a Social Work major boasted a 3.875 GPA. On the track, she won the 10,000 meter runs at the ECC Championship for the second time in her career and also came in third place in the 5,000 meter run.
Men’s Soccer – Gabriel Torres (Salvador, Brazil), Dist. Columbia: Torres was the ECC Offensive Player oof the Year and an All-America after scoring 20 goals and dishing off 12 assists for 52 points, all ECC hights. Academically, the Electrical Engineering major holds a 3.75 GPA.
Women’s Soccer – Hillevi Eklow (Väröbacka, Sweden), LIU Post: Eklow was the ECC Goalkeeper of the Year after making 81 saves and posting a 0.72 goals against average. Academically, the junior Mathematics and Computer Science major holds a 3.76 GPA.
Softball – Jenna Turato (Garden City South, N.Y.), Molloy: Turato, a First Team All-Conference selection earns after compiling 18 wins with 115 strikeouts and a 2.55 ERA. The Accounting major also boasts a 3.87 GPA
Women’s Tennis – Lena Dimmer (Wallendorf-Pont, Luxembourg), NYIT: Dimmer, who repeated as the ECC Player of the Year with a 20-4 singles record , earns the Scholar-Athlete honor after finishing with a perfect 4.0 GPA as a Business Administration and Finance major.
Co-Volleyball – Sherri Middleton (Humboldt, Kansas), Bridgeport: Middleton was an All-Conference Second Team selection after leading the ECC with a .308 hitting percentage on 142 kills. She also posted a perfect 4.0 GPA as a Mass Communications major.