West Babylon, N.Y. - The East Coast Conference announced the 2018-2019 State Farm 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 May 13. Brian Michels (Patchogue, N.Y.) of the Molloy cross country and track & field teams was named the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Shaneika Bowra (Spanish Town St. Catherine, Jamaica) of the District of Columbia cross country and track & field teams earned the honor as Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
"On behalf of State Farm and the James Von Eiff Agency, we want to extend our congratulations to all the recipients of the 2018-19 ECC Scholar-Athlete Award," said presenting sponsor of the award, Jim Von Eiff. He continued saying, "You have shown tremendous commitment and a dedication to excellence and should be very proud of your achievements."
Michels, a senior accounting major with a 3.98 GPA, earned Second Team All-Conference honors in cross country and also earned All-Conference honors in Indoor (1000m, mile run) and Outdoor Track & Field (800m, 1500m).
Bowra is also a senior accounting major with a 3.90 GPA. Bowra earned four medals at the ECC Outdoor Championship.
Michels (cross country) and Bowra (outdoor track & field) were also named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year for one of their respective sports, as well.
2018-2019 ECC Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Baseball – John Mooradian, Mercy: Mooradian earns the Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor after the senior was an All-Conference selection after finishing second in the ECC with a .397 batting average and leading the league with 50 RBI. In the classroom, the senior has posted a 3.78 GPA as a Nursing major.
Men’s Basketball – Kevin Cox, District of Columbia: Cox, a Health Education major with a 3.48 GPA, earns the Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete honor. Cox helped the Firebirds to an appearance in the ECC Championship by averaging 11.8 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game in 20 starts.
Women's Basketball - Emily, Roberts Wesleyan: Miller, a junior Marketing major with a 3.99 GPA, is a two-time winner of the ECC Elite 19 Award for having the highest GPA among all student-athletes competing in the ECC Women's Basketball Championship. Also an All-Conference First Team selection, Miller led the ECC by scoring 18.7 points per game.
Women's Bowling - McKenna Collier, Adelphi: Collier, a senior Studio Art major with a 3.91 GPA, earns the honor after being named to the ECC All-Conference First Team. Collier finished seventh in the ECC in frame average (18.06).
Women's Cross Country - Moriah Martone, Roberts Wesleyan: A two-time ECC Elite 19 winner, Martone earns as the Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year by boasting a perfect 4.0 GPA as a Nursing major. Martone was also an All-Conference First Team honoree after a seventh-place finish at the ECC Championship in a time of 19:25.3.
Men’s Indoor Track and Field – Frankie Schiavone, St. Thomas Aquinas: Schiavone earns the honor after compiling a 3.66 GPA as an Accounting major. On the track, Schiavone was a First Team honoree in the 500m (1:07.60) dash and the 4x400m relay (3:22.09).
Women’s Indoor Track and Field – Kaitlin Klein, LIU Post: Klein earns the Indoor honor for compiling a 3.99 GPA as a Criminal Justice and Forensic Science major. On the indoor field, she won the weight toss at the ECC Championship with a mark of 15.01m.
Men’s Lacrosse – Ryan Mello, St. Thomas Aquinas: Mello, a senior Sport Management major with a 3.68 GPA, earns the honor for the second straight year after also repeating as CC Goalkeeper of the Year. Mello led the ECC with 231 saves and a 191`
Women’s Lacrosse – Alyssa Mallery, LIU Post: Mallery, a senior Criminal Justice major with a 3.49 GPA, was an ECC All-Conference First Team member after scoring 83 goals and adding seven assists for 90 points.
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field – Tanner Craun, Roberts Wesleyan: Craun, a grad student with a 3.94 undergrad and 3.93 graduate GPA as a Philosophy & Religion (undergrad) and Social Work (grad) student, finished in ninth place in the 5000m at the ECC Championship.
Men’s Soccer – Lukas Ostermann, LIU Post: Ostermann was the ECC Offensive Player of the Year and an All-America after scoring 23 goals and dishing off six assists for 52 points. Academically, the Business Administration grad student holds a 3.59 GPA.
Women’s Soccer – Maegan Doyle, Bridgeport: Doyle adds another honor after being named the Division II National Player of the Year while leading Bridgeport to its first-ever National Championship. The junior marketing major with a 3.77 GPA scored 28 goals and 59 points on the year.
Softball – Abbey Fortin, LIU Post: Fortin was a Second Team All-Conference selection after compiling 13 homeruns and 47 RBI. The junior Criminal Justice major also boasts a 3.91 GPA
Men’s Tennis – Ricardo Ruiz Martinez, Daemen: Ruiz Martinez earns the Scholar-Athlete honor after finishing with a 3.95 GPA as a Business Administration major. On the court, Ruiz Martinez picked up nine wins in singles on the year.
Women’s Tennis – Ivana Andric, NYIT: Andric, a Second Team All-Conference pick, earns the Scholar-Athlete honor after finishing with a perfect 4.0 GPA as a junior engineering management major.
Volleyball – Rachel Londot, LIU Post: Londot, last year's ECC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year winner, repeats as the Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year with a 3.98 GPA as a Criminal Justice & Forensic Science major. On the court, Londot earned another All-Conference selection, this time on the First Team, after finishing third in the ECC with 3.10 kills per set.
