UB Women's Soccer Standout Julia Hansson Named Co-East Coast Conference Female Scholar-Athlete Of The Year

Central Islip, N.Y. - The East Coast Conference announced the 2013-2014 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 12. Miguel Uzcategui (Valencia, Venezuela) of the University of the District of Columbia men's tennis team was named the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Julia Hansson (Tockfors, Sweden) of the University of Bridgeport women's soccer team and Nicolette Sinagra (Brooklyn, N.Y.) of the Molloy College softball team shared the honor as  Co-Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year.

Uzcategui, a senior Electrical Engineering major, helped his team to the No. 2 seed in the ECC Men's Tennis Championship and was named to the ECC All-Conference First-Team, finishing with a mark of 5-1 at the No. 1 singles spot in conference play. He a 3.94 grade point average.

Hansson maintains a 3.90 GPA as a Health Sciences major. In the fall of 2013, she helped lead the Purple Knights to an ECC Championship and a spot in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Hansson earned First Team All-Conference honors, was named the ECC Goalkeeper of the Year, and earned a spot on the Daktronics All-America Third Team. She was an Academic All-American as well, earning a spot on the Capital One Academic All-America First Team.

Sinagra boasts a 3.92 GPA as a Speech Language Pathology/Audiology major.  She has been a member of the ECC All-Conference Second-Team for four consecutive years and has also been a member of the Capital One Academic All-America Third-Team. In 2013, she was ranked second in the nation in triples and helped her team to their third consecutive East Coast Conference Championship.  This season, she ranked 11th in the conference in batting average with a .374 mark.

Hansson, Sinagra, and Uzcategui were also named theScholar-Athlete of the Year for their respective sports as well.

2013-2014 ECC Scholar Athletes of the Year
Baseball – Stephen Sunday (Scranton, Pa.) St. Thomas Aquinas: Sunday, a member of the ECC Champion Spartans and All-Conference Second Team selection after posting a .317 batting average with 26 RBI, posted a 3.40 GPA as a Sport Management major.  

Men's Basketball – Lenjo Kilo (Silver Spring, Md.) District of Columbia: Kilo, a Biology major with a 3.6 GPA, wins the award after being an All-Conference Second Team selection for the Firebirds. He paced his squad and ranked in the top three in the ECC in both scoring (19.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg).  

Women's Basketball – Rebecca Romeo (Victoria, Australia), NYIT: Romeo, a senior forward, finished third on the Bears with a 10.8 points per game average and was named to the ECC Women's Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team. She also excelled in the classroom, posting a 3.77 GPA as an Engineering major.

Men's Cross Country - Scott Litts (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.), Dowling: Litts, a junior English major with a 3.946 GPA, was an All-Conference First Team selection after coming in fifth place at the ECC Championship in a time of 25:44.38.

Women's Cross Country - Alyssa Ligouri (Ridge, N.Y.), Dowling: A First Team All-Conference member after crossing the finish line in sixth place (18:36.86), Ligouri boasts a 3.953 GPA as a Biology major.

Co-Men's Indoor Track and Field – Zach Eustance (Hilton, N.Y.), Daemen: Eustance was a Second Team All-Conference selection in the 5,000 meter run at the ECC Indoor Championship. His time of 16:06.66 was good for a fourth place finish. In the classroom, Eustance holds a 3.9056 GPA as a Physical Therapy major.

Co-Men's Indoor Track and Field – Michael Kraus (River Vale, N.J.), St. Thomas Aquinas: Kraus earns a share of the award for the second straight year after a earning a 3.89 GPA as a Criminal Justice major and also earning a spot on the All-Conference Second Team in the Distance Medley Relay.

Co-Women's Indoor Track and Field – Rachel Hust (Rochester, N.Y.), Roberts Wesleyan: Hust, a Biology/Communications double major, earns a share of the Women's Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year award with a 3.72 GPA. On the track, Hust was one of the conference's premiere runners, coming in first in every event she was entered in (800m run, 4x800m relay, Distance Medley Relay).

Co-Women's Indoor Track and Field – Stephanie Meyer (Seaford, N.Y.), Molloy: A Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology major earned her second consecutive Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award with a 3.89 GPA while competing for the Lions Indoor Track & Field Team.  In addition to her achievements in the classroom, she was named to the All-Conference First Team in 60-meter hurdles, triple jump, and high jump, and was a Second Team selection in the high jump.

Men's Lacrosse – Jesse Wood (Binghamton, N.Y.), Mercy: Wood, a junior Biology major recorded a 3.594 GPA and was one of the top scorers in all of Division II.  He accumulated an ECC leading 92 points on 48 goals and 44 assists. His point per game total of 5.75 was tops in the nation.

Women's Lacrosse – Melissa Rohr (Bethpage, N.Y.), LIU Post: Rohr, a senior Secondary Education major, earns the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the second straight year.  Also an ECC All-Conference First Team member and the ECC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Rohr has accumulated a 3.83 GPA.

Men's Outdoor Track and Field – Tyler Bay (Woodhaven, N.Y.), Queens: Bay earned First Team All-Conference in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs.  With these top-finishes, he helped his team to their second straight  ECC Outdoor Track & Field Championship.  In addition to his athletic accomplishments, this junior Media Studies major posted a 3.977 GPA.

Women's Outdoor Track and Field – Michelle Martins (Mineola, N.Y.), Queens: Martins, a  senior double major in Computer Science and Psychology boasts a 3.959 GPA. On the track she competed in the Steeplechase and the 4 x 800 meter relay at the ECC Outdoor Track & Field Championship.

Men's Soccer – Jonathon Watkin (Doncaster, England), LIU Post: Watkin, a two-time ECC All-Conference First Team selection, ranked third on the high-scoring Pioneers with six goals and also added four assists for 16 points. In the classroom, the Physical Education Major has maintained a 3.80 GPA.

Women's Tennis – Robyn Romanoff (Centereach, N.Y.), Dowling: Romanoff, a senior All-Conference selection, posted a mark of 7-4 in singles for the Golden Lions this season. She also excelled with her academics with a 3.796 GPA.

Volleyball – Biljana Savic (Novi Sad, Serbia), Bridgeport: Savic did it all for the Purple Knights, posting 218 kills, 578 assists, 40 total blocks, 38 service aces, and 225 digs to help her earn the ECC Player of the Year honor. An International Business major, the junior currently has a 3.86 GPA.