They competed during the 2017 spring sports season while performing remarkably well in the academic arena.
They are the NEC Spring Scholar-Athlete of the Year award winners.
Bryant, Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U and Wagner each earned multiple selections. Fairleigh Dickinson, Robert Morris and Saint Joseph’s are home to single honorees.
Check out the individual honorees in the slide show below…
Four all-Northeast Conference baseball honorees received an unforgettable phone call this past week.
Bryant starting pitcher James Karinchak, Fairleigh Dickinson shortstop Matt McCann, Central Connecticut third baseman Ryan Costello and LIU Brooklyn infielder Andrew Turner were chosen in the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft.
Karinchak, the 2016 NEC Pitcher of the Year, was the first to come off of the board, going to the reigning American League champion Cleveland Indians in the ninth round with the 282nd overall selection. The righty, who was slowed by injury this past spring, earned a spot on the 2017 All-NEC Second Team. Karinchak fanned 13.7 batters per 9.0 innings pitched for the 2017 Bulldogs, including a 10-strikeout performance in Game 1 at the NEC Tournament.
McCann became the first FDU graduate to be drafted in more than a decade with the LA Angels selecting the 2017 NEC batting champion in Round 25 with the 745th overall pick. The all-NEC first team shortstop paced the circuit in batting average (.379), hits (69) and stolen bases (25) this spring. He started all 46 games for the Knights finishing with a team-high 41 runs scored.
“I could not be happier for Matt. He is one of the most hardworking and successful student-athletes to grace our program and I have no doubt that he has all the tools to succeed in his professional career,” said Knights’ head coach Gary Puccio.
Costello – the other man on the leftside of the all-NEC first team infield – was chosen by the Seattle Mariners in the 31st round with Pick No. 933 overall. The third baseman matched a CCSU single-season record with 22 doubles in 2017 and swatted a league-leading nine home runs.
Turner, who was the all-NEC second team third baseman behind Costello this spring, went to the Miami Marlins in the final round of the draft – (Round 40 – No. 1199 overall). Providing the power numbers expected of a corner infielder, Turner posted a .545 slugging percentage that ranked him fourth overall amongst NEC leaders. He logged 56 hits and 37 RBI over the course of 46 starts.
“I am extremely excited for Andrew and his family,” said Dan Pirillo, who just finished his first season as LIU’s skipper. “He has shown tremendous growth in his knowledge of the game along with his physical skills over the past year.”
9 (282): @Indians select Bryant University RHP James Karinchak. https://t.co/r2QxcojoBp #MLBDraft
— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) June 13, 2017
25 (745): @Angels select Fairleigh Dickinson U SS Matt Mccann. https://t.co/lo9K7FZDI8 #MLBDraft
— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) June 14, 2017
31 (933): @Mariners select Central Connecticut St U 3B Ryan Costello. https://t.co/gZnR5OwNff #MLBDraft
— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) June 14, 2017
40 (1199): @Marlins select Long Island U 3B Andrew Turner. https://t.co/I9ydYwvLLs #MLBDraft
— MLB Draft Tracker (@MLBDraftTracker) June 14, 2017
Indians take Bryant U. right-hander James Karinchak in 9th round (282). Ranked 163rd in Top 200, but injury issues this year had stock slip.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) June 13, 2017
Excellent pick by the #Indians landing James Karinchak. When he’s 100 percent he can be 92-96 with a plus breaking ball. Future reliever
— Frankie Piliere (@FPiliereD1) June 13, 2017
Junior Ryan Costello drafted by @Mariners in 31st round. #GoBlueDevils pic.twitter.com/UEBffmYw0N
— CCSU Blue Devils (@CCSUBlueDevils) June 14, 2017
BREAKING: Our own Ryan Costello has been drafted by the @Mariners in the 31st round!!
Give ’em everything, @rcos13!! #MadeInKeene pic.twitter.com/77A16yUh3q
— Keene SwampBats (@swampbats_keene) June 14, 2017
Duquesne’s AJ Hines won the NEC Rookie of the Week award 10 times in 2016.
When Athlon Sports unveiled its Top 10 Running Backs in the FCS in 2017, there was a surprising omission from the main list.
The name of the 2016 NEC rushing champion does not appear until the reader scrolls to the bottom of the page and looks over the “More Running Backs to Watch” section.
Duquesne’s AJ Hines is coming off a freshman season that saw him rush for a league-high 1,291 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding another 200 yards receiving.
Only one man and one woman can hold the NEC Student-Athlete of the Year title.
Check out the groups of 2016-17 finalists below…
MEN’S SAOTY FINALISTS
WOMEN’S SAOTY FINALISTS
Four of the first 74 players selected in the 2017 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft competed for Northeast Conference programs this past spring.
Bryant was the lone team with multiple draftees.
Bulldogs’ forward Tucker James was the first NEC alumnus selected in the Draft, going to the New York Lizards 52nd overall (Round 6). Five picks later, one of James’ collegiate teammates heard his name called. Bryant defenseman Kyle Mummau, the second NEC player taken, went to the Chesapeake Bayhawks via the 57th overall selection (Round 7).
The pair of 2017 picks mark the fifth-straight season the Bulldogs have seen a player drafted in the MLL ranks.
Right after Mummau went to the Bayhawks, the Rochester rattlers snagged Hobart’s Frank Brown with the very next pick (58th overall). Brown, the 2016 NEC Player of the Year, scored 81 goals in 58 collegiate contests.
Sacred Heart’s Brian Masi heard his name called in Round 9, going to the Atlanta Blaze with the 74th overall selection.
2017 NEC MLL Draft Picks
Round 6 (52nd overall): Tucker James, BRY – New York Lizards
Round 7 (57th overall): Kyle Mummau, BRY – Chesapeake Bayhawks
Round 7 (58th overall): Frank Brown, HOB – Rochester Rattlers
Round 9 (74th overall): Brian Masi, SHU – Atlanta Blaze
Click here for the Full 2017 MLL Draft Results
Check out Bryant’s Recent MLL DRAFTEES…
2017 – Tucker James, New York Lizards (Round 6 / 52nd overall)
Kyle Mummau, Chesapeake Bayhawks (Round 7 / 57th overall)
2016 – Gunnar Waldt, Florida Launch (Round 4 / 28th overall)
Shane Morrell, Charlotte Hounds (Round 8 / 63rd overall)
2015 – Kevin Massa, Charlotte Hounds (Round 4 / 26th overall)
2014 – Colin Dunster, Denver Outlaws (Round 4 / 30th overall)
Alex Zomerfeld, New York Lizards (Round 8 / 58th overall)
2013 – Mason Poli, Charlotte Hounds (Round 4 / 27th overall)
2010 – Andrew Hennessey, Denver Outlaws (Round 2 / 11th overall)
2009 – Zack Greer, Long Island Lizards (Round 1 / 3rd overall)
Another academic year in the books and another overall Brenda Weare NEC Commissioner’s Cup for Sacred Heart.
The Pioneers accumulated 219.56 points to win a record SEVENTH Brenda Weare Cup.
The Northeast Conference’s all-time leading passer didn’t have to travel far for NFL rookie mini camp.
Duquesne’s Dillon Buechel had a chance to show off his skills in front of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ brass. After playing his collegiate home games at Rooney Field on The Bluff, the all-NEC quarterback attended Steelers’ rookie minicamp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Buechel’s top target from the 2016 season was also present for the three-day camp, which began on May 12. All-NEC receiver Wayne Capers, Jr., who totaled 948 yards and nine touchdowns on 50 receptions as a senior, accepted an invitation shortly after the 2017 NFL Draft ended.
Buechel and Capers are two of four Duquesne graduates to earn a NFL rookie mini camp invitation this spring. Offensive lineman Larson Graham (Atlanta Falcons) and All-American linebacker Christian Kuntz (Tampa Bay Bucs) are the others.
