WORCESTER, Mass. – Following another successful winter season, seven student-athletes were selected as NE10 Academic All-Conference for success in athletics, as well as academics, as announced by the conference on Tuesday.
Assumption's seven selections are a school record for the winter season, besting the previous mark of six set two years ago. The honorees were: ice hockey's Brendan Philippon (Salem, N.H), Anne Guadalupi (Augusta, Maine) and Grace Gustinis (Monroe, Conn.) of women's swimming and diving, Derek Girouard (Chicopee, Mass.) and Max Michaud (Northboro, Mass.) of men's track & field, and Alicia Polak (Lowell, Mass.) and Abby Jones (Arlington, Mass.) of women's track & field. The seven selections was also tied for the second highest total of any school in the NE10. Bentley led all schools with ten selections.
"I'm proud of the seven student-athletes who were named Academic All-Conference and thrilled that the NE10 has recognized them for their success in the classroom and in athletics," said Jamie Marcoux, director of athletics. "Abby, Alicia, Anne, Brendan, Derek, Grace and Max all embody the excellence we strive for as a department and serve as great ambassadors for the College."
Philippon appeared in 27 games this past year, ranking second on the team with 19 points from eight goals and 11 assists, including three power play goals and one game-winning goal. Off the ice he owns a 3.70 GPA and has been honored an ACHA Academic All-American, as well as being named to the Dean's List and NE10 Academic Honor Roll on multiple occasions.
Guadalupi helped the swimming and diving team capture the 2019 NE10 Championship. At the championships, she took third in the 200 backstroke, as well as fifth in the 200 IM and sixth in the 100 backstroke. Her 200 medley relay won NE10 gold while her 800 free and 400 medleys both earned runner-up finishes. Out of the pool the sophomore owns a 4.0 GPA as a biotechnology major and was recently named and Augustine Scholar.
Gustinis was key in the swimming and diving team winning the 2019 NE10 Championship. At the Championships, the sophomore placed fifth in the 200 backstroke as well as a pair of sixth place finishes in the 200 IM and the 400 IM. She was also was part of two relays which earned significant points. Out of the pool, Gustinis has a 3.89 GPA as an international business major and was inducted into the Eta Sigma Phi Classics Honor Society as being recently honored as an Augustine Scholar.
Girouard has been Assumption's top pole vaulter this year and took fifth at the NE10 Championships with his height of 3.97 meters. He also placed sixth in the heptathlon with a score of 4,403 total points. The sophomore owns the indoor school record for pole vault and is part of school-record mark in the 4x200 relay. Off the track he is a chemistry major with a 3.80 GPA and has earned NE10 Academic Honor Roll honors.
Michaud helped the men's track and field team earn its highest point total ever at the NE10 Championships and take fifth overall. Individually he placed fourth in the 800 meters with a time of 1:55.59 while his 4x800 relay came through with a third place finish. He set two school records this past year and earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the 800 meters. Off the track, the management major has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll multiple times and owns a 3.60 GPA.
Polak helped her team to its first-ever runner-up finish at the NE10 Championships. She was a part of the NE10 Champion 4x800 relay which won their event by over four seconds and set a new school record. She also competed in the 800 meters and distance medley throughout the season. Off the track she owns a 3.79 GPA as a double major in biology and psychology. She was recently named an Augustine Scholar and was inducted into Psi Chi, the international honor society. She will serve as the Psi Chi President during the 2019-20 academic year.
Jones earned Academic All-Conference honors for the second time in her career after capping off her indoor season with USTFCCCA Second-Team All-America honors by taking ninth the pentathlon at the NCAA Championships. During indoor, she was named the NE10 Field Athlete of the Year, after winning the pentathlon and earning top-six finishes in the high jump and long jump at the NE10 Championships. She was also named USTFCCCA All-Region in both pentathlon and high jump. Off the track, Jones has a 3.66 GPA as a Human Services and Rehabilitation Studies with a concentration in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is currently co-president in the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA) at the College.
To view the complete list of Academic All-Conference honors, click here.