CAA Recognizes Fall Sports Scholar-Athlete Award Winners
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (December 19, 2014) – Six student-athletes who were among the best in their sports both athletically and academically have been honored by the Colonial Athletic Association as recipients of the CAA Scholar-Athlete Award for the fall sports season.
Earning Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors were College of Charleston senior
Mackenzie Johnston in men’s cross country, James Madison junior
Kathleen Stewart in women’s cross country, Hofstra senior
Jonel Boileau in field hockey, Delaware junior
Ben Sampson in men’s soccer, Northeastern sophomore
Mackenzie Dowd in women’s soccer and Hofstra senior
Kelsie Wills in volleyball.
The conference honors one Scholar-Athlete in each of its 21 championship sports. Nominees for the award must be a starter or important reserve on their team and must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.25. The winners were selected by a vote of the media relations directors at each CAA institution.
Five of the fall sports honorees were all-conference selections in their various sports this season and three of them have cumulative grade point averages of 3.9 or higher.
Here is a brief biographical sketch on the award winners:
Mackenzie Johnston, Sr., Hilton Head, S.C./Hilton Head – College of Charleston (men’s cross country)
A senior majoring in finance, Johnston has made the CofC Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in all six of his previous semesters. He is a two-time recipient of the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award. Johnston earned all-conference honors in 2014 after posting a fourth-place finish at the CAA Cross Country Championship with a time of 25:07.73. He owns school records in both the 8K (24:51.18) and the 10K events (31:07.02) at CofC.
Kathleen Stewart, Jr., Holland, Pa./Council Rock South – James Madison (women’s cross country)
A junior majoring in communication sciences and disorders, Stewart is a four-time CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award honoree and a two-time recipient of the JMU Athletic Director Scholar-Athlete Award. She has been a member of the President’s List during each semester at JMU and was chosen to the CAA All-Academic team for cross country in 2014. Stewart received first-team All-CAA honors this season after finishing third at the CAA Cross Country Championship with a time of 20:58.48. She was the Dukes’ top finisher in all six of her races, which included a 20
th-place performance at the Pre-National Invitational and a 28
th-place effort at the NCAA Southeast Regionals.
Jonel Boileau, Sr., Kelowna, B.C, Canada/Kelowna Secondary – Hofstra (field hockey)
A senior majoring in international business, Boileau has made the NFHCA National Academic Squad for the past three seasons and is a two-time CAA All-Academic Team selection. She is a Dean’s List student who is a four-time Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll member. Boileau was chosen as the CAA field hockey Player of the Year in 2014 after leading the conference with 16 goals and 38 points. A three-time NFHCA All-Region and three-time All-CAA honoree, Boileau was selected to play in the 2014 NFHCA Senior All-Star game. She ranks third in career goals (40) and fourth in points (114) at Hofstra.
Ben Sampson, Jr., Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury – Delaware (men’s soccer)
A junior majoring in computer engineering, Sampson received third-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2014. The Dean’s List student is a three-time recipient of the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award and he was honored with the UD Presidential Achievement Xerox Scholarship in 2014. Sampson is a two-year starter as a defensive midfielder for a Blue Hens’ squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and captured a share of the CAA regular-season title in 2014. He has started all 43 of his career games and has been part of a defense that has recorded 13 shutouts over that span. He has also contributed three goals and two assists.
Mackenzie Dowd, So., Gig Harbor, Wash./Gig Harbor – Northeastern (women’s soccer)
A sophomore majoring in criminal justice and psychology, Dowd was chosen to the CoSIDA Academic All-America third team in 2014. She is a two-time Dean’s List honoree and was a member of the CAA All-Academic team for women’s soccer. On the field, Dowd earned second-team All-CAA honors as a defender for a Northeastern squad that captured the CAA regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the CAA Women’s Soccer Championship after scoring a goal in the semifinals and championship game. Dowd led the Huskies with seven goals, including two game-winners, and was part of a nationally ranked defense that recorded a school-record 17 shutouts.
Kelsie Wills, Sr., Matamata, New Zealand/Matamata College – Hofstra (volleyball)
A senior majoring in accounting, Wills was a member of the Hofstra Athletics Scholar-Athlete Team and is a three-time CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award recipient. She was one of just 30 candidates nationally for the Senior CLASS Award in volleyball. On the court, Wills received AVAC honorable mention All-America honors, becoming just the second player in Hofstra history to earn that distinction. She was also named to the AVCA All-East Region squad and was chosen as the CAA volleyball Player of the Year. The outside hitter led the Pride with 506 kills and also contributed 30 service aces, 312 digs and 68 blocks as Hofstra captured the CAA title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. She is Hofstra’s all-time leader in kills with 1,942 and is one of six Pride players to finish their career with at least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs (1,226).