Rogowski and Cindric Named Athletes of the Year at End-of-Year Banquet

Download the Program for the 2008-09 Banquet

NORTH ANDOVER, MA - Senior All-American Greg Rogowski (Cohoes, NY) from the men’s lacrosse team and sophomore All-American Molly Cindric (Westlake Village, CA) from the volleyball team were honored as the 2008-09 Male and Female Athletes of the Year at the yearly athletic banquet on April 30.

Rogowski, who was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Year, leads the country in points per game and the conference in goals and points. While leading the men’s lacrosse team to a #4 national ranking, he ranks third in Division II history for career goals and fourth for career points.

Cindric guided the volleyball team to a school record 20 wins and its second-straight and second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, while becoming the first All-American in program history.

Three-time Academic All-American Caitlin Hall (Westminster, MA) was honored as the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. Hall, the only Academic All-American at Merrimack this season, is a three-time All-Conference and All-Academic selection and became the first Merrimack student to earn a scholarship to Boston College’s prestigious nursing graduate program.

Adam Wilding (Lewiston, ME) was named the Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. A two-time captain of the men’s tennis team, Wilding guided the Warriors to a school record 13 victories, their first-ever Northeast-10 Championship appearance, and their second-straight and second-ever NCAA appearance.

Caitlin Hall and Adam Wilding were named the 2008-09 Scholar Athletes of the Year

Linebacker Tony Johnson (Lynn, MA) was selected as the Male Rookie of the Year. Jackson led the nation with 1.25 sacks per game and ranked fourth nationally, first in the conference, with 11.5 sacks. He was a first-team all-conference honoree and a two-time NE-10 Player of the Week.

From the women’s soccer team, Melissa Garabedian (Salem, MA) earned Female Rookie of the Year honors. A Northeast-10 all-rookie team selection, Garabedian was a starter on Merrimack’s defense that earned a NCAA Tournament berth and ranked third in the conference in fewest goals allowed.

Volleyball’s Heidi Wroblicky (Irvine, CA) and hockey’s Andrew Braithwaite (Kington, Ontario) picked up the awards for highest female and male overall grade-point-average. This is the second straight year Braithwaite earned the honor, and the first time for the sophomore Wroblicky.

For the second straight season, the men’s cross country team, led by captains Jefferson Welch (Haverhill, MA) and Adam Holmes (Abington, MA) received the highest grade-point-average among male teams, with softball, led by captains Jill Gagnon (Manchester, NH), Jill Richards (Bucksport, ME) and Vicky Cotter (Hampton, NH) earning the award on the women’s side.

Mike Morgan’s men’s lacrosse team earned the Community Service award. Led by captains Rogowski, Michael Miano (Branford, CT) and Cory Spinale (Wakefield, MA), the men’s lacrosse team adopted a U.S. Navy Squadron, sending packages monthly to support a male unit of 51 troops deployed in Iraq.

Katie Kefalas, the President of the Sports Medicine Club, earned the Athletic Training Student of the Year award, while Chris Donnolly, the President of the Ultimate Warrior Club, was presented with the Fan of the Year award.

The night kicked off with the Senior Recognition Awards, as each student athlete that will graduate this year was recognized for their dedication and accomplishments while at Merrimack.

Sixty-eight student-athletes, 22 more than last year, received the Merrimack Athletic Department Honor Roll Award for maintaining a GPA above 3.5. Their names are listed below.

Five Merrimack teams, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball, women’s tennis and men's tennis, have qualified for the NCAA Tournament this season as of April 30, with women’s tennis reaching the national tournament for the first time in school history. Five athletes have received All-American nods, while Joey Pacis (volleyball), Gabe Mejail (women’s soccer), and Chris Stevens (men's tennis) each were named Northeast-10 Coach of the Year.

Merrimack 2008-09 Athletic Banquet Awards Recap:
Female Athlete of the Year - Molly Cindric
Male Athlete of the Year -  Greg Rogowski
Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year - Caitlin Hall
Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year -  Adam Wilding
Female Rookie of the Year - Melissa Garabedian
Male Rookie of the Year - Tony Johnson
Fan of the Year - Chris Donnolly
Athletic Training Student of the Year - Katie Kefalas
Community Service Award - Men’s Lacrosse
Highest GPA – Female Heidi Wroblicky
Highest GPA – Male Andrew Braithwaite
Highest Male Team Grade Point Average - Cross Country
Highest Female Team Grade Point Average - Softball

Strength and Conditioning Awards
Football- Shane Brown
Men’s Soccer- Greg Motta
Women’s Soccer- Brittany Gustafson
Volleyball- Elyse Lorenz
Field Hockey- Jaclyn Germano
Women’s Cross Country- Jacquelyn Chase
Ice Hockey- Pat Bowen
Men’s Basketball- Craig Woehnker
Women’s Basketball- Casey Miller
Baseball- Jeff Bercume
Softball- Jill Gagnon
Men’s Lacrosse- Cory Spinale
Women’s Lacrosse- Jamie-Lee Whiteway
Men’s Tennis- John Seaward
Women’s Tennis- Caitlin Dunn


Merrimack Athletic Department Honor Roll Award Winners (3.5 GPA and above)
Emily Achilles, Rebecca Ainscow, Kristin Applegate, Lisa Barr, Ashley Bock, Andrew Braithwaite, Atlee Cahill, Joe Cerrone, Ashley Childers, Vicky Cotter, Emily Cummings, Jessica DeLacey, John Doherty, Kerri Domohowski, Kelsey Ellis, Dylan Ellis, Andrea Faris, Jason Fischer, Ryan Flanigan, Alex Gallant, Melissa Garabedian, Monique Gosselin, Caitlin Hall, Jake Halloran, Kara Hennigan, Adam Holmes, Liz Hopley, Kiley Horne, Jonathan Kaine, Caitlin Kamide, Caitlin Kasala-Hallina, Ale Kuncaitis, Irene Lantz, Kristen LeMay, Jillian Lewis, Nicholas LoCoco, Rachel Lozeau, Jake Manning, Meghan McClorey, Tim McHugh, Katelyn Meagher, Kara Melillo, Casey Miller, Jamie Millett, Siobhan Minior, Ashley Nadeau, Kathleen O’Neill, Mary Pasquantonio, Jessica Peacock, Kacey Pickett, Jonathan Ravenelle, Jennifer Richard, Michael Riley, J.C. Robitaille, Juan Carlos Rosich, Genn Roy, Robbie Sabadoz, Christopher Stanwyck, Karl Stolley, Colleen Strachan, Michael Sweeney, Kylie Waddington, Ethan Weaver, J.D. Wild, Adam Wilding, Meaghan Winters, Heidi Wroblicky

Dean's List Students (3.25-3.49 GPA)

Nikki Abruzzese, Ashley Alnwick, Jenna Barbato, Sarah Benischek, Elvert Bodden, Jill Bradford, Nora Cahill, Jennifer Conway, Joe Cucci, Michelle DaRocha, Marc DeAngelo, Lindsey deMont, Nicolas Desjardins, Elise Dufour, Grant Farrell, Jennifer George, Carissa Gildea, Colleen Hall, Matthew Hogan, Brittany Holmes, John Kravic, Elyse Lorenz, Kyle Lortie, Carter Madsen, Ed Medeiros, Thomas Monaco, Daniel Morris, Jessica Morris, Greg Motta, Matt Moulakelis, Matt Nikas, Richard O’Donnell, Francois Ouimet, Ben Paradis, Kelly Pasquantonio, Tom Peloquin, Meredith Prior, Sarah Salatto, Matt Sanderson, Nicholas Santoro, Ryan Slattery, Kasey Smith, Radoslaw Szwelicki, Jason Vergados, Steve Viglione, Peter Vitale, Ray Walker, Jefferson Welch, Daniel White, Jamie-Lee Whiteway