Posted: May 24, 2016
HADLEY, Mass. A total of 1,049 student-athletes have been named to the 2016 NESCAC Spring All-Academic Team by the conference office today. To be honored, an individual must have reached sophomore academic standing and be a varsity letter winner with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.35. A transfer student must have completed one year of study at the institution.

COMPLETE LIST OF 2016 NESCAC SPRING ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

Of the 1,049 student-athletes named to the team, 331 were honored for the second time in their career, while 210 were recognized for the third time. In addition, 154 members of the group garnered both All-Academic and All-Conference accolades this spring, led by 28 student-athletes from Williams and 27 from Tufts. A total of 63 individuals were named to both the All-Sportsmanship and All-Academic Teams by the conference.

Twelve student-athletes distinguished themselves by receiving All-NESCAC, All-Sportsmanship, and NESCAC All-Academic. Four individuals collected all three honors in women’s outdoor track & field, including senior Halle Gustafson (Minneapolis, Minn.) of Middlebury, junior Katie Tonyai (Jaffrey, N.H.) of Trinity, senior Mary Ellen Caruso (Belmont, Mass.) of Tufts and junior Molly Schassberger (Smithfield, Maine) of Wesleyan. Three men’s tennis players, senior Michael Solimano (Montvale, N.J.) of Amherst, junior Michael Liu (Basking Ridge, N.J.) of Wesleyan and senior Jose Raventos (San Jose, Costa Rica) of Williams, garnered each award as well. Rounding out the list were senior Brandon Cushman (Gorham, Maine) of Middlebury (men’s outdoor track & field), senior Conner Gunn (Kingsport, Tenn.) of Amherst (baseball), senior Logan Jester (Tallahassee, Fla.) of Williams (men’s rowing), senior James Sullivan (Acton, Mass.) of Bowdoin (men’s outdoor track & field), sophomore Tess Trinka (Oak Park, Ill.) of Bowdoin (women’s tennis).

The 2016 Spring All-Academic Team includes a NESCAC Player of the Year, a NESCAC Pitcher of the Year, and a NESCAC Most Outstanding Performer. 

Wesleyan’s Marco Baratta (Tenafly, N.J.) was selected as the NESCAC Baseball Player of the Year, while receiving NESCAC All-Academic recognition for the first time. The senior paces the league with a .434 batting average and a .526 on-base percentage is tied for the lead in hits (56), and ranks second in slugging percentage (.643), RBIs (40) and total bases (83).

Senior Mitchell Black (Brunswick, Maine) of Tufts was named the NESCAC Men’s Track & Field Outstanding Performer of the Meet. Black started the NESCAC Track & Field Championship by winning the 1,500-meter run with a time 3:52.28, and later crossed the finish line first in the 800-meter run with a mark of 1:51.36. Black will be participating in the 800-meter run at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend.

Tufts junior Speros Varinos (Middleton, Mass.) earned NESCAC All-Academic recognition for the second time in his career after being selected as the NESCAC Baseball Pitcher of the Year. Varinos finished the season with a 7-1 record after posting the second-lowest ERA among conference pitchers at 2.15 over 67.0 innings of work. His 79 strikeouts paced the league. 

Founded in 1971, the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) consists of 11 liberal arts colleges and has consistently reflected its commitment to the values of athletics and academic achievement. The member colleges of the conference are Amherst College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, Connecticut College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Trinity College, Tufts University, Wesleyan University, and Williams College.