Posted: Nov 30, 2016
HADLEY, Mass. – A total of 761 student-athletes have been named to the 2016 NESCAC Fall All-Academic Team by the conference office today. To be honored, an individual must have reached sophomore academic standing and be in good standing on their team with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.40. A transfer student must have completed one year of study at the institution.

COMPLETE LIST OF 2016 NESCAC FALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM

Of the 761 student-athletes named to the team, 242 were honored for the second time in their career, while 172 were recognized for the third time. In addition, 80 members of the group garnered both All-Academic and All-NESCAC accolades this fall, led by 15 student-athletes from Middlebury. A total of 58 individuals were named to both the All-Sportsmanship and All-Academic Teams.

Nine individuals were selected to all three squads. That elite group included senior Liam Fine of Amherst (men’s golf), senior Taylor Haist of Bowdoin (women’s soccer), senior Quincy Leech of Bowdoin (volleyball), sophomore Reid Buzby of Middlebury (men’s golf), senior Greg Conrad of Middlebury (men’s soccer), senior Robin Estus of Tufts (women’s soccer), senior Zach Halliday of Tufts (men’s soccer), senior Will Dudek of Wesleyan (men’s cross country) and junior Ben Decker of Williams (men’s cross country).

The 2016 Fall All-Academic Team includes two NESCAC Players of the Year, a pair of NESCAC Most Outstanding Performers and a NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Connecticut College senior Pat Devlin (Washington Crossing, Pa.), the NESCAC Men’s Soccer Player of the Year and four-time All-NESCAC honoree, led the league in scoring with 29 points in 2016. He scored a league-best 13 goals in 14 matches, including four game-winning tallies. He led the Camels to an appearance in the NESCAC Championship as the fifth seed. Devlin is a two-time NESCAC All-Academic selection.

Senior Kristi Kirshe (Franklin, Mass.) of Williams earns her third NESCAC All-Academic accolade. She was the 2016 NESCAC Women’s Soccer Player of the Year and named to the All-NESCAC First Team for the third straight year after leading the Ephs to an unbeaten mark in league play. She ranked third in the conference in scoring with 26 points and led the league in assists (12).

Middlebury sophomore Abigail Nadler (Chicago, Ill.) was the league’s Most Outstanding Performer following her individual victory at the NESCAC Women’s Cross Country Championship. She was named to the All-NESCAC First Team for the second straight fall after posting a time of 22:33.8 over the 6K course to win the race by nearly 20 seconds. Nadler became Middlebury’s second women’s individual champion in the last three years. She was one of two sophomores named to the conference’s First Team and went on to earn All-America honors after finish 15th at the NCAA Championship race.

Tim Nichols (North Lima, Ohio), a three-time NESCAC All-Academic honoree, had an impressive senior season as a member of the Tufts men’s cross country team. He won the NESCAC and NCAA New England Regional titles and was selected to compete in the NCAA Championship where he placed third overall to earn All-America recognition. He posted a time of 23:58 at the prestigious Paul Short Men’s Gold 8K race at Lehigh, which led all Division III runners. The mark was the fastest 8K time in Jumbo team history. At the NESCAC Championship, Nichols covered the eight-kilometer course in 24:58.79, over 30 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, to become the first Jumbo to win the individual conference title since 1981. At the NCAA Regional, Nichols improved upon his school-record time with a 23:54.58 to win the race. He was 26 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher and set a course standard for both the NCAA Regional at Stanley Park and collegiate standard for the course.

Senior Spencer Donahue (Naperville, Ill.), a member of the NESCAC Champion Trinity football team, was named the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year. He anchored a Bantam defense that led the league in sacks (31) and allowed just 13.6 points per game.  Individually, he led the Bantams in tackles (46) and was a disruptive force from his linebacker position. He recorded three sacks, three forced fumbles, collected four fumble recoveries and picked off two interceptions.

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.