Hunt, Rouette Honored as 2017-18 Athletes of the Year

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – At the annual Massachusetts Maritime Academy's Senior Student-Athlete Award Night, Stephanie Hunt and Mick Rouette were announced as the 2017-18 Players of the Year after stellar four-year careers for the Buccaneers. Seven other awards were also given out as part of the evening.

Hunt has rewrote the record books during her four years at the Academy. In the autumn, she was a resilient scorer for the women's soccer team, totaling 20 goals over four years. She has also been a relentless force for women's lacrosse, establishing career totals for goals (154), assists (94), and points (248) that are leaps and bounds beyond any other.

The Brookfield, Conn. native has 29 career hat tricks and went out with a bang this year. Hunt was named Second Team All-Conference, only the third women's lacrosse player ever, setting the season marks for points (82) and assists (46), the latter more than double her own record.

Rouette was selected after a superb career on the soccer pitch that saw him establish himself as one of the top defenders in school history. He was named to the All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Team in all four seasons at the Academy. Rouette served as tri-captain this year and was the leader of a defensive unit against which opponents averaged 1.61 goals over 70 games in his career.

Ready to step up with the game on the line, the resident of Three Rivers, Mass., had seven goals, including three game-winners, and 10 assists in his career, shooting 54.4% on target. The Athletes of the Year are sponsored by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Alumni Association, which will recognize the pair at commencement ceremonies in June. They will each then receive a handsome Chelsea Clock.

A male and female athlete that best exemplify the spirit and philosophy of Division III athletics are selected each year. Kaylene Murphy and Richie Phillips were presented with the Board of Trustees and MMA Foundation Awards, respectively.

Murphy, who we featured earlier this year [link], played all four years for both cross country and softball, serving as co-captain in both of her sports in both her junior and senior seasons. She is a truly inspirational young woman and was honored for her commitment to the Mass. Maritime community and extensive charity work. Murphy ran the Boston Marathon twice and raised almost $30,000 for Dana-Farber.

Phillips was first MASCAC in rushes (245), second in yards per game (111.7), and tied for third in rushing TDs (7) to cap a stellar four-year career with a 2017 MASCAC All-Conference selection. He truly embodies the three defining characteristics of Division III:  Discover, Develop and Dedicate.

A third award was given for service off the field, the Robert E. Corradi Senior SAAC Service Award.  The recognition is bestowed annually to a senior who gas provided valuable contributions and service to the Buccaneer Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during their entire matriculation at the Academy. Cross country's Tom Pelletier received the honor after serving a term as SAAC President and working on a number of service projects with Children's Cove Christmas Toy Drive, Pat Tillman Foundation, The Herron Project, Special Olympics Massachusetts, and Team Impact.

Buccaneer Merit Medals are given to students who combined community service and athletic achievement and nine students were tabbed for accolades. These were Sergio Gratta, Chris Haggerty, Billy Keane, Connor Kennedy, Chris MacKay, Matt Massengill, Kaylene Murphy, Carli Thomas, and Nick Zaia.

The final set of student awards were for academic achievement. The top recognition is the Academic Dean's Award, given to students who persevered in athletics as well as in academics, combining outstanding academic achievement with athletic accomplishment.

A four-year starter, multiple record-holder, and team captain in competition, Regimental Commander Mikayla Correia was also a valuable leader in the community who excelled in the classroom. The women's lacrosse co-captain earned a 3.60 cumulative grade point average as an International Maritime Business major.

Alex Ruddy had the highest GPA of any senior student athlete, compiling an outstanding 3.80 GPA as a marine engineering major. He earned spots on the Honor Roll and MASCAC All-Academic Team and played a significant role as a defensive back for Buccaneer football.

The Athletic Director's Academic Achievement Awards are presented to members of the Senior Class for their outstanding accomplishments in the classroom throughout their career.  In order to be eligible for this honor, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 in their chosen major. A total of 22 players, appended below, claimed the achievement.

The final award given was the Buccaneer Appreciation Award, which was established to recognize institutional staff members, past and present, for their efforts in advancing the services and programs of the institution.  Tim Brady, the men's soccer and track and field faculty liaison, was chosen for going beyond the call of duty for assisting the entire cadet corps in navigating the sometimes complicated waters of higher education, and his unwavering support of intercollegiate athletics at the Academy.

Each senior received a beautiful watch and pen set from Athletic Director Mike Kelley and Senior Women's Administrator Marushka Eddy. The evening then concluded with moving remarks from Kelley. The 1999 MMA graduate told the seniors, "You will never forget your time as a Buccaneer and the Buccaneer pride that has been instilled in you. This will always been your family."

Athletic Director's Academic Achievement Awards

Nathan Anderson (International Marine Business)

Brianna Caissie (Marine Transportation)

Mikayla Correia (International Marine Business)

Chris Dawson (Marine Transportation)

Paul Frost (International Marine Business)

Casey Furnas (Facilities, Engineering, and Environmental Science)

Coby Gerbis (Marine Transportation)

Sergio Gratta (Marine Transportation)

Sam Hastings (Facilities, Engineering, and Environmental Science)

Kaileigh Hoffman (Marine Science, Safety, and Environmental Protection)

Richard Langell (International Marine Business)

Cody Livermore (Marine Engineering)

Jack Mahoney (Marine Engineering)

Marshall McCarthy (International Marine Business)

Nicole Moquin (Facilities, Engineering, and Environmental Science)

Justin Nichols (Marine Engineering)

Thomas Pelletier (Marine Engineering)

Alex Ruddy (Marine Engineering)

Julia Staula (Facilities, Engineering, and Environmental Science)

Derek Stegman (Facilities, Engineering, and Environmental Science)

Sam Theriault (Marine Engineering)

Nick Zaia (International Marine Business)