Saint Francis' Butcher Named NEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
LORETTO, Pa. (July 23, 2008) – The Northeast Conference named Saint Francis’ Ian Butcher (Georgetown, Canada/Christ the King) one of its 2007-2008 Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Butcher, a former member of the Red Flash men’s track & field team, receives the honor by virtue of his exceptional grade-point average (GPA).
The award, sponsored by the league’s Faculty Athletic Representatives, is bestowed upon NEC male and female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility, graduated and have posted the highest GPA in the conference at the conclusion of the academic year. Katja Bevemdam of St. Francis (NY) also received the honor.
Butcher, who hails from Ontario, Canada, graduated with a B.A. in English and accumulated a 3.986 GPA over his four years at Saint Francis. He is a four-time scorer at the Northeast Conference Track & Field Championships, having most recently placed sixth in the 400-meter dash at the 2008 NEC Indoor Championships. Having served on Saint Francis' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as the men's track and field team's representative, Butcher's contributions to Saint Francis extend far beyond the track. A member of both the Saint Francis and Northeast Conference Academic Honor Rolls, Butcher was named a 2008 ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-American.
In addition to the Scholar-Athletes of the Year announcement, league Commissioner Brenda Weare disclosed the 2007-08 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes all NEC student-athletes who have attained at least a 3.75 GPA (4.00 scale). This year’s list contains a total of 258 honorees from around the league, a 32 percent increase from last year’s total. Saint Francis had 27 student-athletes named to the Honor Roll.
SFU recipients of the NEC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll were: Christopher Buzas (football), Kyle Driscoll (men’s soccer) Andrew Stephens (men’s soccer), Erin Reifsteck (field hockey), Julie Yasko (women’s cross country/outdoor track & field), Marina Accordo (women’s soccer), Kathleen Andreone (women’s soccer), Jessica Boyer (women’s soccer), Lauren Popovich (women’s soccer), Sarah Dougherty (women’s volleyball), Ian Butcher (men’s outdoor track & field), Julianne Smith (women’s basketball), Danielle Burton (women’s indoor track & field), Cara Dinger (women’s indoor/outdoor track & field), Elyse Dobrick (women’s swimming & diving), McKenzie Madore (women’s swimming & diving), Aaron Osysko (men’s golf), David Kirby (men’s tennis), Ajay Nune (men’s golf), Laura Smith (women’s golf), Dana Mroczkowski (women’s lacrosse), Danielle Pokusa (women’s lacrosse), Janelle McCoy (softball), Hilary McNelis (softball), Abigail Ball (women’s tennis), Roxy Ionescu (women’s tennis) and Anna Hoffman (women’s track & field).