BEVERLY, Mass. – The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) has selected six Endicott student-athletes as 2021-22 All-American Athlete Award recipients.
The six NSCA All-American honors include Shane Aylward (Tewksbury, Mass./Football), Claire Boncek (Hamden, Conn.), Justine Hoover (Wallingford, Conn.), Colleen McAvoy (Coventry, Conn.), Joe Mepham (Sudbury, Mass.), and Jack Sutherland '21 (Sudbury, Mass.).
The NSCA All-America award is given to student-athletes based on athletic accomplishments and dedication to strength and conditioning. Please note, the deadline for nominations is March 1, which allows spring student-athletes from the previous academic year to be included in the following year's pool of award winners.
Below, are thoughts provided by Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Performance / Health Care Administrator Dr. James T. Daley, EdD, MS, LAT, ATC, CSCS, PES as well as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Jack Dustin and members of the strength and conditioning staff on each All-American student-athlete.
SHANE AYLWARD
Shane is a hard worker and was a key member in helping the football team be successful this year. He was voted the Conference Rookie of the Year and 1st Team All-Conference by his opponents. He led the team in receptions, receiving yards, receiving yards per game, and receiving touchdowns this past season. Shane has a great work ethic which shows as he is able to balance the challenges of being a college student and athlete. This past season Shane was voted team captain by his peers. His fellow players recognize him as a leader and a man of character. They are willing to follow him in every practice and game. In the performance center, Shane has never been late or missed a workout and is pound for pound one of our strongest players. He leads in the performance center the same way he leads on the field by his work ethic, energy, and effort.
CLAIRE BONCEK
The dedication and results that Claire has in the performance center are evidence of the hard work that she puts in on the field, in the classroom, and beyond. Claire has transformed herself into a model student-athlete and an amazing team leader. She is so highly respected by her teammates as well as her coaches and will go down as one of the all-time greats to play field hockey at Endicott.
JUSTINE HOOVER
Justine has always been one of the hardest workers in our program. She's done a great job as a leader and has helped shift the team culture in a more dedicated direction. She's been one of the most successful student-athletes we've had on the court, and that has been aided by her commitment and development to strength & conditioning. Her passion and effort to get better personally are remarkable.
COLLEEN MCAVOY
Colleen has been one of our hardest workers since joining the program. She came in as a talented student-athlete but has added the power piece by consistently working hard with strength and conditioning. She is a vocal presence whether at a lift or on the court and works as hard at being a great teammate and leader as she does on her own performance and skills. The team admires the way she prepares for success and we are excited to continue to see her grow.
JOE MEPHAM
Joe has a steely determination and high level of focus when it comes to competition, honing his skills as an athlete, and working toward his career goals on and off of the soccer field. He has the ability to motivate his teammates through his actions of outworking others and playing sports aggressively. These personality traits are directly correlated to his success in the strength and conditioning arena. Joe uses the strength gains, speed and stamina gains, and discipline learned from following a strength and conditioning program to ultimately support his individual success in all aspects of his life (great health, strong mentality, positive relationships, and balancing academics/athletics). Joe has been selected by his peers and coaches as the men's soccer team captain.
JACK SUTHERLAND '21
Jack has developed from a skilled freshman to one of the most dominant players in Division III and best lacrosse athletes to come through Endicott. On the field, he earned USILA All-American, IMLCA All-Region, and CCC 1st Team All-Conference honors. He was one of the best Attackmen in the country while at Endicott. What was not clear on the stat sheet was Jack's commitment to his training and his work ethic in the performance center. When asked about his success, Jack Sutherland will tell you that his production is a direct result of the work he did with our Strength and conditioning staff at Endicott. Countless hours working to improve his speed, strength, and scoring ability. He credits the strength & conditioning staff with their direction and coaching to allow him to become an All-American on the field by his junior year. He is coachable, self-motivated, and team-oriented. As a testament to these skills, Jack was voted Captain by his teammates in addition to all of his on-field accolades. He has a strong understanding of the skills needed to be successful on and off the field. He has shown a clear commitment to his development through his growth and work ethic over four years and the results it produced on the field.
ABOUT THE NSCA
Founded in 1978, The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a nonprofit association dedicated to advancing the strength and conditioning and related sport science professions around the world.
The NSCA exists to empower a community of professionals to maximize their impact through disseminating evidence-based knowledge and its practical application by offering industry-leading certifications, research journals, career development services, networking opportunities, and continuing education. The NSCA community is composed of more than 60,000 members and certified professionals throughout the world who further industry standards as researchers, educators, strength and conditioning coaches, performance and sport scientists, personal trainers, tactical professionals, and other related roles.
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(Photo Credit - Nick Grace '20)
