GENERAL: Seven GNAC Male Student-Athletes Named Nominees For 2025-26 Athlete Of The Year For Men's Sports
WINTHROP, Mass. – Seven Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men’s student-athletes were nominated finalists for the 2025-26 GNAC Athlete of the Year award for Men’s sports.
It recognizes graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
Listed below are the eight nominees:
- Ta’Zhon Daniels, Albertus Magnus
- Jacobo Molina Ferrer, Elms
- Jasper Schultz, Lasell
- Seth Varin, Norwich
- John Nangle, Regis
- Jacob Pelletier, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
- JJ Fox, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
The GNAC Athlete of the Year for Men’s sports will be announced on Tuesday, July 28th and will be the conference’s nominee(s) for the 2025-26 DIIICA Male Student-Athlete Of The Year. Read more about the nominees below.
ABOUT THE NOMINEES
Ta’Zhon Daniels | Albertus Magnus | Men's Basketball
Major: Masters In Organizational Leadership and Management
Daniels graduated from Albertus Magnus with a 3.34 GPA earning a spot on the GNAC All-Academic team. A two-time First Team All-Conference member, Daniels was not only named to the D3Hoops.com All-Region Team but was also a participant in this year’s NABC DIII All-Star Game. He would also become Albertus’ Male Athlete of the Year and finished sixth in program history with 1,446 career points.
Jacobo Molina Ferrer | Elms | Men’s Soccer
Major: Computer Science
Molina Ferrer graduated from Elms with a 3.779 GPA, collecting a degree in Computer Science in while finishing his career with his third consecutive All-Academic Team honor while also earning his first CSC Academic All-District honor. Molina Ferrer was a First-Team All-GNAC selectee this past season for the Blazers as well, collecting GNAC player of the week twice this past year. On campus, he was involved in a few acts of service such as a Data Analyst for the Men’s Basketball team, student philanthropist calling, and CIT Lab technical work.
Jasper Schultz | Lasell | Men’s Volleyball
Major: Sports Management
Schultz graduated from Lasell with a a 3.18 GPA, majoring in Sports Management. A member of the Men’s Volleyball team, Schultz earned four all-conference honors throughout his career, including the 2026 GNAC Offensive Player of the Year award. On a regional-national scale, the senior was named to the AVCA All-Region and All-American Team this past season. Schultz holds a program leading 31 kills in a single match, 33.5 points in a single match, and is the single-season leader in kills per set at 3.95.
Seth Varin | Norwich | Men's Cross Country
Major: Physical Education; Minor: Health
Varin graduated from Norwich with a 3.67 GPA and was a three-time selection to the GNAC All-Academic Team. Varin was named the 2025-26 GNAC Runner of the Year after becoming the Cross Country Individual Champion at this past year’s championship race and earned runner of the week four times previously in regular season meets. A two-time all-conference runner, he led the Cadets to a conference title in 2024 and a close runner-up finish in 2025. Kn the community, Varin committed his time both on campus and outside of it with acts of service including youth soccer officiating, summer camp directing, athletic communications work on campus, as well as being the President of the Norwich Physical Education Club.
John Nangle | Regis | Men's Volleyball
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Nangle graduated Regis with a 3.988 GPA, majoring in Biomedical Engineering while earning GNAC All-Academic honors three times. Nangle was a member of the men’s volleyball team where he earned all-rookie honors in 2023 and was named to the All-sportsmanship team this past season. He finishes his career as the all-time leader in matches played at 115, while also ranking second in blocks (253), fifth in kills (592), and third in service aces (92), cementing his legacy as a cornerstone of the program. Nangle did some work on campus for Regis as a Resident Assistant, Physics Tutor, and laboratory research.
Jacob Pelletier | Saint Joseph's (Maine) |Men's Cross Country/Track and Field
Major: History/Political Science- Secondary Education
Pelletier graduated from Saint Joseph's College of Maine with a 3.97 GPA, majoring in History/Political Science- Secondary Education, earning a spot on both the CSC Academic All-District team and GNAC All-Academic team three times in his career. Pelletier competed in both Cross Country and Track/Field for the Monks, collecting 10 total all-conference honors across both sports including the 2023 GNAC Runner and Rookie of the Year award in Cross Country and was a 2024 USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Region honoree. Pelletier was also named to the Track/Field All-Conference team six times throughout his career.
JJ Fox | University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) | Baseball
Major: Accounting
Fox graduated with a 3.049 GPA, earning his degree in Accounting, collecting honor roll twice this past year. He was a two-time all-conference member in his career, which led to him being named to the D3baseball.com and ABCA all-region team twice from 2025 to 2026. Fox leaves USJ as the All-Time Hits Leader, All-Time & Single Season At-Bats Leader, All-Time & Single Season Runs Scored Leader, All-Time & Single Season Stolen Base Leader, All-Time & Single Season Assists Leader, and All-Time & Single Season Games Played Leader.
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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