Albertus Magnus' Gillian Fortier Named GNAC Softball Player, Rookie of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Emmanuel's Jill Kilcoyne
named Pitcher of the Year

WINTHROP, Mass. – Albertus Magnus College freshman infielder Gillian Fortier has been named the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Softball Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, while Emmanuel College sophomore Jill Kilcoyne (pictured) was recognized as the Pitcher of the Year.

The conference office issued the announcements on Monday.

Fortier began her GNAC career with a bang, leading the conference with a .492 average. Among league leaders, she also ranked among the top-five in RBI (30), doubles (11), OBP (.526) and slugging percentage (.733) while patrolling the hot corner for the Falcons.

Kilcoyne nearly won the GNAC's pitching triple crown, as she led the league in ERA (1.59) and strikeouts (183) and finished third with 13 wins in the circle. The second-leading strikeout leader in the conference had 80 fewer strikeouts than Kilcoyne, who also tied for the league lead with 16 complete games.

Both Fortier and Kilcoyne received All-GNAC First Team accolades for their performances.

Albertus Magnus head coach Ed Emielita was voted as the 2015 GNAC Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding the Falcons to a second-place finish in the regular-season standings and a spot in the final day of the GNAC Tournament this past weekend. Albertus Magnus was ranked seventh in this year's preseason coaches' poll.

GNAC regular-season champion Suffolk University saw three student-athletes named to the First Team, including a pair of freshman. Rookie catcher Delaney Sylvester hit .431, good for fifth in the GNAC, with 37 RBI, which ranked second among conference leaders. Rookie outfielder Devlin Frost hit .355 with 27 RBI to collect First Team honors, as did sophomore infielder Kristen Young after ranking third in the GNAC with a .434 average and swiping a league-leading 36 stolen bases in as many tries.

Saint Joseph's College of Maine seniors Kim Jordan and Theresa Hendrix both were named to the First Team. Jordan hit .357 with 20 extra-base hits and 21 RBI, while Hendrix hit .417 with 35 RBI and a league-leading .775 slugging percentage. Hendrix was also a force on the mound, going 7-2 with a 1.92 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 54.2 innings.

Simmons College seniors Lauren Backhaus and Jen Field both earned First Team accolades as well. At the plate, Backhaus hit .324 and drove in 20 runs and on the mound went 11-7 with a 2.28 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 110.1 innings. Field meanwhile hit .351 with a .432 OBP and nine stolen bases.

Emmanuel junior infielder Catherine Davis and University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) junior outfielder Patti Sciglimpaglia rounded out the First Team choices. Davis ranked sixth among GNAC leaders with a .427 average and had five home runs and 30 RBI, while Sciglimpaglia hit .368 with four homers and 28 RBI and posted a .269 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 109.1 innings.

For the complete list of All-Conference selections and the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team, please see below.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.

First Team
C – Delaney Sylvester, Suffolk (Fr., Worcester, Mass.)
INF – Gillian Fortier, Albertus Magnus (Fr., Naugatuck, Conn.)
INF – Catherine Davis, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr., Wethersfield, Conn.)
INF – Kim Jordan, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sr., Bangor Maine)
INF – Kristen Young, Suffolk (So., Windsor, Conn.)
OF – Patti Sciglimpaglia, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., Norwalk, Conn.)
OF – Jen Field, Simmons (Sr., Windham, Maine)
OF – Devlin Frost, Suffolk (Fr., Tewksbury, Mass.)
DP – Lauren Backhaus, Simmons (Sr., Windsor, Conn.)
UTIL – Theresa Hendrix, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sr., Scarborough, Maine)
P – Jill Kilcoyne, Emmanuel (So., Worcester, Mass.)
P – Lauren Backhaus, Simmons (Sr., Windsor, Conn.)

Second Team
C – Kristen Solari, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., Old Bridge, N.J.)
INF – Emily Gorecki, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Bremerton, Wash.)
INF – Cynthia Proby, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., Bremerton, Wash.)
INF – Mikaela Caracciolo, Simmons (Jr., North Attelboro, Mass.)
INF – Hannah Cunningham, Simmons (Sr., Cotuit, Mass.)
OF – Diana Amendolara, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Newtown, Pa.)
OF – Alex Fantasia, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., Framingham, Mass.)
OF – Lia Bobek, Rivier (Jr., Hollis, N.H.)
DP – Emily Schaper, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Pompton Lakes, N.J.)
UTIL – Mary Sciglimpaglia, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., Norwalk, Conn.)
P – Samantha Maselli, Albertus Magnus (Fr., Rockville Centre, N.Y.)
P – Erica Boulanger, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Somersworth, N.H.)

Third Team
C – Jennifer Murphy, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Andover, Mass.)
INF – Hayley Microulis, Mount Ida (Fr., Pawtucket, R.I.)
INF – Melissa Rome, Norwich (Sr. Enfield, Conn.)
INF – Shaylyn Freitas, Rivier (So., Pelham, N.H.)
INF – Nicole Rosa, Suffolk (Sr. Wallingford, Conn.)
OF – Payton Warner, Norwich (Jr., Harwich, Mass.)
OF – Tori Dugan, Rivier (Fr., Norwalk, Conn.)
OF – Carla Tripp, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Lovell, Maine)
DP – Ashley Tucker, St. Joseph (Conn.) (So., Middletown, Conn.)
UTIL – Kaitlyn Muhlenforth, Mount Ida (So., Bohemia, N.Y.)
P – Jennifer Corona, Johnson & Wales (R.I.) (Fr., Middle Island, N.Y.)
P – Patti Sciglimpaglia, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., Norwalk, Conn.)

Player of the Year – Gillian Fortier, Albertus Magnus (Fr., Naugatuck, Conn.)
Pitcher of the Year – Jill Kilcoyne, Emmanuel (Mass.) (So., Worcester, Mass.)
Rookie of the Year – Gillian Fortier, Albertus Magnus (Fr., Naugatuck, Conn.)
Coach of the Year – Ed Emielita, Albertus Magnus
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Anna Maria College

All-Sportsmanship Team
Carli Matrisian, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Milford, Conn.)
Nichole Lowe, Anna Maria (Sr., Saugus, Mass.)
Kerrianne Vulpis, Emmanuel (Jr., East Rockaway, N.Y.)
Angelica Reyes, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Arleta, Calif.)
Denise Archetto, Lasell (Sr., Cranston, R.I.)
Shannon McArthur, Mount Ida College (So., Coventry, R.I.)
Angie Hershberger, Norwich (Jr., Felton, Calif.)
Kathryn Mostone, Rivier University (Jr. Pelham, N.H.)
Karen Agogliati, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Fr., Portland, Conn.)
Victoria Ramos, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sr., North Scituate, R.I.)
Alison Gauvin, Simmons (So., Whitefield, Maine)
Sarah Chasse, Suffolk (Sr., Salem, Mass.)

– #theGNAC –