FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Award winner will be
unveiled later this month
WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is pleased to announce its finalists for the first-ever GNAC Man of the Year Award. The inaugural winner, set to be announced later this month, will be selected upon with the same parameters as the NCAA's Woman of the Year Program, including academic achievement, athletics excellence, service & leadership, and a personal statement.
This year's GNAC finalists are Bobby Perette of Anna Maria College men's basketball; Henry Siercke of Eastern Nazarene College men's tennis; Joe Maracic of Johnson & Wales University baseball; Joe Sullivan of Lasell University baseball; Brandon Milburn of Norwich University men's lacrosse; Brian Wagner of Regis College men's lacrosse; and Noah Robinson of Saint Joseph's College of Maine men's soccer.
The winner will officially be unveiled on Monday, July 27.
Perette, a four-year men's basketball standout for the AMCATS, graduated with a 3.30 GPA as a Sport Management major and History minor. A native of Marshfield, Mass., Perette was also an AMCATS Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) leader, read to youngsters at local elementary schools, and was an orientation leader.
On the hardwood, Perette averaged 12.2 points and 2.1 rebounds over his 95-game career (69 starts). But he flourished his junior and senior campaigns, averaging 15.1 and 18.7 points per game, respectively, while shooting 43% from three-point range. He leaves Anna Maria as the program's all-time leader in threes made and goes down as a member of the AMCATS 1,000-point club.
Perette's personal statement: "Coming in to Anna Maria, I had the misfortune of tearing my ACL. At that point, I looked to my coach and told him I still had goals to accomplish upon my recovery. I told him I would score 1,000 points and become the program's all-time three-point leader, and I did. This college experience has taught me that hard work and dedication can bring you so many things in life. I also learned true leadership and patients from Coach [Shawn] Conrad, seeing him work hard and wanting the best out of all of us. He pushed us to be better people. I will always be a better person because I spent time both playing in the GNAC and at Anna Maria College."
Siercke is a member of the ENC tennis program, which is a GNAC associate member. Carrying a 3.93 GPA as a Business Management Major, the Hamburg, Germany native's service and leadership activities included the ENC Business Society, the ENC International Student Organization, as well as a Lions SAAC member. He is a four-time Academic All-Conference choice and a 2018 ITA Scholar-Athlete.
On the court, Siercke was selected as both the 2019 GNAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year and GNAC Tournament MVP. When Eastern Nazarene previously competed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, he was voted a 2018 All-CCC Second Team pick and the 2017 CCC Rookie of the Year.
Siercke's personal statement: "Coming to the U.S. from Germany for the first time as a freshman was tough. The culture shock was hard in the beginning but it was something that I had to get used to. I was new to fully learning a foreign language but I was able to maintain a GPA above 3.9 throughout my four years. I always felt I had to be a leader in the classroom with constructive answers, comments, or feedback during class discussions or group work. I was able to have meaningful discussions with people from all over the world, trying to make an impact in the campus community. I was named captain as a senior and worked to motivate my team in all situations. I am very grateful I got the chance to mentor new freshmen on and off the court. I am very competitive and always wanted to win; I fought until the last point and I think I could set an example with that for my teammates. My goal for this past spring season was to help lead my team to another GNAC Championship, but the global pandemic didn't allow us to. This past year allowed me to grow and develop even further and I can take all this powerful experience with me in my professional career to try to make a positive impact on the world."
Maracic was a Business Administration major at JWU with a 3.06 GPA. A native of Syosset, N.Y., the senior was involved with the FOPAshleysCure Committee, the 2019 Waterfire Salute to Veterans Security, and the 2019 Waterfire Providence Breast Cancer Walk, in addition to being a JWU team captain.
On the field, Maracic twice helped the Wildcats advance to the GNAC Championship (2017, 2019), as the 2019 d3baseball.com All-New England selection and All-GNAC Second Team choice hit .324 for his career spanning 123 games. While his senior season was cut short, as a junior the captain slashed .358/.449/.419 across 148 at-bats.
Maracic's personal statement: "Since arriving at Johnson & Wales University as a freshman, I have been continuously met with opportunities to grow not only as a scholar and an athlete, but also as a leader within my community. After spending the first year transitioning into life as a college student and athlete, I was awarded GNAC Rookie of the Year. At that point, my coach John LaRose challenged me to stand up more within our clubhouse. Thanks to his motivational push, I took on a more vocal role within our team and quickly learned that the true strength of leader comes not from words, but from actions. Academically I pushed myself to make the Dean's list, and athletically I became team captain, All-GNAC and d3baseball.com All-Region. However, perhaps most importantly, as a human being I committed myself to giving back. Today, I am proud to be a committee member for FOPAshleysCure, an organization close to my heart and my family. In addition to personally assisting at the yearly galas and recording a video to spread awareness, I was proud to see my team join in by sporting bracelets for the cause. Aside from FOPAshleysCure, I also began volunteering as security for charity events including Waterfire Providence Breast Cancer Walk and Waterfire Salute to Veterans. I owe much of my growth to my time as a college athlete. Being part of a positive program helped me find my voice as a leader and shaped me into the man I am proud to be."
Sullivan, an East Sandwich, Mass. native, graduated from Lasell with a 3.61 GPA as a Sport Management major (Coaching minor). He is now set to pursue a graduate degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. On campus off the diamond, the Lasers two-year captain worked for the Lasell Athletics department, was part of the Lasell White Ribbon Campaign, was a volunteer assistant coach at Sandwich HS, and helped the baseball program unload pumpkins for a local church each October.
In his three seasons for the Lasers, as his senior campaign was cut short due to COVID-19, Lasell made the GNAC Tournament each year. He was a 2019 All-GNAC Second Team selection after slashing .354/.423 /.583 in 96- at-bats as a junior. For his career, he hit a stellar .342 (50-for-146) in 62 games with the Lasers, and also had two stints in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The 2019-20 Lasell Male Torchbearer Award Recipient also modified all of Lasell's athletic programs' social media handles and website bios to help unite the entire department.
Sullivan's personal statement: "My college experiences at Lasell have helped me create a positive impact on the world and my community through academics, athletics, and leadership on and off campus. I was recently recognized for my efforts on and off the field by receiving Lasell's Male Torchbearer Award for 2019-2020, which was quite an honor! An example of an experience that helped me grow personally and have a positive impact on the world has been offering hitting lessons to local youth baseball players since 2018. Throughout my years I have been very blessed to have amazing coaches in baseball, strength training, and life. One of the best coaches I ever had was the late Mike Pimentel, my strength coach and mentor at Compass Athletics, a gym in my hometown of Sandwich. Mike was the one who first said I should start giving baseball lessons, as I was already helping coach classes at Compass and he saw the positive effect and patience I had with kids. I feel like the best way to give back is to spread the knowledge I have been given, both on and off the field, to the younger generation. All of these lessons are transferable to off the field work in the classroom and in the community. Both baseball and Mike have taught me work ethic, leadership, humility, and finding positivity in hardship. Passing on these gifts in the form of life lessons I learned from Mike will help keep his spirit alive and thriving in my community."
A Criminal Justice Major and Spanish minor with a 3.08 GPA at Norwich, Milburn hails from Bridgewater, N.J. Beyond playing goalkeeper for the Cadets, he was also a CCE Athletic Public Service Liaisons Coordinator, an NU Honor Committee Adjudicator, and a member of the NU SAAC Executive Council. He was also a key member of the GNAC league-wide SAAC, representing the conference and his institution at the 2020 NCAA Convention in Anaheim.
He capped his four-year collegiate career by being named the Garrity Award winner, which is awarded annually to the Norwich senior student-athlete that excels in both athletics and academics, and shows leadership in the Corps of Cadets. The US Army Platoon leader has also completed US Army Basic Training and US Army Infantry School. Also a mental health awareness advocate, the goalkeeper appeared in 24 career games (18 starts), registering a .622 save percentage while posting a 15-1 personal mark as the Cadets claimed the 2019 GNAC Championship after finishing first in the league standings in 2018.
Milburn's personal statement: "As a consistently high preforming student-athlete leader at Norwich University, I have continued to exemplify our core value of service to nation before self. This focus has helped me aid others to become the best versions of themselves. As a scholar, my desire to grow led me to latin honors and participation in the SALUTE national honor society. In order to influence positive change in the criminal justice field, I have ongoing research into community policing impacts in New Jersey. This initiative is the first step to understanding how my work and future work impact the community. My passions for helping other people led me to draft, propose and spearhead a three-year community service model where each athletic team had an appointed representative to our Center for Civic Engagement. My efforts led to 1,000 plus additional hours of service to our community. Seeing the impact under my leadership has strengthened my desire to continue serving and helping others. As an executive for SAAC both at Norwich and the GNAC, my primary focus was creating resources on destigmatizing mental health issues. On the field, I was able to set two program records and contribute to our GNAC championship. The culmination of these experiences and my passion for service lies in the three college summers I spent training for the Army National Guard. I am empowered to not just think about myself in the future, but to think about the entire community so we can all be better."
Wagner, a Melrose, Mass. native, posted a 3.29 GPA as a Business Management major with a minor in Accounting & Data Analytics. The Pride team captain has also served as an orientation leader each of the last two summers, ventured to South Dakota in 2019 for a Service Trip to Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, and was a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Research Challenge Participant.
A recipient of the Regis Merit Scholarship, Wagner also was the 2019-20 Regis-Casserly Award Recipient. Meanwhile on the lax field for the Pride, Wagner ranks in the top-10 in program history in assists (57), face-off wins (87), and points (90). Splitting his time in both the GNAC and previously the New England Collegiate Conference, Wagner was a GNAC Academic All-Conference both years the Pride competed in the league, and was also a 2017 NECC All-Tournament Team choice before Regis joined the GNAC. If not for the spring season cancellation, Wagner aimed to jump into the top-five in the Regis record books for career points.
Wagner's personal statement: "Regis College has provided me with various learning, career, and volunteer opportunities. For one summer I was an orientation leader, and another summer I was an orientation coordinator. In 2019, I participated in a service trip to South Dakota to help hold a camp for the kids living on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation through the organization Simply Smiles. My professor asked me to participate in the CFA Institute Research Challenge, in which myself, along with three other classmates of mine, prepared an equity research report on a company. Lastly, I held a position as an accounting tutor on campus. Through athletics, I was able build on my core values. The lacrosse team set forth four team values: Toughness, Accountability, Positivity, and Selflessness. During my trip to South Dakota, it was important to be selfless and understand that I am here for the kids on the reservation and that they come first. Being a part of orientation, it was key to stay positive and give the freshmen class a good experience. With the CFA Challenge and academics, I needed to be accountable and get my assignments turned in on time. While playing lacrosse, it was important to remain tough, physically and mentally. Through interactions with team members, professors, fellow students, and in my other roles, I have learned from others what it means to be tough, accountable, positive, and selfless. I plan to continue to apply these values I have learned at Regis in my personal and professional life."
Robinson, a Wappingers Falls, N.Y. native, graduated from SJC with a 3.49 GPA as a major in Business & Sports Management. The men's soccer standout was a key cog in the program that has become a regional powerhouse in recent years, as the Monks won three straight GNAC Championships from 2016-18 and advanced to the NCAA Second Round each season. The team was ranked as high as No. 5 in Division III back in 2018, putting together a 42-game undefeated streak.
For his career, Robinson totaled 23 goals and eight assists for 54 points, including six game-winners in 80 games (78 starts). The four-time All-GNAC selection was also voted the 2019 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and was an All-New England First Team choice the same year. The team captain was also a SAAC member and served as an Intramurals Coordinator for the SJC Athletic Department.
Robinson's personal statement: "Over the last four years, I have had the special opportunity of being able to call Saint Joseph's College of Maine my home, and the Men's Soccer team my family. It has been a long journey where I have had many experiences I will never forget. SJC has given me the opportunity to grow and excel on and off the field. I was very involved in the SJC community outside of the men's soccer team, both as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the Intramural Supervisor. This allowed me to have a voice in the community, and develop many skills as a leader that will have endless use to me in the future. Success is never something that has come easy to me. I have always been the person that is overlooked. I have always had to work harder, and put in more time, and effort to achieve my goals. I believe this is why I thrived in the SJC community, and especially within the Men's Soccer team, since our core principles were always to be honest upright young men, and to also be the hardest workers having a never-give-up attitude. This aligned well with my personal values. It has been a long journey that I am not looking to give up on yet. I am currently searching to continue my playing career at the professional level where I can carry on all my experiences I have had over the last four years."
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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