HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College athletics department honored their outstanding student-athletes during their 2024-2025 Awards Night Ceremony at Lee Clement Arena in Henniker, New Hampshire on Monday evening.

Current NEC student-athletes, coaches and staff attended, as well as New England College President Wayne Lesperance.

The evening began with NEC Director of Athletics Dave DeCew welcoming everyone to the ceremony. President Lesperance then addressed the audience, recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of the athletic programs during this school year.

Honorees included student-athletes who have earned All-Conference accolades, regional award recipients and teams that have won conference championships during the 2024-2025 year.

After the Pilgrims recognized their outstanding senior class with their annual Senior Salute, the highlight of the evening came with the announcement of the Departmental Awards, voted on by NEC coaches and athletics staff.

The Scholar-Athlete Awards were presented to the outstanding female and male graduating senior-athletes who have the highest grade-point averages that year.

Senior defender Jessica Dutkus (Stafford, Va.) of the women's ice hockey team and senior Madeline Ten Kate (Dryden, N.Y.) of the women's alpine ski team were co-honorees for the Female Scholar-Athlete Award while junior defenseman Graham Padgitt (St. Charles, Ill.) was the recipient of the Male Scholar-Athlete Award. All three were all recognized for their exceptional excellence in the classroom, setting the bar for the academic success of all student-athletes NEC.

The Rookie of the Year Awards were presented to the most outstanding female and male first-year athletes who have demonstrated exceptional athletic performance and accomplishment during their respective first years of intercollegiate competition.

Jaclyn Dehney (Pelham, N.H.) of the women's wrestling team was voted the Female Rookie of the Year after an outstanding first season with the Pilgrims that saw her claim National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships (NCWWC) All-American honors in the 131-pound weight class at the NCWWC National Championships in March, coming in seventh place. The meet capped off a brilliant campaign that saw her go 32-2.

Goaltender Anthony Beaulieu (Lawrence, Mass.) of the New England College men's ice hockey team was voted the Male Rookie of the Year after an amazing first season with the 'Grims, starting 23 of the team's 25 games and helping lead the 'Grims to the sixth seed in the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) postseason tournament. In conference play, Beaulieu led all goaltenders in minutes played and his 630 total saves also ranked first. He sat third in saves percentage at .933 and fourth with a 2.29 goals-against average. The rookie's nine wins were also tied for third among conference goaltenders. When looking at season totals, the Massachusetts' native ranks third among all Division-III goaltenders with 694 saves. Among all freshman goaltenders, Beaulieu ranks first in total saves and fourth in save percentage at .927. Beaulieu has already broken the NEC freshman saves record, eclipsing the previous record of 690 saves that had been held by Sumner Stetson since the 1998-99 season. Beaulieu was named the NEHC Goaltender of the Week twice this season (November 17th and January 27th) and was named to the weekly honor roll once (January 20th). The freshman was also named a Joe Concannon Award Semifinalist. Finally, Beaulieu concluded his season by being voted the NEHC Rookie of the Year in one of the nation's strongest hockey conferences.  

The Athlete of the Year Awards were presented to the most outstanding female and male athletes based on their exceptional athletic performance and accomplishments.

Graduate midfielder Drea Chin (Laconia, N.H.) of the field hockey team was voted Female Athlete of the Year after concluding one of the most distinguished careers in the history of the program, having been named first team all-conference four consecutive years as well as being honored with the NFHCA All-Region accolades four times. With 179 points to her career, Chin has etched her name into the NEC record books, as she concludes her career second all-time in career points.

Senior Timothy Carlson (Albany, N.Y.) of the men's golf team was voted Male Athlete of the Year after leading the Pilgrims to back-to-back Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship in October. Carlson is a three-time All-Conference honoree and has led NEC to the NCAA Championships for the second time in two years.

The Pilgrim Pride award was presented to the female and male student-athletes who best exemplifies pride, integrity and respect; and demonstrates outstanding academic and athletic excellence.

Senior forward Mary High (Plymouth, Mass.) of the women's ice hockey and lacrosse teams was voted the recipient of the Female Pilgrim Pride award, as the two-sport athlete has emerged as a major leader among NEC students, serving as President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) this year and coordinating the school's DIII Week activities earlier this month.

Senior attacker Thomas Norton (Mansfield, Mass.) of the men's lacrosse team was recognized with the Male Pilgrim Pride award, concluding an impressive career with the Pilgrims, having served as a team captain the last two seasons and twice making the Chi Alpha Sigma list. Norton is a consistent volunteer with the team's free youth clinics and other community projects.

The Danforth Award is presented to the graduating female senior student-athlete for demonstrating outstanding athletic ability and sportsmanship.

Forward Olivia Lindberg (Stockholm, Sweden) of the women's ice hockey team was voted the recipient of the Danforth Award after an impressive three years with the Pilgrims, as she earned NEHC All-Conference honors this season. Lindberg concludes her time at NEC ranked fourth in school history in faceoffs won and sixth in faceoff winning percentage.
The Parmenter Award is presented to the graduating female senior student-athlete for demonstrating outstanding athletic ability and sportsmanship.

Forward Alex Williams (Miramar, Fla.) of the men's basketball team was voted the recipient of the Parmenter Award after a four-year career that saw him become the first Pilgrim since 2021 to reach the 1000 career point milestone. Alex's combination of hard work, grit and selfless play has been invaluable to the team and his impact on others is clear to all who know him.

Finally, for the second consecutive year, the NEC men's golf team was recognized with the Team of the Year award. In just their fourth season of existence, the Pilgrims won their second straight GNAC Championship to reach the NCAA Championships to be held next month.

Congratulations to all our student-athletes on an outstanding season!

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