HENNIKER, N.H. - The New England College athletics department hosted the annual Athletics Awards Ceremony in the Lee Clement Arena on Monday night, celebrating their student athletes upon the completion of the 2025-2026 athletics and academic year.
NEC Athletic Director Dave DeCew kicked off the night with some opening remarks, addressing the audience of more than 300 student athletes and coaches, recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of the past year.
Among those honored towards the beginning of the ceremony were all-sportsmanship honorees, All-Conference Team members, major conference award winners, all-region honorees, and head men's ice hockey coach Tom Carroll who hit 300 career wins earlier this season.
The department took time to recognize and thank a class of 17 graduate assistants who have completed their time at NEC and are set to graduate this Spring. Afterwards, the night proceeded with the senior salute, celebrating over 70 graduating senior student athletes across all programs.
The first awards were given out to the male and female scholar athletes of the year, with four senior student athletes, all with cumulative 4.0 GPA's, being honored. Those recognized were Christopher Chagnon (Portsmouth, R.I.), Ashleigh Lemay (Derry, N.H.), Mackenzie McDonald (Boscawen, N.H.), and Angelica Valente (Brookline, N.H.).
Next, the Female Rookie of the Year award was given to Women's Lacrosse goalkeeper, freshman Tatum Villa (Framingham, Mass.). Villa started 17 games while helping lead the 'Grims to the GNAC postseason for the first time this season. She made 121 saves, ranking inside the top five in the GNAC, while earning 10 wins in her first season.
The Male Rookie of the Year was Baseball's freshman infielder Dillan Abbate (Port Jervis, N.Y.). Abbate ended his rookie season with a .485 on-base percentage, ranking second on the Pilgrims and 11th in the GNAC. He saw action in 32 games with 29 starts on the left side of the infield while finishing third on the team among qualified batters with a .841 OPS.
The Female Athlete of the Year was awarded to senior Meadow Gilchrist (Stamford, Conn.) of the Women's Ice Hockey and Women's Lacrosse teams. On the ice, the team captain led the 'Grims with 7 goals and 11 points while ending her career tied for sixth in program history in points. On the turf, Meadow led the Pilgrims with 87 points on a career-high 60 goals to go along with 27 assists. She ranked inside the top five in the GNAC in points while captaining NEC to their first GNAC postseason berth. Gilchrist moved into fourth all-time with 257 career points.
The Male Athlete of the Year was given to sophomore Joseph Bolduc (Methuen, Mass.) of the Men's Wrestling team. Bolduc steamrolled opponents to the tune of a 28-8 record this season while winning the Doug Parker Invitational in November. He would go on to win the 174-pound weight class at Regionals and qualify for the NCAA Championships in March. Bolduc travelled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa where he picked up a win before bowing out of his first taste of NCAA Championship competition.
The recipients of the George Hamilton Pilgrim Pride awards were Baseball's Chris Chagnon (Portsmouth, R.I.) and Women Volleyball's Aurora Gutierrez-Macias (El Paso, Tex.). Both seniors greatly exemplified pride, integrity, and respect, while demonstrating outstanding academic achievement, athletic success, and department contributions. Chagnon, a team captain, led the Pilgrims with 55.2 innings pitched – fourth most in the GNAC - while throwing six complete games. Gutierrez-Macias, also a team captain, became the Pilgrims program record holder with 1,138 assists, and she has been the school's acting GNAC SAAC representative for the last two years.
The Danforth Award is presented annually to the graduating female senior for outstanding athletic ability and sportsmanship. This year's winner was senior Martina Hill (Abbot, Maine) of the NEC field hockey team. The senior captain was a leader both on and off the field and concluded her career as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the NFHCA All-Region Second Team. She helped lead the Pilgrims to a third consecutive GNAC Semifinals appearance.
The Parmenter Award is presented annually to the graduating male senior for outstanding athletic ability and sportsmanship. This year's winner was senior Graham Hassan (Pinckney, Mich.) of the NEC men's golf and men's ice hockey teams. Hassan helped lead the Pilgrims to a third straight GNAC title and a third straight NCAA Men's Golf Championships in the Fall. He earned All-Conference First Team honors with a second overall finish at the GNAC Championships. On the ice, Hassan set career-bests with five goals, six assists, and 11 points.
The Team of the Year was none other than the NEC Men's Golf team who secured the threepeat with their third consecutive GNAC Championship with a come-from-behind victory last Fall. The Pilgrims had five first-place finishes this year and punched their ticket back to the NCAA Championships in mid-May which are to be held in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.
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