Michael Clem, second from left, a soccer player who earned the highest GPA among his teammates, was honored by, from left, Prof. Robert Gamache, Prof. Claire Chamberlain, Clem’s guest at the luncheon, and Interim Provost Donald Pierson.

The campus celebrated National Student Athlete Day recently by honoring 17 students who earned top grade point averages on each team for the Fall ’07 semester. The highest achieving freshman male and female from each team were also honored.

Students were accompanied in the recognition ceremony by their coaches and, if they chose, a favorite faculty member.

Six students  -- Julie Brodie, Bryan Koenig, Michael Clem, Elizabeth Garlo, Jenna Banks and Nichole Rondeau -- were receiving repeat honors, having earned the top GPA in at least one previous year.  Five student athletes earned perfect GPAs of 4.0 in the fall. They are Banks, Clem, Hannah May, Jennifer Carr and Frank Stegnar.

Honored students are:

• Liron Asher of women’s basketball; senior graphic design major from Israel, accompanied by Prof. Michael Roundy
• Jenna Banks of women’s track; sophomore nursing major from North Attleboro; accompanied by Prof. Thomas Wilson
• Sarah Brassard of women’s cross country; junior exercise physiology major from Oxford; accompanied by Prof. Thomas Wilson
• Julie Brodie of softball; senior health education major from Chelmsford; accompanied by Prof. Nicole Champagne
• Michael Clem of men’s soccer; sophomore exercise physiology major Charlton; accompanied by Prof. Claire Chamberlain
• Elizabeth Garlo of women’s soccer; sophomore nursing major from Russell; accompanied by Prof. Celeste Tremblay
• Ali Kanaan of men’s basketball; sophomore criminal justice major from Monteal, Quebec;
• Jeremiah Karanja of men’s cross country; sophomore chemistry major from Lowell; accompanied by prof. Edwin Jahngen
• Bryan Koenig of men’s track; senior criminal justice and political science double major from Reading; accompanied Prof. Kristen Scully
• Nichole Rondeau of volleyball; sophomore mechanical engineering major from Dracut; accompanied by Prof. Robert Parkins
• Missy Seeley of field hockey; junior plastics engineering major from East Hampstead, N.H.; accompanied by Prof. Robert Malloy
• Frank Stegnar of Hockey; freshman management major from Toronto, Ontario; accompanied by Prof. John Hamer
• Tom Thiesing of golf; junior mechanical engineering major from Grafton
• Luke Wallace of baseball; sophomore psychology major from Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

Top achieving freshmen are:  

• Jennifer Carr of women’s track, mechanical engineering major from Tewksbury; accompanied by Prof. David Kazmer
• Nicholas John of men’strack; exercise physiology major from Seekonk; accompanied by Prof. Theodore Namm
• Hannah May of softball; exercise physiology major from Hardwick; accompanied by Prof. Theodore Namm

This is the third time Julie Brodie has been honored as the top student athlete on the softball team and the second time Bryan Koenig has been honored among the track team members.