NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The Northeast 10 Conference announced its top three finalists for Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday afternoon, narrowing down the pool of nominees announced earlier this month.

The announcement of award recipients will be made on Monday, June 1, as part of the NE10 Banquet in Colchester, Vt., hosted by Saint Michael's College.

Eligibility requirements for nomination are that a student-athlete must be in their final year of athletic eligibility, be graduating with a degree in May (unless in a master's program), be enrolled in a full-time course load, and have a minimum final cumulative grade point average of 3.30. A committee made up of faculty members and athletic administrators conducts voting for the awards.  This is one male and one female winner for the honor, with finalists listed below in alphabetical order.

Cash McClure
Men's Basketball
Bentley
Major: Economics and Finance
Undergraduate GPA: 3.88
Academic All-American scored more than 1,400 points in his career.

Dillon Labonte
Cross Country
SNHU
Major: Electrical Engineering and Math
Undergraduate GPA: 4.0
A two-time Elite 90 winner, Labonte has been one of the top five cross-country athletes in the NE10 over the last several seasons.

Hope Fox
Women's Basketball
Southern Connecticut
Major: Exercise and Sports Science
Undergraduate GPA: 3.89
The NE10 Championship MVP in 2026, Fox led the Owls to their first conference title since 2007 this winter.

Jaden Kealey
Men's Basketball
Pace
Major: Communications (Undergrad) and Business Administration (Grad)
Undergraduate GPA: 3.9
One of the best post-players in the NE10, Kealey averaged 12ppg each of the last two seasons for the Setters.  Has been named Academic All-Conference or Academic Honor Roll since his arrival at Pace.

Katarina Liedbeck
Women's Tennis
Adelphi
Major: Computer Science
Undergraduate GPA: 3.98
The NE10 Player of the Year this spring, Liedbeck led Adelphi to the NCAA final site in Arizona this spring.

Rose Connolly
Women's Soccer and Track and Field
Assumption
Major: Health Science and Business Management
Undergraduate GPA: 3.94
A multi-sport student-athlete in Worcester, Connolly was second in the Steeple at the 2026 NE10 Championship and won a pair of medals at the indoor conference meet as well.

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