WEST BABYLON, N.Y. (June 29, 2023) – Mercy College women's soccer graduate student Nikki Bermudez (Oceanside, N.Y./New York Tech), softball senior Sydney Johnston (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial), volleyball senior Larissa Schneid (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Iowa Western CC), women's lacrosse sophomore Lindsey Shimborske (Farmingdale, N.Y./Farmingdale), baseball senior Nolan Giblin (Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville-Dewitt), men's lacrosse graduate student Jack Kipnes (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur), men's basketball senior Garrett Kirkland (Springdale, Md./Bishop McNamara) and men's soccer sophomore Eirik Elvestad (Oslo, Norway/Blindern VGS) have been named ECC Scholar-Athletes of the Year in their respective sports. The eight scholar-athletes of the year recipients are a new school record and are the most out of any ECC school.
All ECC Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipients hold at least a 3.30 GPA, are a starter or key reserve and have reached at least sophomore standing both athletically and academically.
Bermudez finished her undergraduate work as a Psychology major with a 3.7 GPA, before moving onto graduate school as a Human Resource Management major where she added a 3.92 GPA. The midfielder was named D2CCA Third Team All-American, D2CCA First Team All-Region, United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Region, ECC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-ECC in 2022. She was also named College Sports Communicators Second Team Academic All-American and had nine goals, seven assists and 25 points. Bermudez ranked fourth in the ECC in goals, third in assists and third in points.
Johnston compiled a 3.975 GPA as a Communicators Disorders major. The third baseman was named First Team All-ECC in 2023 after hitting .288 with 14 extra-base hits and a team-high 31 RBI. She was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team and was named ECC Player of the Week once. Johnston ranked third in the ECC in RBI.
Schneid was named a co-winner, sharing the award with Daemen's Maggie Burns. The senior repeats as the award winner after maintaining a perfect 4.0 as a Biology major. Schneid was tabbed First Team All-ECC for the second straight season after accumulating 196 kills on a .190 hitting percentage to go along with 168 digs. She was named ECC Player of the Week twice and was tabbed to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. Schneid led the team in kills and was second in the ECC in kills per set (3.32).
Shimborske was named a co-winner in her first season eligible for the award, sharing the award with Molloy's Joanna Mauceri. The defender currently holds a 3.98 GPA as a Health Science/Physical Therapy major. Shimborske was named IWLCA Second Team All-American, USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Honorable Mention, IWLCA First Team All-Region, ECC Defender of the Year, First Team All-ECC and the ECC Championship's Most Outstanding Player. She was also named to College Sports Communicators Third Team Academic All-American and ECC Defensive Player of the Week five times. Shimborske ended the season with 55 ground balls, 55 caused turnovers and 83 draw controls. She led the ECC in ground balls and caused turnovers, while also ranking third in the conference in draw controls. The sophomore set a single-season school record for caused turnovers and ranked No. 4 nationally in caused turnovers per game (3.06).
Giblin earns the award for the second straight year and was named Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year today as well. The senior has recorded a 3.92 GPA as a Finance major and was named First Team All-ECC as a third baseman this season. He finished the season with a .326 batting average to go along with 15 extra-base hits (9 doubles, four triples, two home runs) and 33 RBI. His totals of 62 hits and four triples both ranked within the top 10 in the ECC. Giblin led the team in RBI and triples and was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
Kipnes takes home the honor for the second straight year and shares this year's award with University of the District of Columbia's Carnell Lofton, Jr. After graduating with a 3.82 GPA as a Business Administration major, he moved on to graduate school as an Organizational Leadership major, posting a 3.97 GPA. Kipnes was named USILA Third Team All-American, USA Lacrosse Magazine Second Team All-American, USILA Second Team All-Region, First Team All-ECC and ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year this season. He also was named College Sports Communicators Third Team Academic All-American and USILA Scholar All-American. Kipnes ended the season with 45 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers in 17 games.
Kirkland receives the honor for the first time and had a 3.90 GPA as a Business major. The senior appeared in 21 games and averaged 8.1 points per game, scoring a season-high 16 points against Queens on January 21st. He was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team this season and previously won the ECC Elite 19 Award for men's basketball in 2021.
Elvestad earns the honor in his first season eligible for the award and shares the accolade with Molloy's Nick Conklu. Elvestad currently has a 3.97 GPA as a Business Management major. The sophomore was named D2CCA Second Team All-Region, ECC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team All-ECC. The two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week was also named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. He went 11-2-5 in goal with seven shutouts, 64 saves, a .790 save percentage and 0.95 goals-against average. Elvestad led the ECC in goals-against average and was third in save percentage.
