Paparelli named NEC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University baseball senior Joe Paparelli (Preston, Conn.) has been named the Northeast Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the league office announced on Wednesday.

Paparelli, a four-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs, graduated in May with a 3.99 GPA. He becomes the first male student-athlete from Bryant to win the honor. Nicole Dean (CCSU), Sarah Bonson (Mount), Lea Lieb (Sacred Heart), Taylor Allison (Saint Francis) and Avika Sagwal (Wagner) shared the women's honor.

For each of the past 11 years, the NEC and its Faculty Athletic Representatives have bestowed the honor upon the male and female student-athletes who have exhausted their athletic eligibility, graduated and compiled the highest grade point average in the Conference at the conclusion of the academic calendar.

"Congratulations to this impressive group," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. "It takes an incredible amount of commitment and ability to achieve or come close to a 4.0 GPA while also competing at a high level athletically. These six student-athletes have proven extremely worthy of this recognition. Speaking on behalf of the entire NEC, we are so proud of their accomplishments."

Paparelli, an Actuarial Mathematics major who minored in Finance, was a four-time member of the NEC Academic and Commissioner's Honor Roll. He was tabbed to the Bryant Dean's List eight times and to President's List on seven occasions.

The Preston, Conn., native was also named the Bryant Athletics Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the annual banquet in May, and received the George J. Kelley Award, the President's List Sash and the SAS Institute Award at graduation.

Paparelli was also a key contributor to a Bryant baseball team that won four-straight NEC Regular-Season titles and a pair of NEC tournament titles during his tenure. He appeared in 106 games over the course of his career, finishing with a career OBP of .397. This spring, Paparelli hit a pair of home runs, including one off the scoreboard at Conaty Park.

"Joe is an extremely gifted student-athlete who has excelled in the classroom for four years," head coach Steve Owens said. "His commitment toward his schoolwork was unmatched in my tenure as a coach. He is in a tremendous position to start his professional career and we look forward to following his future success."