Buzzards Bay, Mass. --  Softball standout Holly McLaughlin, along with football and outdoor track & field all-conference honorees Walter Butler and Chris Sullo, were named as the 2011-12 Massachusetts Maritime Alumni Athletes of the Year on Wednesday evening as the Buccaneer Class of 2012 was honored at the Department of Athletics’ Senior Student-Athlete Awards Banquet on campus.

McLaughlin, a native of Belmont, Mass. and a graduate of Belmont High School, earned all-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference accolades during her career on the diamond that also saw her serve as a two-year team captain.  She also has been a standout in the classroom during her matriculation, earning a 3.62 cumulative grade point average as a Marine Safety & Environmental Protection major. 

Butler, a native of Bourne, Mass. and a graduate of Bishop Stang High School, enjoyed a season to remember on the gridiron last fall, as he earned the nod as the New England Football Conference Bogan Division Defensive Player of the Year while also earning spots on the New England Football Writers’ Division II-III and ECAC Division III North all-star squads.  Butler also earned a spot on the D3Football.com All-East Region team and became the second Massachusetts Maritime student-athlete to be featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces In The Crowd” column in three years in November, as he ranked among the national leaders in Division III in forced fumbles and tackles for losses.

Sullo, a native of Canton, Mass. and a graduate of Canton High School, earned back-to-back Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference and New England Alliance individual championships in the high jump as both as a sophomore and a junior, and he narrowly missed a “three-peat” in the event at this year’s conference championships.  He is one of two individuals in school history to earn a pair of MASCAC individual crowns in outdoor track & field.

Men’s Soccer co-captain James Gendrolis (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) was named as the recipient of the Academic Dean’s Award, which honors senior student-athletes who have persevered in athletics as well as in academics, combining outstanding academic achievement with athletic accomplishments.

Women’s Soccer & Lacrosse standout Kerri Conway (West Springfield, Mass./West Springfield) received the Foundation Award, which is presented to a female student-athlete who best exemplifies the true spirit and philosophy of Division III athletics, while football all-conference performer and outdoor track & field Division III All-New England performer James Hutchinson (Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) was the recipient of the Trustees Award, which is presented to a male senior student-athlete who best exemplifies the spirit and philosophy of Division III athletics.

ECAC Merit Medals, which recognize senior student-athletes who are members of a varsity team governed by ECAC and NCAA rules of eligibility and are bestowed on athletes who have combined athletic achievement with service to the institution, were presented to women’s lacrosse and cross country captain Julie Shebroe (Little Falls, N.J./Passaic Valley); women’s cross country co-captain Emily Burbank (Yarmouthport, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth); men’s lacrosse standout Matt Adam (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich); football and outdoor track & field standout Chris Dintino (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee); baseball co-captain Billy Shouldice (Rutland, Vt./Mount Saint Joseph) and sailing skipper Graham Philpot (Laconia, N.H./Laconia).  Additionally, McLaughlin, Hutchinson, women’s soccer co-captain Nicole Newell (Plymouth, Mass./Sacred Heart) and football standout Joshua Roberts (Springfield, Mass./Cathedral) were presented with Senior Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Awards to recognize members of the senior class who have provided valuable contributions and service to the Buccaneer Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during their matriculation at the Academy.

Athletic Director’s Academic Achievement Awards were presented to 16 members of the senior class for their outstanding accomplishments in the classroom during their career, as the honor is awarded to student-athletes who have achieved a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 in their chosen major.  Those student-athletes honored were Marine Engineering majors Adam, Roberts, Shebroe, sailing standout Jeffrey Gawrys (Marblehead, Mass./St. John’s Prep) and outdoor track & field standout Joseph Vitali (Killingworth, Conn./Haddam-Killingworth); Marine Transportation majors Jason Pollock (Cataumet, Mass./Bishop Stang) of sailing; Kevin Quinn (Barrington, R.I./Barrington) of outdoor track & field and Kyle Scannell (Tierra Verde, Fla./Lakewood) of sailing and men’s lacrosse; Marine Safety & Environmental Protection majors Burbank and McLaughlin; Emergency Management majors Gendrolis and Sullo; Facilities Engineering major Conway and International Maritime Business majors Butler, women’s lacrosse co-captain Shauna Callinan (West Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) and Vanessa DiDomenico (Wrentham, Mass./King Philip).

Maryanne Richards, the Shoreside Director of Career Services, and George Howe, Chair of the Engineering Department, were co-recipients of the ECAC Appreciation Award, which recognizes institutional staff members, past and present, for their efforts in advancing the services and programs of the ECAC and their member institutions.  Additionally, a total of 55 members of the Academy’s Class of 2012 were honored by Buccaneer Director of Athletics Bob Corradi, their respective head coaches and the honorary member of the Massachusetts Maritime men’s lacrosse team, 12-year-old Teddy McGowan of Forestdale, Mass., with their senior class gifts.